Berkeley Jewish and Muslim Communities Celebrate Joint Heritage

Ashure is a dessert particular to the Turkish culture, although variations exist in the Middle East and the Balkans – formerly part of Ottoman Empire. It is a porridge made from various grains and dried fruits. The legend dates the origin of the dessert back to the time of Noah – when the ark landed, due to exhausted food supplies, the survivors reportedly mixed all of the remaining food and made a delicious pudding for a feast. To prepare and share this dessert with friends, neighbors, and other loved ones is a part of the Turkish culture. The Turkish community living overseas has extended this tradition, by sharing ashure with their colleagues, friends, and more recently, churches, synagogues, and other communities. 

The program included a talk from Jewish and Islamic viewpoints, on the lessons that can be learned from the story of Noah. The BAYCC President shared the following remarks:

• The word ashure comes from the word “ashr” the number ten in Arabic. The Day of Ashure is a religiously honored day in Muslim tradition, and falls on the tenth of Muharram (December 27, 2009, Gregorian Calendar), which is the first month of the Muslim calendar. Muslims all over the world fast optionally on that day. The day of ashure has a different meaning in Shi’a tradition, as they also commemorate the passing Martyrdom of the Prophet’s grandson Hussain, the third of the twelve imams in Shi’a belief. Neither the ashure dessert nor the legend that relates it to Noah has a religious basis, but rather should be seen as part of the Turkish cultural tradition. 
• Noah is one of the 25 prophets mentioned by name in the Quran. He is mentioned by name 43 times in 28 chapters, most notably in Chapters 11 and 71. The Quran presents the story among the other stories of other prophets, going through similar hardships, arguing with the audience in similar ways, and making similar supplications to God. There are several unique aspects of the story, such as the choice of flood as a way of punishment, and the fact that the entire humankind re-populated the earth afterwards. But other than that, the story blends in with the stories of the other prophets, who were sent with the same mission.
• The Quran informs us that Noah’s wife and his son were not believers and were not saved from the flood. While not much detail is provided on his wife, Noah’s attempts to save his son are reported in some detail, as follows: When the springs start to gush forth and rains come pouring down, Noah embarks upon the ark with the other believers. But his son, who pretended to believe until then, reveals his disbelief by refusing to embark upon the ark. While Noah tries to persuade him to join them, waves come in between them and his son is among the drowned. Noah prays to God for him, stating that his son is family (hence should be saved by the divine promise made earlier), but God informs him that his son was among the disbelievers, and is not covered by the promise. Hence, the story teaches that being a close relative of a prophet does not secure salvation. Rather, salvation depends on sound faith and actions of the individual.
• The story is a vivid depiction of the compassion and dedication of Prophet Noah, a Prophet determined to go full lengths to fulfill his mission. It teaches perseverance in the face of extreme difficulty. 
• The Quran is concise and omits many details as is the case in other stories. Among the missing unexplainable details are; how many people were on board, how long the flood lasted, was it a local or global flood, and what did Noah and the other survivors do afterwards.  The minute details left unexplained in the Quran were accounted by Rabbi Shalom. He elaborated the story of Noah written in the Torah (Book of Genesis). Rabbi shalom specifically highlighted the following aspects:
  
• Jews study the Torah by seeing it as holy and wrestling with its meaning beyond the simple literal words.  A specific example is how Noah is described in the opening sentence of his story (Genesis 6:9): “Noah was a righteous man, in his generation, and he walked with God”.  In this context, scholars have asked the following questions: What does it mean “in his generation”?  Was his righteousness compared to those around him or despite those around him? Both of these interpretations found support among important Jewish scholars. To achieve deeper insight, it is important to study the text with diligence.
• Noah is a role model for fulfilling God’s word exactly.  While he did not go beyond what G-d told him to do (like Abraham did when he bargained for the sinful people of Sodom and Gomorrah), he did save all the animals and his family. A Midrash says that he did try to save the other people, but they responded by trying to stop him from boarding the Ark. Therefore, following his example, believers should follow God’s commandments exactly.
• The story demonstrates Noah’s compassion to animals. It is a big logistical challenge to feed all different types of animals, requiring the different types of food, and being able to feed at different times throughout the day. Moreover, some animals are inclined to eat another. To keep them alive, as God commanded, Noah had to carefully tend to all those animals through their trip. We should show similar sympathy and compassion, towards not only fellow humans, but also towards all living creatures.
• From the story we also learn that a single person doing the right thing can change the world. The Torah states that the divine intent was to wipe out the entire human race due to their wickedness, but Noah, throu

  gh his righteous attitude receives the help to be saved. And through him, humankind is saved.    

After the presentation, the attendees enjoyed the delicious ashure together and carried on discussions amongst themselves. Both communities look forward to similar events where they can discover and celebrate their shared heritage in diverse ways.  
Special thanks go to Karen Hecht and Sharon Priven of Congregation Netivot Shalom Social Action Committee, as well as Nadezhda Ussenko and the ladies of BAYCC who prepared ashure at Netivot Shalom.