The lot next door is no longer empty.
A house is built and I am about to have new neighbors.
We have meet our neighbors a few times now and we really like them!
They have mentioned that they are Jewish.
so my Question is,
is there a traditional house warming gift?
I do like them so and would like to welcome them warmly.
Do I wish them a Happy Yom Kipper? (sp?)
thank you for your help.
A house warming gift is always nice, but not for any Jewish reason, just neighbrly. There’s certainly nothing Jewish against a housewarming gift…just don’t give it to them on Saturdays.
The traditional greeting for Yom Kippur is “Gmar Chasima Tova,” which, to paraphrase, is roughly, “Have a good and prosperous year”.
Y-o-m K-i-p-p-u-r.
You’re welcome.
Get them whatever housewarming gift you’d get Christian, atheist, Muslim, or whatever, neighbors. I suggest a couple of loaves of bread, perhaps a cake, or some fruit… (food is always a good idea ).
oh of course.
I was just wondering if there was anything in specific to give.
in some cultures, you give a broom…
that sort of thing.
see, like the saturday thing, I would have never known.
thanks!
Yom Kippur is a very holy day, but it’s not a day of joyous celebration. To say “Happy Yom Kippur” would be like telling a Catholic “Happy Good Friday.” That is, you’d seem to be trivializing a very serious, somber event.
After Rosh Hashanah, you can certainly wish Jewish friends “Happy New Year,” and there are numerous other holidays on which you can express merry thoughts or festive good wishes. Just don’t do it this time.
I’m told that, at Yom Kippur, SOME Jews will offer each other wishes for an easy fast (observant Jews don’t eat for a full 24 hours at Yom Kippur)… but as a Catholic, I wouldn’t feel right about saying that.
I think it’s PROBABLY best for us Gentiles not to offering any Yom Kippur greetings at all… but it would be neighborly of you to offer any assistance your Jewish friends might need during that day. After all, if they’re planning to spend a full day at the synagogue, you might be of some assistance running an errand or two for them, while they’re indisposed.
In THIS case, such practical, neighborly help would probably be more appreciated than a clumsily worded Yom Kippur greeting.
Wow! They have holidays for everything… atonement, TWO New Years, and one to celebrate smoked salted herring!
(How do I make that little Hassidic smiley?)
Wait a second. Did they say whether or not they are religiously Jewish?
If not, or even if so, I would just avoid all attempts at treating your neighbors any differently than you would anyone else. It can otherwise be quite embarrassing.
Well, bread and salt is a traditional housewarming present ( http://www.clickonjudaism.com/pages/FAQ_jewishhome.html )
practised in Eastern Europe and apparently the old West.
But it’s a bit obscure nowadays, so unless you want the new neighbors to look at you strangely, I’d just wait until after Yom Kippur and give them a plate of cookies.
They might have had an “ulterior motive” in announcing that they were Jewish. Maybe they just wanted to let you know that they were Jewish so that you wouldn’t invite them over for a big ham dinner or something.
In a related anecdote: I knew a guy who was invited to a client’s house for dinner. The client’s wife called his wife to ask if they had any dietary restrictions. The guy’s wife said: “Unfortunately, we do have to watch our cholesterol, and we don’t keep strictly kosher…” And what was served? Chicken livers wrapped in bacon! :eek: (I really wish there was a barfing smiley.)
I don’t know if it considered proper form to receive one from a non-Jew, but (if they don’t have one) how about a about a Mezuzzah. When I was growing up all my friends of the Jewish faith had one of these on their door jamb.
The Meaning of the Mezuzzah
http://www.beth-elsa.org/be_s0202.htm
I’d have to agree with TheThrill and recomend that you give them a traditional housewarming gift, the kind that you’d like to recieve yourself. You are a product of your own cultural background and so any gift that you give reflecting that would only serve to express your sincerity. A little background is good as you probably don’t want to offer them bacon (mmmm, bacon) but if they’re anything like most of the people that I’ve met they’d probably appreciate the intension behind your act over any cultural translations that you would try to make in their favor.
Yom Kippur is the “Day of Attonement.” I do not think it would actually be proper to wish them anything on that day.It is the Highest of the High Holy Days.It is the Day a Jewish person is to ask forgivness for sins comitted during the past year. Rosh Hashanah is the start of the new Jewish Year.
If you feel it’s appropriate to get them a housewarming gift, why not get them a secular one – something like a house plant? I don’t think they’d necessarily want a “Jewish” gifts just because they’re Jewish any more than a Catholic family would want or expect a “Catholic” gift (a Blessed Virgin Mary nightlight, maybe?). Just don’t get them anything you know they wouldn’t appreciate. Like, say, a baked ham.
Oh, and I’ve always been told that wishing a Jew “Happy Yom Kippur” is like wishing a Christian “Happy Crucifixion.”
Even if kindly meant, it does reflects pretty deep ignorance of their religion.
Yeah, why don’t you get them wandering Jew?
I wouldn’t give them a Mezuzah because there are strict requirements on its kashrut. Then again, they may not be very observant.
Also, if they are observant, then you kind of should watch out what food products you give them – if they keep kosher then the best bet is just to go down to the nearest kosher bakery and buy the cookies, as the dietary laws are quite stringent and would prevent one from eating any food prepared in a non-kosher kitchen.
I always give houseplants. I second the idea. Even if it is a wandering jew – a pretty plant which is nearly impossible to kill.
While “Happy Yom Kippur” isn’t a common greeting in either English or Hebrew, it should be noted that according to the Rabbis, Yom Kippur is one of the two happiest days of the year.
Agreeing with most of what’s been said already, a secular welcome-to-the-neighborhood gift, like a houseplant, is always very nice.
Unless you know the degree of their observance, I would opt against the plate of cookies that someone suggested, though. If they keep kosher, they would not be able to eat the cookies. I would also avoid giving them a “Jewish” gift like a mezzuzah – they would already have one that suits them, or their Jewish friends will provide them. Just as, you wouldn’t bring a rosary icon if they were Catholic and you were not.
A quick chime-in while seconding the stuff said above:
If your culture has a traditional housewarming gift (like a broom) you may want to go with that. Explain to your new neighbors how the gift fits in with your culture. As long as it’s not something that is overtly religious (or an inappropriate food item) you might enjoy some interesting cultural exchange.
In a school of 2000 kids, there were 20 Jews. So
I had plenty of experience with neighbors worrying about
what gifts and greetings to give. Just think of what
housewarming present you’d usually give, then check to be sure it doesn’t violate any of the laws governing Jewish life. If you’re curious as to apropriate greetings, you may be able to check out a greeting card rack. While cards for Jewish holidays were scarce in VA, there everywhere here in Philadelphia. Finally, just relax. Anytime some neighbor wished me a happy “hankaka”, I thanked them and gently corrected their pronunciation. As long as people can see that you’re trying to be friendly and respect their faith, any mistake you make will be seen as just that.
I would like to gently, respectfully suggest that Jews drop the spelling “ch” to transliterate the Hebrew letter Heth (the 8th letter of the Hebrew alphabet) and also kaph (the 11th letter). The reason why is that the OP, obviously unfamiliar with Hebrew, is likely to read “chasima” with the English ch sound of “church” or “chocolate,” making for embarrassment when mispronouncing it before the Jewish neighbors. I have seen this happen again and again.
The “ch” spelling is a holdover from German. In German, “ch” represents the velar fricative. Most of the early Jewish immigrants to America came from Germany, right? Also, German scholars were the leaders in Biblical Hebrew study in the 19th century so they had a large influence. The 19th century German Jewish community is long gone. Most Americans nowadays have no idea of German spelling.
It would be less confusing to use “H” or “kh” to spell that velar sound. Isn’t it about time American Jews cut ties with Germany, anyway?