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11 Mill House Rd., Marlboro, NY 12542 Phone: 845.236.3126 E-mail: gomezmillhouse@juno.com |
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Press Releases available for download (in Microsoft Word format): July 15, 2007 at 1 pm: SUNDAY AT MILL HOUSE “The Strange Story of the Conversos: The first Jews in the Americas” |
Press Release -- Please Post GOMEZ MILL HOUSE MUSEUM AND HISTORIC SITE SUNDAY AT MILL HOUSE “The Strange Story of the Conversos: Jews have been international traders since ancient times. How and why did this happen? What impact did it have on the thread of Jewish history? Why have the merchant activities of Jews been downplayed when discussing Jewish history? And finally, what was happening at the time that Gomez expanded his trading activities up the Hudson that prompted this move? To find out the answers, visit the Gomez Mill House on Sunday, July 15 at 1:00 pm when Ms. Andrée Aelion Brooks will speak on “The Strange Story of the Conversos: The first Jews in the Americas.” Andrée Aelion Brooks, a Trustee of the Gomez Foundation for Mill House. is a journalist, author, and lecturer. For 18 years she was a contributing columnist and news writer for The New York Times. She is an Associate Fellow at Yale University and founder and first president of the Women’s Campaign School at Yale. She is the author of “The Woman who Defied Kings,” the first comprehensive biography of Doña Gracia Nasi, a 16the century woman banker who built an escape network that saved thousands of Jews from the Inquisition. Brooks is also the coordinated and edited Out of Spain, a multi-media educational program in Sephardic history and culture designed for 5th-7th graders in Jewish schools. Brooks has received numerous awards and honors including American Jewish Woman of Achievement Award from the American Jewish Committee (1990), the Mark Twain Award from the Connecticut Press finalist in the National Jewish Book Awards (2003), and Outstanding Achievement award from the National Federation of Press Women. Her newest book, Russian Dance, a romantic thriller based on the true story of a Bolshevik spy, continues her work in Jewish history. Publishers’ Weekly described it as a “gripping narrative,” and it is particularly popular with book groups. Sunday at Mill House is an on-going program of lectures and presentations on subjects about or related to the history of Gomez Mill House Museum and Historic Site. All programs begin at 1 pm unless otherwise noted and are free to the public. GOMEZ MILL HOUSE MUSEUM and HISTORIC SITE c. 1714 |
The Story of Sukkot Sukkot means booths, or huts, like the flimsy booths the Hebrews stayed in during the forty years in the wilderness and on farms during their harvest time. The Torah (five books of Moses- the first five books of the bible) commands the Hebrews to dwell in booths for the seven days during Sukkot. Sukkot is one of the three pilgrimage festivals of the bible. The Sukkah (singular for booth) reminds us that God watched over and protected the Israelites and still protects us today. The top of the Sukkah is made of natural things that grow in the ground (no Metal). It allows some light through the top in order to see the sky and the stars. The Sukkah here at Mill House is decorated with harvest fruits, pictures, and streamers. It is considered a good deed to eat and even sleep in a Sukkah. As part of the Sukkah ceremony hospitality is extended to guests, including Uspizim, the ancient Bible companions such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses Aaron, and David as well as Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, Miriam, Hannah and Deborah. We are also reminded to invite the poor to share our meal, and to give to charity. The ceremony also consists of waving of Lulav and Etrog. Lulav consists of palm branch, representing the backbone of the Jewish people- bending but firm and of upright character, willow branches, representing lips praying to God, and myrtle branches representing eyes seeing God. The Etrog is a heart-shaped, lemon-like fruit representing our love and loyalty to God. The blessing and waving of the Lulav and Etrog remind us of God's gifts to us all. |
| Download "Story of Sukkah" in Microsoft Word format. |
This page was last updated on
6/25/07
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