The Oyven: An Interfaith Break Fast at JCC Harlem

The Oyven (Yiddish for oven) reclaims the Jewish spirit of a communal oven. For centuries in villages from Poland to Morocco, communal ovens served as gathering points for a social exchange, where recipes and stories were swapped and cooperation strengthened. Our traveling mobile wood-fired Oyven is a platform for food, art and ideas where everyone is fed, physically, spiritually and emotionally, through sharing the experience of shaping, baking and sharing bread.

In an outdoor community-building event, we will mark both the end of the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av (a day of fasting that commemorates and mourns the destruction of the Temples, expulsion of Jews from Spain and England, and other tragedies, with cultural programming that speaks to the central message of the fight against baseless hatred between human beings (sinat chinam)) and also the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha (which celebrates Abraham's devotion to God through animal sacrifice, and is marked by shared meals and acts of giving).

The program will include: 7-8pm: Experiential Breadmaking 8-8:15pm: Welcome and Invocations 8:25-9pm: Evening Prayers (Jewish and Muslim), for those who would like to participate 9pm: Blessings Over the Bread and words by Adamah Bah 9:20pm: Meal 9:45pm: Musical performances by Judah Goldman (Melodies of Eicha, the traditional text that is read on Tisha B'Av) and Amin Sarshar.

Finances should not be a barrier to participation! If you need assistance, contact Meg at meg@jccharlem.org.