Even though Aileen Grossberg, Alex Kent and Gail Stocks hadn’t worked together on a MESH meal before, they were as efficient as a well oiled machine.
Tag Archives: Aileen Grossberg
MESH Report October 10, 2023
Even in such troubling times when our hearts turn toward the East, toward Israel, we are still mindful of our mission to heal the world, to take care of the less fortunate in our own community- Tikkun Olam. Continue reading
Yom Kippur, Haftorah Introduction: Offer Your Compassion to the Hungry
Introduction by Rabbi Julie: Lynne Kurzweil, co-chair of MESH, a volunteer-run program for food insecure people living in Montclair, will introduce the Haftorah.
Before I begin I would like to give special thanks to my MESH Co-Chair, Aileen Grossberg, for all of her hard work planning, shopping and preparing meals for MESH and for writing these words
Are you all comfortable? Are you a little hungry- no breakfast this morning? Suffering from caffeine withdrawal? Think positively: you saved a couple of dollars, didn’t have to stand in line at Paper Plane or the Local, didn’t have to think about meal preparation. Continue reading
MESH Report Sept 26, 2023
It was still gloomy outside but in the Shomrei kitchen the colors couldn’t have been brighter and the MESH volunteers cheerier as they prepared the night’s meal.
New Shomrei members- but experienced food preparers- Carol and Andy Blau joined co-chairs Lynne Kurzweil and Aileen Grossberg is putting together 50 simple but satisfying meals which included an array of colorful raw vegetables, hummus, a generous serving of Aileen’s “Everything Egg Salad, “ semi- homemade coleslaw, a large sandwich roll, a bag of chips, a mini coffee cake and container of applesauce. Continue reading
Generations
Family lore has it that Grandpa Julius, my father’s father, was the only man in the shtetl of Skidel with a gun and that he was spirited out of town in a coffin because ”they” were after him. It’s hard to believe that this man of few words, whom I never heard raise his voice, might have had violence in this past.
Or Did Grandpa Sam, a small, quiet, white haired man with impeccable handwriting really know the Talmud so well that if you stuck a pin through a word, he would know the word on the other side of the page?
What do these family stories have to do with the High Holidays coming up? Continue reading
Anniversaries
Anniversaries are something to look forward to with joy, sadness, appreciation, or awe.
This past weekend we marked the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom organized by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the SCLC, a group of ministers and related individuals, fighting for the struggle for civil rights.
Time to Prepare
When you see this at Costco, you know that the Days of Awe, the High Holidays, will soon be upon us.
All kidding aside, we are right in the middle of the month of Elul, the prelude to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The shofar sounds each day (except Shabbat) and we recite Psalm 27 to remind us that the holidays are near. Continue reading
The Jewish Catalog Turns Fifty
Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to The Jewish Catalog,. How old are you now?
This year The Jewish Catalog: a do-it-yourself kit reached the venerable age of fifty — right smack in middle age. When most of us reach that age, we show signs that we have arrived: some gray at our temples, a few wrinkles, maybe even a desire for a midday nap. But a fifty-year-old is hardly over the hill these days and may look forward to some of his or her best years. Continue reading
Cool Down with Soup
When we think of cold soup , we most often call to mind a bright tomatoey gazpacho or a silky smooth vicysoisse. Gazpacho is technically a blend of raw vegetables including tomatoes,cucumber, bell peppers, often bread and spices. A simplified version was most likely brought to the Iberian Peninsula of Spain by the Romans and then given a local twist. It is simple and quick to make and has endless variations.
Today blended fruit soups, sometimes including tomatoes, are also called gazpacho. Continue reading
Summer Reading Suggestions
Summer’s a good time to break out of your reading rut.
Do you only read biographies? Try a romance. (Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Zevin)
Are you scientific minded? Immerse yourself in some historical fiction. (The Thread Collectors by Edwards) Continue reading