בס״ד
HASOFRIM
I LOVE SHABBAT DINNERS By Achi Simhony Achi is studying a double degree of Law and Arts (majoring in geography) at the University of Auckland. Achi is the president of AUJS New Zealand.
Shabbat table
M
y Ima was raised in a quite religious and traditional Moroccan family, she was also a Jewish Studies and Hebrew teacher at the only Jewish school in New Zealand, and so all I know about Judaism and the traditions we have, are from her.
We would then all shower and get ready for Shabbat to come in. Shabbat dinners meant loud singing, clapping and dancing to every Shabbat song we knew for at least 25 minutes, blessing the candles, wine and bread and skyping family overseas. I loved Shabbat so much that at age 7 I learnt the Wine blessing by heart for the days my brother was away, to take over. For many years Shabbat dinners were loud and big in our family of six, but over the years the number began declining when one of my sisters moved to Israel, the other
Shabbat dinners were celebrated at family home every week. My siblings and I would spend the afternoon cleaning our respective area of the house, while Ima would cook the most delicious Sephardic Shabbat dinner. 8
