Kiddush Clubs Observe Siyum HaShots – sent to me by Yo Robbins on Facebook
On Saturday morning in synagogues around the world, Kiddush club members celebrated the completion of a seven-and-a-half-month cycle of weekly drinking.
The celebration, called Siyum HaShots, was marked by the
downing of various whiskeys, bourbons, ryes, rums and brandies until every bottle was empty. “Shots in shul are a time-honored tradition,” said siyum organizer Ben Shikker. “We all know that wherever four Jews gather, there’s always a fifth.”
The siyum (Hebrew for conclusion) is held every seven-and-a-half months because it takes that long for the average kiddush club to polish off all its liquors and begin new bottles.
Shikker concedes that pressure is now being placed on synagogues to abolish their kiddush clubs and the Siyum HaShots. “It’s shameful,” said Shikker. “The OU is waging a whole campaign against us, called ‘Now You Siyum, Now You Don’t.’ But we won’t be intimidated.” Shikker asserts that being part of a kiddush club actually improves the fervency of one’s davening. “You can’t spell spirituality without spirits,” he noted.
He added that men who partake in a private kiddush during
the haftarah “shokkel more during Musaf.”
Some rabbis see it differently, however.
“They shuckel because they can’t stand straight after all that schnapps,” said Rabbi Nofun Ahloud. “Or even worse, they desperately need the bathroom.”
Despite the current protests, Shikker vows that shul kiddush clubs and the Siyum HaShots will continue. Furthermore, he advocates bringing the tradition into one’s home.
“When my wife asks me to buy her a dozen roses, I give her three bottles of Four Roses,” said Shikker. “I’m very proud of that.”
-->
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
By us a bottle doesn’t last more than 2 or 3 weeks.
Come on Parent in NY, you must have something to say about this post.
I was just in rochester and davened at regis and the young guns have a kiddush club thats second to none. They have pre game-before davening. By the time chazaratz hashatsz has come along they are red in the faces. The big round comes when they take the torah out which takes about 7 min-as if the torah is on crutches. they dont stop singing, wheres ozzy when you need him.
I love to eat my boogers during davening.
No comment on the farbeisin?
by us its a case a week, some glen or goose…or russian standat.
hay by us in lubavitch we don’t have kiddish club but we do have the thrusday night farby’s and the bein hashmshes lechaim right before mariv on shabbos night thank g-d the ou isn’t getting control over us anytime soon
A case a week is not enough.
siyum hashots, can also be translated “the chazan just ended” (shots being the hebrew abbrivation for “shliach tzibur” aka chazan). there’s another reason to drink, eh?
I started my Gmail address in 2005. As a little nostalia, I went back to see the very first emails that I received. This article was sent to me by me at my work email address. It is that old. Or older. It started out from a guy named Jackie Goldstein.