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
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
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
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.
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
The sun shone brightly and spirits were high as our energetic volunteers prepared 50 take-away meals for our MESH guests. Working hard on chopping were Rabbi Julie and her sons Ilan and Rafael. Always willing volunteer Susan Rosenblatt filled little cups with tartar sauce while Carole Rothman wrapped Italian rolls. Alex Kent got the main course ready for the oven. Continue reading
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).
Some people hate leftovers. What’s tasty about dried-out day-old meatloaf sitting in a pool of congealed gray gravy? Or is there anything worse than leftover pasta, turning brown at the edges?
On the other hand, that meatloaf can make a hearty sandwich or maybe even be mixed into that day-old pasta and both will have been given a second chance.
Even though we have been teased by the weather recently, it is still winter as the recent snowstorm reminded us. ’Tis the season of soups and stews; chopping and long-simmering. Maybe add a salad and some good bread for a complete meal.
But who has the time for that? Continue reading
We Jews have so many holidays and days of remembrance. From Nissan 1, the first day of Passover, marking the beginning of the year (Yes, Nissan actually is the first month of the Hebrew calendar) through Purim in the month of Adar, there are scores of holidays – and four new years. Then there is the weekly Shabbat celebration. I’d estimate that at least 100 days are marked in some special way. Continue reading