VOA标准英语2009年-Ghana's Budding Jewish Community Celebrate

By Anna Boiko-Weyrauch
26 September 2009

 
Monday is Yom Kippur - the holiest day of the year for Jews. The holiday will be marked in Jewish communities around the world, including Western Ghana.

A small group of people from the Sefwi tribe in western Ghana converted to Judaism in the 1970's. While many Sefwi people observed some Jewish laws for centuries - including refraining from work on Saturdays - this group declared themselves ancestors of ancient Israelites and starting calling themselves Jews.

Every year during the high holidays Jews visit a river and throw in bits of bread and cookies, to symbolize¹ getting rid of their sins. Thirteen-year-old Joshua Armah belongs to the Jewish community in Sefwi Wiawso about seven hours from the Ghanaian capital Accra.

"I was thinking that even, the fishes would not get the biscuit to eat," he said. "I was thinking that maybe the biscuit would just mix with the water. But when the fishes are in the water they just see that the biscuit is coming and immediately it gets into the water and they too will come and take it off."

The holidays mark the beginning of a new year for Jews. Like many other members of the religion, the Ghanaian Jews will fast on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. It is a 25-hour fast from food and water that starts Sunday night. Armah says he's figured out how to get through the hard day.

"The best thing for you to do is to go and sleep, and you'll not feel very hungry," he said.

But the Ghanaian Jewish community did not always celebrate these festivals. Until the early 1990's they only observed the weekly Sabbath and the spring holiday of Passover. They first learned about the other Jewish holidays from foreigners who came to visit their community.

"Christians², they celebrate Christmas, Easter, Good Friday, Pentecostal Day, and many occasions," said Joshua Armah's older brother, Patrick, who is also an active member of the community.

"But at first when they saw us celebrating only Passover and they were saying, 'Oh, this is not a good type of religion for you to belong.' So when we got to know about Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah, maybe lighting³ the candles and the Feast of Esther, which is Purim, and the fasting day, we were really happy," he said.

Despite its small size, the community is strong in its convictions. And they have received a lot of attention from outside Ghana. Members work with a group in the United States called Kulanu, which seeks to support Jewish communities around the world. The leaders of the community expect to incorporate new holidays into their routine as time goes on. They are looking forward to celebrating even more Jewish holidays this New Year. 

1 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

2 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

3 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。