On Shabbat during the winter months, when the days get shorter and the nights longer, our Sephardic brothers would convene at the synagogue and read the Shirat HaBakashot. In the Jaffa synagogues, Kabbalists and ordinary Jews alike would sing these Bakashot, filled with yearning and longing, while the local shamash distributed hot tea and cookies…

We will also come together for a tour that combines the story of Jaffa with the legacy of these Bakashot. Our tour will of course include a visit to a Jaffa synagogue, where we will enjoy singing the Bakashot with a performance by a chazan, over the customary tea and cookies…The tour can be held on a weeknight, or even stay in Jaffa for Shabbat and set out for a tour in the city.