1893 Polish ‘Passion Banquet’ Is Recreated
Café Europa in Tel Aviv will reconstruct an elite Jewish-Polish meal from 1893 in Warsaw. Image by Haaretz
Dror Segev, the secretary of the Tel Aviv University Institute for the History of Polish Jewry has, in recent years, spent many an hour going through Jewish daily newspapers of the 19th century. Segev is searching for materials dealing with his Ph.D thesis, but often runs into features that simply make a 21st century person smile. One of these was published in the Warsaw Hebrew newspaper Ha’Tzfira on August 3rd, 1893.
Under the headline “Passion banquet,” the story describes a festive dinner held in the summer residence in one Warsaw suburb, attended by “many of the city’s sages and learned.” The reason for the party: the arrival of “a distinguished guest presently honoring our city, Rabbi Dr. Abraham Eliyahu Harkavi.” The Hebrew paper continues its report: “On a wide bar near the summer house the table was set. Many lanterns hung on the trees illuminated the garden, and many lit candles were set on the table… The table was loaded with various delicacies and superb wine… the food was served according to Shulchan Aruch,” the code for Jewish law.
Another Hebrew paper, Hamalitz, also happily reported the banquet. “The writers and sages of Warsaw tasted heaven on earth last night. They drank from the cup of paradise and enjoyed holy delights which cannot be described in words.” After the speeches and conversations which lasted until “nightfall,” the guests were ready for dinner. “They then approached the set table and sat each on his seat, finding a list of the foods offered, printed on a beautiful, adorned sheet of paper.”
According to the custom in these days, the paper detailed the full menu. Women, incidentally, were not invited. The guests ate “stuffed fish, various seeds, grape soup, roasted chicken, fried fruits, excellent wines and various fruits,” and were offered coffee.
Read more at Haaretz.com.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
