When the pandemic began, I missed the office, I missed restaurants, I missed travel, but most of all I missed synagogue on Shabbat. There is something deeply comforting about seeing the same people at the same time, in the same place, in the same seats each week. I especially love being at synagogue on a snowy winter day. During kiddish I would sit with members of our congregation, and watch snow fall through the large widows in our social hall while eating bagels and lox, salad, and cookies. It is an “all is right with the world” experience. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Aileen Grossberg
January Links to Love
It may be cold and even snowy outside but inside it’s perfect for curling up with a good book or discovering something new on an informational or entertainment website.
Here are some resources for these cold winter days.
The Museum of Tolerance over the next few days will be offering FREE virtual screenings of Oscar and other award winning short films. Click here for information and registration. Continue reading
Kiddush is Back
For the first time in almost two years, the Shomrei family gathered after Shabbat services for a communal kiddush..
The sun shone so despite the cold, the atmosphere was warm and friendly as we gathered to celebrate shabbat and welcome our first rabbinic candidate and his family. Continue reading
MESH Report Dec 28, 2021
On the cusp of the new year, the Carol Starr MESH Cafe, with chef Aileen Grossberg in charge of the kitchen, served 20 nutritious, delicious meals. The meal consisted of a colorful mixed green salad with accents of purple cabbage, yellow peppers and red tomatoes in a creamy ranch dressing. The entree was one of our guests favorite preparations – maple-soy baked salmon accompanied by jambalaya rice with green peas. A fresh whole wheat roll and a cookie dessert duo -one a chunky chocolate chip and the other a chewy oatmeal cranberry -rounded out the meal. Seasonal clementines, a bottle of water and a breakfast bar helped fill the takeaway bag. Continue reading
Short Stories for Short Nights
Short stories are powerful and versatile. They take tremendous skill as every word counts. A reader can’t skim a short story or skip over the boring parts.
What is a short story? It is a fully developed piece of writing that can generally be read in one sitting. The upper limit is about 20,000 words, which isn’t really that short.
A book of short stories can consist of stories by one author or many and may cover many time periods.
Enjoy stories from this brief selection of stories from the library’s collection. Books of short stories have the word STORIES on the spine label. Continue reading
Kiddush Starting Soon
Remember those Friday mornings spent chopping and chatting? They are back!
A limited Shabbat morning kiddush will begin on Saturday, December 25.
The first preparation session will be on Friday, December 24 from 9:30-11:30.
We anticipate that with a simple nosh, only 2-3 people will be needed and prep will take no more than 2 hours and probably less.
In Praise of Jim Nagel
The Kiddish Committee is saddened by the loss of our faithful volunteer, Jim -familiarly called Jimmy- Nagel.
One Friday morning several years ago, Jim just showed up and continued to show up almost every week until we had to shut down kiddush because of COVID.
Jim was a whiz in the kitchen and would do anything asked of him, even run errands. As Karen Altman, one of the kiddush volunteers said : Jimmy was such a lovely person- so genuine and warm.
MESH Report Dec 7, 2021
Chief chef and leftover maven Aileen Grossberg, with the expert assistance of salad maker Barbara Gollob and all round kitchen expert Susan Rosenblatt, overcame technical difficulties and prepared twenty meals of tossed salad, thyme flavored carrots, meatloaf surprise* with potato topping, clementines, cookies and the usual bottle of water. Vegetarians were accommodated with veggie burgers and mashed potatoes and carrots. Teen helper Collin provided crescent rolls. Continue reading
MESH Report Nov 30, 2021
Another outstanding meal was prepared by Chef Fern Heinig. Fern cooked at home in advance, double wrapped and brought the fixings for 20 kosher meals to Shomrei for warming and packing.
Hanukkah Websites
We still have several days of Hanukkah left.
Here are some website programs to enjoy during the rest of the holiday. Continue reading