Arts and Culture, Hosting, Jewish [Folk]Lore, Shabbat
Caribbean Night
INTRODUCTION:
Sometimes it’s nice to escape to a tropical island. Or at least pretend like you are. At this program, participants get to bring the smells, feels, and tastes of the Caribbean to a Jewish perspective. Using facts about the Caribbean Jewish communities, this theme night is a chance to learn some Jewish history while you sip on rum punch and eat yummy foods.
MATERIALS:
- Rum Punch recipe and ingredients. Non-alcoholic rum punch recipe
- Source Sheet on Caribbean Jews
- Caribbean Foods like rice and peas (beans), sweet plantains, jerk chicken, caribbean desserts.
- Tropical decorations such as palm leaf lights, beach balls, whole pineapple for table that you can later cut and serve with dessert.
PROGRAM OUTLINE (2 Hours):
- Ice breakers (15 minutes) *If Shabbat, add 10 minutes for blessings
- Jews in the Caribbean facts (15 minutes)
- Eating and socializing, games (1.5 hours)
Ice Breakers (15 minutes)
- Invite everyone in and have rum punch out for people to grab. In small groups play “Where in the World, Caribbean style” – each person must give 3 clues about a Caribbean spot they’ve visited (or dreamed of visiting) while others guess the location. Or they can play “Marooned” and each share three items that they would bring to a desert island.
- If this is done as a Shabbat dinner, after the ice breakers are over, join in Shabbat blessings.
Connect Through Learning (15 minutes)
- Food will taste better once you connect to the people of the place. Using the source sheet on Caribbean Jews, ask different true or false questions or multiple-choice questions to teach about Island Jews. Ie, true or false, several Caribbean synagogues have sand for floor? True or false, Barbados Jews were some of the wealthiest Jews in the 17th or 18th centuries?
Dinner and Games (1.5 Hours)
- Continue with the tropical theme by enjoying foods from the Caribbean. Consider playing games like limbo, island story (print out pictures of Caribbean synagogues, random photos of Caribbean islands, resorts, beaches, clothing, etc. and have people create a story using them. Each person builds on what the previous person said). If it’s nice outside, take a beach ball and some reggae music and hang out as though you’re having a beach party.
