The burning question on one eventgoer's mind at the 2016 Jewish Food and Cultural Festival on Sunday at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock: Why is Hebrew written from right to left?
Conveniently, the festival's "Ask a Rabbi" booth gave those curious about any aspect of the Jewish faith and culture a chance to pose their questions to the experts.
"Why is English written from left to right?" Rabbi Pinchus Ciment, director of Lubavitch of Arkansas, retorted when asked about Hebrew. "Jews always answer a question with a question."
Hebrew reads right to left because the right side is associated with kindness in Jewish culture, the rabbi explained. The left side is associated with severity, he said, so the left should always follow the right.
The interaction demonstrated what the festival, hosted by the Jewish Federation of Arkansas, was all about -- giving people a chance to experience Jewish culture.
"It's a healthy, relaxed environment and a great opportunity to dispel a lot of myths and simple ignorances," said Ciment, who was also asked about working on the Sabbath, organ donation and his formal garb.
Event leadership expected about 10,000 people at War Memorial Stadium on Sunday.
The stadium's concession stands, usually reserved for hamburgers and hot dogs, transformed into stands offering matzo ball soup, kugel, rugelach and corned beef.
Kathryn Lawson, who is not Jewish, was hesitant to try a matzo ball, which resembles a dumpling, but said she was glad she did.
"They were pretty good once I got the idea that it sounds like a moth ball out of my head," Lawson said. She spent the bright, breezy day strolling through the festival with a group of friends.
In addition to the food, there was music, arts and crafts, a variety of vendors, and a mahjong table.
Less than 1 percent of Arkansas' population is Jewish, according to Jewish Federation of Arkansas President Shelly Baron. She added that Jews from all over the state flocked to Little Rock on Sunday to put the festival together.
"Ninety percent of the people here aren't Jewish," Baron said. "This is something the Jewish community does for the rest of the community. We want everyone else to come out and learn about and experience something different from what they're used to."
Metro on 04/11/2016