Nisa-Nashim Harrow hosted a ‘Mock Friday Night Dinner’ at Co-Chair Doreen Samuel’s house. The aim was to create the atmosphere of a Friday night dinner with authentic, if vegetarian, food. Also, as it was close to Rosh Hashanah, apple & honey! Doreen lit Shabbat candles with translated blessing, made Kiddush – only with grape juice as our Muslim sisters don’t drink wine, and everyone ate challah. Then followed a vegetarian Friday Night Dinner with all the trimmings – ‘chicken’ soup with lokschen (noodles) and kneidlach (matzo balls), cholent (stew), and lots more!
Guests talked about Shabbat and, as there were several new people, about Nisa-Nashim Harrow projects past and present. Guest Leonie Lewis talked about JVN (Jewish Volunteering Network) and Elaine Gee sang the ‘Friday night blessing’ from Fiddler on the Roof, in which she is playing Goldie in November.
Doreen said, “It was one of the most special evenings I have ever been privileged to attend. Whenever our Jewish and Muslim sisters get together, we never fail to be amazed at how much we have in common.”