Uncategorized
When you invite your ancestors into your sukkah, consider bringing their Jewish languages in, too
On Sukkot, we strengthen our local communities, hosting elaborate meals with relatives and friends and leaving one wall of the sukkah open, symbolizing hospitality. Sukkot also invokes the Jewish community in time. We build temporary structures to commemorate our biblical ancestors wandering through the desert, and we invite ushpizin – symbolic guests.
Traditionally, ushpizin have been biblical characters, kabbalistically associated with particular divine attributes. In my community in Los Angeles, I have noticed and participated in a new approach: summoning the presence of more recent ancestors. This Sukkot, I am promoting this tradition with a focus on our ancestors’ words.
I first experienced a more personalized ushpizin at a friend’s sukkah about a decade ago. Before dessert, the hosts asked each guest to share one person – historical or contemporary – that they would like to symbolically invite to the meal. The guests offered diverse responses, which led to additional conversations and strengthened ties among guests. My family and others we know have adopted this practice at our own sukkah gatherings, interspersed with kiddush, lulav shaking, singing, schmoozing and, of course, copious food.
In our ushpizin conversations, some guests have “invited” celebrities like Taylor Swift and Post Malone or Jewish heroes like Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Rachel Goldberg-Polin. Some have used the opportunity to introduce lesser known historical figures, like scientist Rosalind Franklin and entertainer Gertrude Berg. But the most common type of ushpizin I’ve noticed over the years has been relatives – an adult child living in another state, an elderly parent who was too frail to travel, a deceased grandparent they sorely missed, or even a great-great grandparent who had been part of their family lore.
When sukkah guests speak of their deceased ancestors, especially parents and grandparents, they often get emotional. Several have told me afterwards that sharing a bit about their relative made their holiday more special and personal. And I have observed guests speaking to each other to learn more about their ancestors and share similar stories of love and loss.
This year, I’m planning to introduce a linguistic angle to our round of ushpizin. I will ask each guest to share one “heritage word” — a word they inherited from their ancestors even though they don’t speak that language. This idea flows from the podcast I host, Heritage Words, a production of the HUC Jewish Language Project and HUC Connect. In each episode, I interview guests about the languages their ancestors spoke and the meaning those languages bring to their lives today.
From the 16 episodes to date, I have learned about the heritage words Jews continue to use generations after their families stopped speaking their immigrant languages. Several are terms of endearment — expressions of love, usually said to children by parents and grandparents. Rozeeta Mavashev reports that her mother uses the Bukharian word “jonam” (darling), similar to the Persian word “joon,” as in “How are you doing, jonam?” Sam Miller has fond memories of his Jewish Neo-Aramaic-speaking grandmother expressing love with “qorbanokh” (dear one, lit. “your sacrifice”), similar to the Judeo-Arabic and Modern Hebrew word “kapara.”
Other heritage words involve euphemism, avoiding a word seen as crass by substituting a different word, often from a foreign language. Anthropologist Evelyn Dean-Olmsted, who coined the term “heritage words,” says the word “pishar” (to urinate) is common in the Spanish of Mexican Jews, likely an influence from Ladino or Yiddish but also claimed by Syrian Jews as Judeo-Arabic. Mayim Bialik uses diminutive forms of Yiddish words for body parts when speaking to her children, like “hentlekh” (hands) and “eygies” (eyes).
Another common domain of heritage words is cuisine. Sarah Aroeste speaks — and sings — about “masadiku,” an empanada-like savory pastry filled with potato and cheese, a recipe passed down by her Ladino-speaking ancestors from Monastir. Telahun Liad Samuel shares his experiences doing the Hamotzi blessing with “dabo,” traditional Ethiopian Shabbat bread.
Often with strong emotion, the people I interviewed associate these words with particular ancestors: parents, grandparents, even great-grandparents. Those ancestors – or their parents or grandparents – moved to a new country, and they or their children learned a new language. At some point, the immigrant language was mostly lost, and heritage words (and maybe some songs, recipe cards, or family letters) are all that remain. Similar to our treasured family possessions — jewelry, candlesticks, and kiddush cups — heritage words are heirlooms, but more portable and less at risk of being stolen, damaged, or destroyed in a fire. Like photos on a Mexican ofrenda, Heritage words connect us to our ancestors and keep their memory alive for generations after they have passed away.
Sukkot is a perfect holiday to honor our immigrant ancestors. The exodus commemorated by our temporary structures involved our biblical ancestors migrating to the Promised Land. Similarly, the traditional biblical ushpizin migrated: Abraham, Joseph, Moses, etc. Most Jews today have ancestors who migrated — from Fes to Paris, Sanaa to Tel Aviv, Baghdad to London, Damascus to Brooklyn, Rhodes to Seattle, Tehran to Los Angeles, or Warsaw to Chicago, to give just a few examples.
When I hear the term of endearment “bunchky,” it brings up fond memories of my grandfather, and it reminds me that my great-grandparents immigrated from Lithuania to the United States speaking Yiddish. By using this word and sharing it in my sukkah, I am helping to preserve my ancestral language and my ancestors’ memories. I look forward to enriching my Sukkot holiday with my guests’ heritage words — linguistic souvenirs of their ancestors’ sojourns to a new land.
—
The post When you invite your ancestors into your sukkah, consider bringing their Jewish languages in, too appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Uncategorized
Katz: ‘Israel’s Goal in Lebanon is to Disarm Hezbollah’
Then-Israeli transportation minister Israel Katz attends the cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem, Feb. 17, 2019. Katz currently serves as the foreign minister. Photo: Sebastian Scheiner/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz held a situation assessment Friday with senior military and defense officials, reiterating that the country’s policy in Lebanon remains focused on disarming Hezbollah by military and political means. Katz emphasized that the goal applies “regardless of the Iran issue” and pledged continued protection for Israeli northern communities.
Katz said the Israel Defense Forces are completing ground maneuvers up to the anti-tank line to prevent direct threats to border towns. He outlined plans to demolish houses in villages near the border that serve as Hezbollah outposts, citing previous operations in Rafah and Khan Yunis in Gaza as models.
The Defense Minister added that the IDF will maintain security control over the Litani area and that the return of 600,000 residents of southern Lebanon who had evacuated north will not be permitted until northern communities’ safety is ensured. Katz also reaffirmed that the IDF will continue targeting Hezbollah leaders and operatives across Lebanon, noting that 1,000 terrorists have already been eliminated since the start of the current campaign.
“We promised security to the northern towns, and that is exactly what we will do,” Katz said. He further warned that the IDF will act decisively against rocket fire from Lebanon, stating that Hezbollah “will pay heavy prices.”
Uncategorized
Pope Leo Urges Israel’s Herzog to End Iran War in Phone Call, Vatican Says
Pope Leo XIV delivers a homily during the Palm Sunday Mass in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican, March 29, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Remo Casilli
Pope Leo spoke on the phone with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Friday and urged him to “reopen all paths of dialogue” to end the Iran war, the Vatican said.
The pope, who has emerged as a sharp critic of the regional conflict, also urged Herzog to protect civilians and promote respect for international and humanitarian law, the Vatican added.
Uncategorized
Iran Leaders Join Crowds on Tehran’s Streets to Project Control in Wartime
Iranians gather at a park on Nature Day, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, April 2, 2026. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
After more than a month of being stalked by targeted assassinations, Iran’s leadership has adopted a new tactic to show it is still in control – with senior officials walking openly in the streets among small crowds who have gathered in support of the Islamic Republic.
In recent days, Iran’s president and foreign minister have separately mixed with groups of several hundred people in central Tehran. On Tuesday, state television aired footage of the two posing for selfies, talking to members of the public and shaking hands with supporters who had gathered in public areas.
According to insiders and analysts, the appearances are part of a calculated effort by Iran’s theocratic leadership to project resilience and authority — not only over the vital Strait of Hormuz but also over the population — despite a sustained US-Israeli campaign aimed at “obliterating” it.
One insider close to the hardline establishment said such public outings are intended to show that the Islamic Republic is “unshaken by strikes and that it remains in control and vigilant” as the war grinds on.
The US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28 with the killing of veteran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior military commanders in waves of strikes that have since continued to target top officials.
Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen in public since taking over on March 8 from his father. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, meanwhile, was removed from Israel’s hit list amid mediation efforts last month, including by Pakistan, to bring Tehran and Washington together for talks to end the war.
Talks aimed at ending the war have since appeared to have petered out, as Tehran brands US peace proposals “unrealistic.” Against that backdrop, recent public appearances by President Masoud Pezeshkian and Araqchi appear designed to project defiance, if not a convincing display of public support.
A senior Iranian source said officials’ public presence demonstrates that “the establishment is not intimidated by Israel’s targeted killing of top Iranian figures.”
Asked whether Iran’s foreign minister or president were on any sort of kill list, an Israeli military spokesperson, Nadav Shoshani, said on Friday he would not “speak about specific personnel.”
NIGHTLY RALLIES TO SHOW RESILIENCE
Despite widespread destruction, Tehran appears emboldened by surviving weeks of intense US-Israeli attacks, firing on Gulf countries hosting US troops and demonstrating its ability to effectively block the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump vowed more aggressive strikes on Iran, without offering a timeline for ending hostilities. Tehran responded by warning the United States and Israel that “more crushing, broader and more destructive” attacks were in store.
Encouraged by clerical rulers, supporters of the Islamic Republic take to the streets each night, filling public squares to show loyalty even as bombs rain down across the country.
Analysts say the establishment is also seeking to raise the “political and reputational” cost of the strikes at a time when civilian casualties are deeply disturbing for Iranians.
Omid Memarian, a senior Iran analyst at DAWN, a Washington-based think tank, said the decision to send officials into gatherings reflects a layered strategy, including an effort to sustain the morale of core supporters at a moment of acute pressure.
“The system relies heavily on this base; if its supporters withdraw from public space, its ability to project control and authority weakens significantly,” Memarian said.
Speaking to state television, some in the crowds voice unwavering loyalty to Iran’s leadership; others oppose the bombing of their country regardless of politics; and some have a stake in the system, including government employees, students and others whose livelihoods are tied to it.
Hadi Ghaemi, head of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, said the establishment is using such loyal crowds as human shields to raise the cost of any assassination attempts.
“By being in the middle of large crowds they have protections that would make Israeli-American attacks against them very bloody and generate sympathy worldwide,” he said.
POTENTIAL PROTESTERS STAY OFF STREETS AT NIGHT
The Islamic Republic emerged from a 1979 revolution backed by millions of Iranians. But decades of rule marked by corruption, repression and mismanagement have thinned that support, alienating many ordinary people.
While there has been little sign so far of anti-government protests that erupted in January and abated after a deadly crackdown, the establishment has adopted harsh measures – such as arrests, executions and large-scale deployment of security forces – to prevent any sparks of dissent.
Rights groups have warned about “rushed executions” during wartime after Iran hanged at least seven political prisoners during the war.
“Many potential protesters are frightened by the continuing presence of armed men and violent crowds in the streets and largely stay at home once darkness falls,” Ghaemi said.