June 19, 2013

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5 Easy Summer Meals with an Israeli Twist

June 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment
In June, we’re re-running some of our favorite summertime posts. Enjoy! 

When I was 17, I spent an amazing summer on kibbutz in an Ulpan (Hebrew study) program.  We divided our days between work and study.  Some days, I got up at 4:30 to hop on the open truck that bumped us along rough roads to the pear fields.  (When I was hungry, I treated myself to the best pear of each bucket.)

Other days, I had kitchen duty — cleaning chickens, scrubbing enormous pots, and trying – in vain – to suggest that a fellow Ulpan student from Russia put less pepper on the liver!

Most of our foods, that summer, were fresh, simple, filling.

Here are 5 good-for-summer choices, inspired by Israeli traditions:

Israeli Breakfast: Havita (omelet) plus

Serve omelets with fresh bread and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers.  Add Greek-style plain yogurt.  Time to prep and serve: 5 minutes.   

Light Lunch: Israeli salad & goat cheese in a pita

Chop and mix together finely chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, and green pepper.  A good proportion is 1 large English cuke (good for its low moisture and fewer seeds) to 2 tomatoes to 1 large pepper.  Toss with olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and sprinkles of sea salt and pepper.

You can also add finely chopped green spring onions, garlic, fresh parsley, or mint.

To make this a meal, scoop the salad into a pita and top with goat or feta cheese.

Time to prep and serve: 15 minutes.  (If possible, make a few hours ahead to chill well.)

Dinner on the Grill: Chicken and veggies

Grilled chicken, grilled eggplant, grilled zucchini

Green salad with avocados and orange slices

Bowl of mixed olives

Couscous or tabbouleh would be lovely additions to the meal, if you have the time.

Dessert: fresh pears over ice cream

Time to prep and serve: 30 minutes (not including couscous and tabbouleh)

Post-Swimming Energy Boost:  Hummus and fruit 

Israel, one of the biggest citrus fruit producers in the world, is known for its oranges and grapefruit.  Cut one orange and one grapefruit into easy-to-hold, easy-to-eat sections.  Or grab easy-to-peel tangerines.   (I still remember the incredible flavor of a tangerine I ate, sitting on a bench next to my uncle, z”l, in  a park near Tel Aviv.  I was six.  Yet, to this day, whenever I smell a tangerine, my senses take me right back to that park.).

Add hummus and pita chips for a filling, nutritious snack.  Want to make your own hummus?  Here’s one version of hummus.

Afternoon Snack: Chocolate spread on bread

Elite Chocolates, the magical factory that wafted the lovely smell of chocolate throughout Ramat Gan (near Tel Aviv), makes a chocolate spread called, quite simply, Elite Chocolate Spread.

The first time I got this snack on kibbutz, I was surprised, then delighted.  Chocolate spread slathered on bread.  Exquisite!

It’s not like chocolate frosting.  Or Hershey’s syrup.   Think Nutella, in terms of consistency.  Here’s a chocolate spread recipe that sounds yum.  If you try it, let us know how it is.   (I can’t trust myself to make it now — I’ll eat the whole thing!)

Happy, healthy eating this summer!

Filed Under: Blog, Cooking and baking, Israel, Nature Tagged With: ,

Gardening with Grandma (or the Whole Family)

May 30, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Want a blessing for seeing a sunset or mountain or lightning? Or for seeing trees about to bloom?

Our tradition provides blessings to help us rejoice in the beauty of nature – and inspiration to take care of the earth.

This blessing, for example, is said when trees first bloom:

Baruch Atah Adonai

Eloheinu Melech ha’olam,

Shevara vo b’riyot tovot v’ilanot tovim

L’hanot bahem b’nai adam.

“Blessed are You, Adonai, Our God,
King of the Universe,
that His world is not lacking anything,
and He created in it
good creations and good trees
for the pleasure of mankind.”

Focus on tending the earth

There are even organizations that help us get back to nature. Like Adamah.org that “cultivates the soil and the soul to produce food, build and transform identities, and gather a community of people changing the world.”

And WildernessTorah.org. Their mission is to awaken and celebrate “the earth-based traditions of Judaism to nourish the connections between self, community, earth, and Spirit.”

Getting our hands dirty

Even in our own backyards, we can nourish those connections.

Gardening helps instill a sense of wonder in our children and grandchildren.  From seed to flower.From sapling to majestic tree. From tiny pot to climbing, twining tendrils of peas and beans.

When our girls were little, we tossed our post-Halloween jack-o-lanterns into our big Indiana  garden. The next spring, we were surprised to watch the ever-reaching pumpkin vines climb over everything, producing cute little punkins.

When I saw this post from Lisa Carpenter, I knew I had to share it.  Enjoy these common-sense gardening tips about how to include your grandchild in the process and which fun kinds of things to plant (e.g., edibles and colorful flowers).  

She also links us to an article by Susan Adcox, a friend who writes for about.com, called Helping Kids Garden and Teaching Them to Love It.

Another great resource is Joanna Brichetto, who is, herself a certified Volunteer Tennessee Naturalist.

If you’re a gardener — newbie or experienced — please share your discoveries here about how to bring your children or grandchildren into the great outdoors with you.

Filed Under: Blog, Grandparents, Nature, Parents and children, Prayer and spirituality Tagged With: ,

Kid-Friendly Jewish Outings

May 23, 2013 By Leave a Comment

In search of the best Jewish bakery.

Summer is coming. And if you’re lucky, you’ll have a little more time for day
trips, weekend outings, and even week-long vacations.

So what kid-friendly exhibits, shows, and concerts with some Jewish flavor are taking place in cities around the US and Canada?

Here’s just a glimpse at the possibilities:

Anchorage, AK  Planning a trip to see the glaciers this summer? Check out the new Alaska Jewish Museum and Cultural Center.  Grand opening is scheduled for July 2013. The museum’s focus is on “collecting and preserving documents, photographs, visual art, books, and artifacts that tell the story of the Jewish experience in Alaska.”

Beachwood, OH. Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.  If you’ll be in Ohio on Sunday, August 11, check out the Jewish Food & Culture Festival here from 11 am – 4 pm.

Hallandale Beach, FL  Want a bagel and a shear while you’re on vacation in Florida? The Sage Bagel & Appetizer Shop was started by a husband and wife who left Queens in 1972.   Smoked fish. Lox spread. Bagels and bialys. Bobka.  Hamentaschen. Rugelach. Need I say more?!

Montreal, QC, Canada. As soon as you sit down at Moishes, a steakhouse in business since 1938, you’ll get some of their dill pickles. Love them? Buy some in their specialty packages to take home. “Produced in barrels in small batches following Moishes original recipe, chilled and packaged with their original brine, for an authentic old world taste.” My husband grew up being able to help himself to dill pickles from his grandfather’s store – so this should definitely be on our list.

New York, NY  The The Jewish Museum’s permanent collection includes “Archaeology Zone: Discovering Treasures from Playgrounds to Palaces.”  If you grew up looking for arrowheads or imagined yourself excavating somewhere, I think you’ll agree that this sounds wonderful for your little scientists: “Assuming the role of the archaeologist, children will embark on an exciting adventure where they will encounter unusual objects and determine how and why they were made.”

Portland, OR Kenny & Zuke’s.  Alert to pastrami fans: this 5-year-old deli started by creating “a superb pastrami – one that wasn’t commercially produced, and harkened back to the old traditions. So we rolled our sleeves up, and tested, and tasted, and tested some more. And when it was all done and the smoke (oak, to be exact) had cleared, we knew we were on to something.”

Reisterstown, MD  Pearlstone Center will help you schedule a field trip for your group to the Farm at Pearlstone (410-429-4400 x 214)   The Meet the Animals  program includes meeting the goats and chickens, collecting eggs, feeding the goats, and more.

San Francisco, CA The Contemporary Jewish Museum offers a variety of family-friendly activities,  family gallery tours, preschool gallery hour and a Drop-in Art-Making Program most Sundays and on some holidays. You and kids can experiment with materials and art techniques.

Please add local finds from your neck of the woods in the comments below.

Thanks for sharing!

Filed Under: art, Blog, Music, Nature, Parents and children

F.I.N.D.s* – Thank You, God!

May 16, 2013 By 2 Comments

Have you ever bought a book, tucked it away on a shelf to straighten up, then forgotten about it?

I had that lovely experience of discovery this week with a beautifully illustrated, sweet book called “Thank You God! a Jewish child’s book of prayers.”  [Note: Amazon.com says it’s temporarily out of stock, but I thought you might like to see the reviews here. Other booksellers, like Barnes & Noble, carry it, too.]

This little gem, written by Judyth Groner and Madeline Wikler, was illustrated by Shelly O. Haas. It’s designed to introduce children to Jewish prayers in a very simple, accessible way.

An overview page talks about the umbrella of opportunities we have to thank God throughout the day – for the gift of the new day in the morning, for protection when we go to sleep, for the natural beauty in our world.

After that, each charming page or page spread features a prayer with a short sentence introducing it, followed by the words in English, in Hebrew, and with transliteration. 

Prayers include:

  •     Modeh Ani (morning) prayer
  •     Sh’ma
  •     Blessings before and after eating
  •     Shabbat blessings (candles, wine, havdalah)
  •     Other holiday-specific blessings

But it’s the language in the explanations that make this much more than a list of prayers. For instance, with the Shabbat candle blessing is this interpretation: “Thank You, God, for the mitzvah of lighting the candles. May they shine upon us in love and peace.”

Then come some of my favorites: blessings for the wonders of nature (e.g., when we see a sunset, a towering mountain, or a flash of lightning) and on seeing trees bloom.

The charming book ends with the benediction that we say over our children on Shabbat – and with a translation that I like so much.

“May God bless you and keep you.

May God watch over you in kindness.

May God grant you a life in good health, joy, and peace.”

Amen.

*Fabulous. Intriguing. New-to-Me. Discoveries.

Filed Under: art, Blog, Nature, Parents and children, Prayer and spirituality, Shabbat, Sukkot, Traditions Tagged With: , ,

What are the Numbers of Shavuot?

May 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Shavuot starts at sundown on May 14th.

Aside from what happens in synagogue, your home celebrations can take so many forms — bringing the outside in, making special foods, and so much more.

I thought it would also be fun to think about various numbers that are meaningful during Shavuot. (Anyone else see a home trivia game here?!)

Play along with us and add even more numbers. See below.

#1  Bikkurim, or first fruits, are key symbols of Shavuot. These first fruits – including some of the Seven* Species crops – were carried in a basket of gold or silver to the Temple in Jerusalem.  

#2  Moses received two forms of Torah on Mount Sinai – the written law and the oral law.  

#3  Shavuot is one of the three pilgrimage festivals, along with Sukkot and Passover, during which the Israelites trekked to Jerusalem to bring offerings to the Temple.  

#6  Shavuot comes on the sixth day of the month of Sivan.

#7  There are seven weeks between the end of Passover and the beginning of Shavuot, during which we Count the Omer.

[*We’ll talk about the Seven Species in next week’s blog.]  

#10 According to the Talmud, God gave the Ten Commandments to the Jews on Shavuot.

#40  So why do we eat dairy products on Shavuot? Lots of explanations. Here’s one that’s new to me: the gematria (numerology) of the Hebrew word for milk, chalav, is 40, corresponding to the 40 days and 40 nights that Moses spent on Mt. Sinai before descending with the Torah. 

#90  Many congregations read a 90-line poem written in Aramaic, called Akdamut, on the first day of Shavuot praising the greatness of God, Torah and Israel.

#613  Sephardic Jews do not read Adkamut. Instead, they sing a poem called Azharot which mentions the 613 Biblical commandments.

Wanna play?

What numbers can you add for Shavuot? I’ll give a special shout-out to anyone who comes up with three additional numbers (beyond what’s noted above)!

Or add more of Shavuot’s names: Feast of Weeks. Hag HaKatzir, Festival of the Harvest. Hag HaBikkurim, Festival of the First Fruits.

Filed Under: Blog, Cooking and baking, Israel, Nature, Shavuot, Traditions, Uncategorized

Let’s Have a Barbecue!

April 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Do you ever have those uncomfortable moments when someone asks why we celebrate this holiday or what that tradition is about? Maybe we know a little, but we’re not 100% sure of all the nuances?

With Lag B’Omer, it’s OK not to be certain. There are different points of view about its origins.

However, one thing is sure: this is a fun holiday that comes 33 days into the 49-day Counting of the Omer (after Passover and before Shavuot) where people celebrate, often outside: think picnics, ball games, roasting marshmallows, and cranking up that grill.

Lag B’Omer basics

What’s it mean? Lag B’Omer means the 33rd day of the omer.  The Hebrew letters of “Lag” – “lamed” which stands for the number 30 and “gimmel” which stands for the number 3 – add up in numerical value to 33.  

 A little background  Lag B’Omer signals the release from mourning for those who refrain from weddings or cutting their hair or throwing big parties during the first part of the counting, in memory of 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva who died in a plague two thousand years ago. On the 33rd day, according to tradition, the plague stopped for a day, so we celebrate.

What’s the mystical connection? Another explanation for Lag B’Omer is that on this day the renowned Jewish mystic Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, on his death bed, revealed secrets from the Torah.

“A tremendous glow, a brilliant light illuminated the house as Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai returned his soul, pure and righteous, to his maker.” 

This article from The Jewish Magazine, written by Eliezer Cohen, paints a wonderful picture of the gathering that takes place in Israel, in the town of Meron, on this day.

Check out some cute Lag B’Omer treats you can make on our Pinterest page. (Look for the campfire cake and  bonfire cupcakes.)

Or just roast some hotdogs while you toss the ball in the backyard. This year, Lag B’Omer begins at sundown  on April 27th — making it perfect for a Saturday night campfire or a Sunday picnic.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Blog, Israel, Nature, Parents and children, Prayer and spirituality, Traditions Tagged With:

And We Begin to Count the Omer

March 29, 2013 By 1 Comment

Spiritual journeyAfter the hustle and hurry and joyfulness of  Passover preparation and family gatherings, the Jewish calendar now gives us 49 days to engage in a quiet, deeply spiritual practice.

Counting the Omer (Sefirat Ha-Omer) refers to marking the days between the second day of Passover – when a sheaf of newly harvested barley was brought to the Temple as an offering – and the first day of Shavuot, celebrating the giving of Torah at Mt. Sinai.

      You shall count for yourselves seven weeks.

                    From when the sickle is first put to the standing crop

    Shall you begin counting seven weeks.

                   Then you will observe the Festival of Shavuot for the Lord, your God.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           – Deuteronomy 16:9-10

For more about the specifics, and some great resources, check out our 2012  blog, Counting the Omer.

Mindfulness Practice

In her recent article in the huffingtonpost.com, Rabbi Yael Levy explains that 

“Counting the Omer is a 49-day mindfulness practice aimed at helping us pay attention to the movement of our lives, to notice the subtle shifts, the big changes, the yearnings, the strivings, the disappointments, the hopes and the fears.”

It is in this spirit that she is again providing daily practices for us to follow, along this journey.

I purchased her book last year, as well, called Journey Through the Wilderness: a Mindfulness Approach to the Ancient Jewish Practice of Counting the Omer.

Prayers & Background

To find the prayers to recite, with some of the rules that govern how and when you say them, check out this link from chabad.org.

Or, for a thorough overview of counting the Omer, this article from myjewishlearning.com does a great job.

I’m new at this Counting the Omer process. Last year was the first time I followed along.

Connection to the Harvest

And, as with most Jewish holidays that have agricultural roots, I am fascinated by that connection with the festival.  (Wish I could find the paper I wrote as a grad student about the agricultural roots of Passover!)

Imagine this scene, as painted by dailykos.com,

“Counting the Omer began as an agricultural ritual. People would go out into the fields each night and, just as they saw three stars in the sky, would wave an omer – a sheaf of barley –  to ask for a good harvest.”

I don’t know whether or not the power for me is in reminding me of my summer on kibbutz, where sustenance depended on a good harvest.

In any case, I’d better get counting.

Filed Under: Blog, Israel, Nature, Passover, Prayer and spirituality, Shavuot, Traditions Tagged With: ,

Tu B’Shevat. Winter Celebration.

January 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I knew that the 2013 Jewish calendar was unusual.  And that the holidays would be coming especially early.

Then I read Rabbi Jason Miller’s piece, wrapping some specifics around this notion:  “The Jewish calendar situation this year is unique. In fact, it has not occurred since 1899 and will only occur once more. Ever. And that won’t be until the year 2089.”

When the sap begins to rise

So I shouldn’t have been surprised to know that Tu B’Shevat starts at sundown, Friday, January 25th.  In a nutshell (there’s a pun in there!), Tu B’Shevat marks when the sap begins to rise in trees in Israel, like almond trees.

There are scads of ways to celebrate lightly. Or you can put on entire seders, based around wines or based around fruit and nuts that grow in Israel (like grapes, figs, olives, dates, pomegranates and almonds).

We’ll provide resources to explore next week. In the interim, check out our Tu B’Shevat Pinterest board for some ideas that might work well with your family.

Your ideas

If you have an idea for Tu B’Shevat or a memory of a celebration that you really enjoyed, please share it here.

Filed Under: Blog, Cooking and baking, Israel, Nature, Parents and children, Traditions Tagged With: , ,

Hanukkah Core Concept – Oil

November 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Potato LatkesCongrats to Angela W., winner of night five in our Hanukkah Surprise Pack.

One of the surprises in Liora’s pack is a 2-sided laminated card with Hanukkah Songs. Reusable year after year to help remind everyone of the key Hanukkah songs to sing after you light the candles.  (Available in Hanukkah Helper Box, Hanukkah in a Box, and Hanukkah CD Tutorial.)

We mentioned previously the three key Hanukkah concepts that we think are good starting points to discuss with young children: light, miracle, and oil. Here are links to posts about light and miracle.

 One small jug of oil

 When you think about oil at Hanukkah, you immediately think of frying latkes (potato pancakes).  You can also make or buy jelly doughnuts, which are fried in oil. And you can have a discussion about how amazed the Maccabees must have been to see that the oil from the one small jug burned for eight days.

But you can really take this idea further by getting a menorah that burns oil.  There are lots of choices in stores. See Do you love your Menorah? for some options we’ve explored.

You can also make a menorah that burns oil.  Some  options to look into are Green Menorah Guide and aPARENTly Speaking.

There’s also an interesting book called Harvest of Light by Allison Ofanasky.  Good for grades 1 -3, it takes you through the steps of how an Israeli family harvests olives to be processed into oil.  And the story is told from the daughter’s perspective of gathering and sorting the olives to pressing them and then, finally, using that special oil to light the menorah.

This book also helps underscore nature’s role in providing for us — and our role in nurturing the process.

Our tent keeps expanding

One benefit of building the Jewish Holidays in a Box community is connecting with people and media outlets that we’d probably never have discovered otherwise.

We are grateful to:

  • interfaithfamily.comfor co-posting our blog “Customize Your Hanukkah Celebrations” on November 1, 2012
  • joi.org for helping us spread the word to their Mother’s Circle members under Resources for Mothers / Holiday Resources on November 19, 2012
  • Mom Always Finds Out for their blog post, “Hanukkah Help for Families” on November 1, 2012 [don't you love the name of this blog?!]
Filed Under: Blog, Cooking and baking, Hanukkah, Israel, Nature, Parents and children, Traditions Tagged With: , , , ,

Carrying the Spirit Forward

October 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

As the last of the fall holidays winds down, we have to wait two months until Hanukkah.

If you attended services or had festive meals with family over Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, did you feel renewed, inspired, recommitted to Jewish practice? I think this happens for lots us.

[Conversely, some people feel more alienated. We’ll talk about that next week, because it can be a powerful letdown.]

Establishing new traditions

If you do want to rededicate yourself to a new tradition, how could you go about it?

You could choose just one addition to your weekly routine that would fill your spirit. Of course, attending services more regularly might be the best choice for you.

But there are lots of others paths. Here are some that might work for you:

Donate to a charity of your choice once a week.  Here’s one to consider. You could even make a super simple tzedakah box for this purpose.

Buy a beautiful new mezuzah and say the blessings as you put it up.

Find a piece of Jewish music that you like and learn to play it on your instrument; guitar chords and piano music are easy to find for many popular songs. Or just buy a CD of Jewish or Israeli music that you pop in every Friday night to create atmosphere. Here are just a few of my favorites.

Establish a new tradition of hiking on Shabbat with family or friends, away from computers and washing machines, enjoying nature.

Sign up for a blog that inspires you.  Here are three of the many choices:

 

My Commitment

What am I going to do? Work harder at unplugging over Shabbat. I give myself an F for the past 10 months. But the two Shabbatot (yes, only two, really) where I followed the spirit of the day, for the whole day, were so energizing and relaxing and spiritual.  And I have 52 opportunities a year to try to improve.

I’m also going to commit myself to baking at least one challah.  I hear it’s not so hard. We’ll see . . .

Please share this post with friends and family who might like it.

Filed Under: Blog, Cooking and baking, Hanukkah, Israel, Music, Nature, Parents and children, Prayer and spirituality, Rosh Hashanah, Shabbat, Traditions, Yiddish
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