An Indian Rosh Hashana Photo Gallery
Lighting candles prior to Rosh Hashana in Manipur
Yochanan Phaltual, Shavei Israel’s emissary to the Bnei Menashe in Manipur, has sent us some lovely Rosh Hashana photos from India to light up your holiday celebrations this year. Take a look at the gallery here.
Taken before the start of the holiday, the pictures portray some of the 20 families who joined the New Year’s events at Shavei Israel’s Beith Shalom synagogue in Churachandpur. Also included in the festivities was Israeli musician Irene Orleansky who has been traveling around the world to capture the music of far-flung Jewish communities as part of a CD project that will include several traditional Bnei Menashe songs. We have written about Orleansky previously here.
According to Phaltual, “the main feature of the program was the Rosh Hashana evening service. All of the women lit Yom Tov (holiday) candles together, there were speeches including divrei Torah (words of Torah) and classes given by Shavei Israel’s Bnei Menashe “Fellows” as well as by Irene.”
In many Jewish communities on Rosh Hashana it is traditional to eat symbolic foods to represent good wishes and blessings for the coming year. For example, after eating pomegranate seeds, participants say together “May it be your will, L-rd our G-d and G-d of our fathers, that our merits be as numerous as the seeds of the pomegranate.
The Bnei Menashe in Churachandpur observed the tradition this year, along with a festive meal featuring traditional Bnei Menashe cuisine. The evening was “full of exuberant singing of both Hebrew and local Bnei Menashe songs,” Phaltual reports.
Prior to Rosh Hashana, the “Be’er Miriam” mikveh (ritual bath) was opened to men to prepare for the holiday. It will be open again before Yom Kippur this week. We have some pictures here. Normally, the mikveh is only available for women.