Bat mitzvah on Curacao

[Joel Bresler <jbresler...>]

Chevre,

Interesting message from a rabbi on Curacao about preparing a young woman 
for her Bat Mitzvah in the Spanish and Portuguese tradition. There is one 
recording that I know of specifically dealing with Curacao:

Swerling, Cantor Norman P.
Romemu - Exalt!
National Multimedia Services
NMS20477

(I found it at Tara, but perhaps Simon and others have it.) And there are a 
number of recordings of artists and choirs associated with the Spanish 
and  Portuguese tradition from Shearith Israel in NYC and Bevis Marks in 
London. Last, there is a fascinating CD/Booklet on Jewish Liturgical music 
that includes selections from the Portuguese community in the south of France:

Roten, Hervé    E
Musiques Liturgiques Juives
Cité de la musique/Actes Sud
ISBN: 2-7427-1480-4

(I don't think it's available in the US...)

Best,

Joel


>X-Sender: mtayvah (at) popmail(dot)cura(dot)net
>Date: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 10:49:16 -0400
>To: jbresler (at) ma(dot)ultranet(dot)com
>From: Michael Tayvah <mtayvah (at) cura(dot)net>
>Subject: Take part in an historic event!
>
>Dear friends:
>
>On of my privileges here on Curacao has been teaching a young woman for her
>Bat Mitzvah celebration. She will be 14 in December, but waited until now
>to study because they had no rabbi for nearly two years, and because her
>congregation is still not fully egalitarian. Her name is Erin Blanken.
>
>What is so historic about a 14 year old celebrating a Bat mitzvah?
>
>Her family on her mother's side has been on Curacao for 12 generations.
>Before her family settled on Amsterdam they were from the Sephardic Jews
>who fled west to Portugal where in the early sixteenth century were forced
>to convert to Catholicism. They somehow managed to preserve their
>Jewishness during four generations of being covert Jews and overt
>Catholics. Upon reaching what her ancestors called "the lands of Judaism"
>they embraced Jewish life, and for a short while were part of the Amsterdam
>Jewish revival of the seventeenth century.
>
>How her family -- the Senior family -- got to Curacao is not known, but
>they were always key community members, frequently in the leadership of the
>community and supporting Jewish life here. Her
>great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grand uncle donated the Tebah
>(bimah) still used in Mikve Israel - Emanuel, the synagogue where her
>family has worshipped since it was built 267 years ago.
>
>Last December, a community vote on implementing full ritual egalitarianism
>fail by four votes to achieve a three-quarters majority.  Erin was very
>disappointed but chose to continue to study to read Torah, and celebrate
>her becoming Bat Mitzvah. Rather than accept what girls are allowed to do
>in her synagogue, she and her family chose to have their celebration in
>their home, a first in this community (which used to place people in
>"herem" for worshipping in a minyan anywhere but in the community
>synagogue).
>
>When I took the position of Rabbi of this oldest synagogue in continual use
>in the western hemisphere I was asked to chant Torah to Western
>Spanish-Portuguese Torah tropes. Then, no member of Mikve Israel - Emanuel
>knew those melodies. Thanks to Rabbi Ira Rohde of Shearith Israel in New
>York City, I learned a version of those tropes, and have taught them to
>four Bar/t Mitzvah students.
>
>At Shabbat Minhah services on 29 Tishray 5760 (9 October 1999) Erin will
>read from a Torah brought by an older native Curacao relative, loaned from a
>congregation in Connecticut where the rabbi's wife is yet another native
>Curacaoan.
>
>Erin will be the first woman to read Torah on Curacao.
>
>She is within the first group of descendants of Spanish & Portuguese
>Sephardic Jews here to re-embrace the Torah melodies of her ancestors. (In
>fact she may be one a mere handful of Spanish & Portuguese Sephardic women
>who know how chant Torah!)
>
>More importantly, her quiet perseverance has brought about many changes in
>her family and others here, motivating woman many years her elders to get
>involved in Jewish life and living.
>
>And what do I ask of you?
>
>It would be wonderful to present Erin with a book of well wishes from like
>minded Jews from around the world, congratulating her on her achievement
>and encouraging her to continue and deepen her Jewish learning.  Helping
>Erin see how her acts and desires tie her into a larger Jewish world would
>be a powerful gift.
>
>Please write her a note, or a letter. Send them to (Joel's note: The rabbi 
>has indicated "Dayenu" and asked that no more messages need be sent...)
>and I'll assemble them to present to her at her celebration. <snip>
>
>Feel free to pass this on to whomever you think would be interested.
>
>Hag Samayah! May the Holy One bless us all as we begin a new Torah reading
>cycle.
>
>Many thanks!
>
>Michael and Paola Tayvah
>
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>
>Michael Tayvah
>
>(599) 9 737 5399
>mailto:mtayvah (at) cura(dot)net
>
>Curacao, Netherlands Antilles
>
>12° 06' 30'' North
>68° 55' 51'' West



Joel Bresler
250 E. Emerson Rd.
Lexington, MA 02420 USA

Home:           781-862-2432
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