Reflections on This Time of Year

Posted on Thu, Sep 12, 2024 by Aileen Grossberg

The poet, T.S. Eliot, wrote that April is the cruelest month, a quote often taken out of context.

But I think that in the cycle of the year, September may be the cruelest month. Although it is a month of beginning for those who never seem to shake the shackles of a school schedule, it often coincides with Tishrei which marks the beginning of our religious year, and is beautiful with full greening of the trees and bursts of color from the dahlias, marigolds and mums, the month is the last gasp before the slow decline to winter. Continue reading →

Hola! Yum ! Yum!

Posted on Wed, Aug 14, 2024 by Aileen Grossberg

There was fun for all in the kitchen on Friday morning as Beryl Hiller, Lou Hammerman, Lindsay Sag, Carol Katzman and Aileen Grossberg prepared Beryl’s Mexican-inspired kiddush under the direction of Shomrei’s new kitchen guru Mustafa. Continue reading →

Not By Brains Alone

Posted on Thu, Jul 18, 2024 by Aileen Grossberg

Through the ages, Jews have established a reputation as being brainy. Look at the Nobel Prize winners; Jews are overrepresented as a group.

BUT Jews have accomplished great feats in athletics, too. Just look at all the Jews involved in modern professional and amateur sports today – Jews who don’t feel the need to hide their Jewishness, be it religious or cultural. Continue reading →

Kudos to the Lampert Library

Posted on Thu, Jun 27, 2024 by Aileen Grossberg

At the 59th annual conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries held in San Diego this week, the Alan Lampert Memorial Library of Congregation Shomrei Emunah received accreditation from the SSCPL division of the Association. Accreditation means that the library has done a self-study and meets the Association’s standard for an effective library. Continue reading →

Dairy Dishes Not Just for Shavuot

Posted on Fri, Jun 14, 2024 by Aileen Grossberg

Although Shavuot is over, dairy dishes are good all year round for an elegant breakfast or a light supper. The following dishes ( all served at this year’s Shavuot kiddushes) are easy to prepare and come together quickly even at the last minute. Continue reading →

Shabbat in Lille, France

Posted on Thu, Jun 6, 2024 by Aileen Grossberg

We spent the last four Shabbatot doing it “my way” surrounded by the side of our family that we rarely see, our younger daughter and her family who live in the northern French city of Lille.

We arrived early Friday morning jet lagged and wanting nothing more than a shower and a nap. But it was already mid-afternoon when we walked into the house. While my daughter is not observant, when I am visiting we always do Shabbat, lighting candles and eating hopefully homebaked hallah.

Continue reading →

Is It Passover Yet?

Posted on Thu, Apr 18, 2024 by Aileen Grossberg

We can’t ignore it any longer: Passover is less than a week away. If you are looking for a new Haggadah, check out the selection in the library. You may still be able to order one of the new family-oriented Haggadot. Or try downloading from the internet. There are many contemporary Haggadot just waiting for you. The call number on the spine of library books is 262.5.

If Passover is almost upon us, it means that soon you – or someone you know – will be cooking up a storm. As I’ve gotten older, my Passover mantra has become KISS- Keep It Simple, Stupid. No more multi-step preparation with exotic ingredients no matter how delicious the dish sounds. Continue reading →

Guess Who?

Posted on Wed, Mar 13, 2024 by Aileen Grossberg

March is Women’s History Month. To expand your horizons beyond women named Ruth or Anne, here’s a match-up quiz of accomplished but lesser-known women.

The library is a resource for information about many of them, either through single biographies, collected biographies or reference works such as Jewish Women in America which are updated on the Jewish Women’s Archive website (jwa.org).