To Life!

No Apples & Honey

from page 21

ing of a portion of the crop with
them. Beta Israel, being a holy
people, would not eat any food
they picked (no matter what
time of the year) until it was
blessed.
Simchat Torah, which is cele-
brated in the rest of the Jewish
world, is unknown to the Beta
Israel. This is because the holiday
was created well after the writing
of the Torah, and Beta Israel
lacked knowledge of Oral Law.
Tours of Shalom Street's "With
Stone Shoes: An Ethiopian Jewish
Journey" rounded out a fun-filled
family day of learning, which
was sponsored by Federation's
Alliance for Jewish Education,
Jewish Experiences for Family,
Shalom Street, the Jewish
Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit and the
Detroit Jewish News. the Alliance
and JEFF-sponsored Apples &
Honey.

Clockwise:

Jordyn Cranis, 6, of West

Bloomfield builds an edible

sukkah.

Tal Siegman and his daughter,

Maya Siegman, 3, of Oak Park

make figurines out of clay in

the Ethiopian Village.

- Aidin Horwitz, 7, of Windsor

and Yoni Weiss, 7, of

Southfield build an Ethiopian-

style drum.

Molly Horwitz, 4, of Windsor

eats injera, a spongy Ethiopian

flatbread

INFORMATION ON THE HIGH HOLIDAYS

Berhan Saraka — "The Rising Light" — falls on the first day of the
seventh month. Despite the fact that it is described in the Torah as an
Yom Teruah, a "Day of the Awakening Sound," and Jews throughout
the world blow the shofar, Beta Israel interpret the verse differently.
The Jews of Ethiopia do not blow the shofar. They say that they have
forgotten the way to sound it and how to prepare it from a ram's horn.
Instead, they beat drums and cymbals to make a loud noise.
A special tradition is to dip lamb into honey to taste the sweetness
of the season. This was done for two reasons: to remember the sacri-
fices listed in the Torah and because apples did not grow in Ethiopia.

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