I seem to have surprised my readers with the fact that we don't eat gebrokt. Forgive me for a Pesach post after Pesach, because it reminds me a bit of stale matzah.In the mid to late 1700's, chassidim began observing the custom of not soaking matzah in water. The idea was that if any flour from the … [Read more...]
Pesach scenes
April 5, 2007 by
Like many Israelis, we have spent a good deal of our chol hamoed in traffic jams. As a diversion we spotted this girl, approximately four years old, standing halfway out the roof of a car nonchalantly driving through Bnei Brak traffic. We honked several times with no response. Enjoy the pictures … [Read more...]
Unofficial Guide to Pesach Shopping in Israel
March 22, 2007 by
When my aunt first shopped for Pesach after making aliyah, she was excited by the huge assortment of kosher for Passover products. When Pesach was over, she learned that all those products contained kitniyot (legumes), which Ashkenazi (European) Jews avoid on Pesach. Israel has a much larger … [Read more...]
Purim Costume Fail?
March 6, 2007 by
Image by Getty Images via Daylife I might have given the whole costume problem more thought had my husband not been working 13-hour days for the last two months. Or more likely not. I have a bag of costumes and accessories, and usually the kids can come up with something from there. My 5yo … [Read more...]
Oil-based Hamantashen Dough
February 25, 2007 by
A commenter asked me for an oil-based hamantashen recipe. Any kind of cooky-cutter dough can can work well for hamantashen. This one is from Marcy Goldman's Jewish Holiday Baking, p. 249. Virtually all of the pareve recipes in this book are oil-based.Bubbie's Orange-and-Oil Hamantashen1 cup sugar1 … [Read more...]
Mishloach Manot in Israel
February 23, 2007 by
My mother always used to bake for Purim. We gave mishlochei manot* (MM) to a moderate number of people, most of whom didn't observe the mitzvah themselves. We baked chocolate swirl cookies, and hamantashen, and thumbkins. We added some dried nuts and fruit on a plate, put the whole thing in a … [Read more...]
Beyadeinu Or Va-eish — Fire and light in our hands
December 18, 2006 by
In the end I enjoyed my son's Chanukah party, despite getting ten calls from home on my cell-phone during the hour-long event. My son had a good time too. But while the other parents were admiring the display, I was checking for fire exits. I noticed that the windows in the gan had burglar-proof … [Read more...]
The Number One Reason for Making Aliyah
September 25, 2006 by
Having just finished two days of marathon eating and praying on Rosh Hashana, I am so grateful that we don't have to do this very often. So in honor of the new year, and to give chizuk (encouragement) to our struggling olim chadashim (new immigrants), here's a comparison of the holidays in Israel … [Read more...]
Why My Son Didn’t Have a Wish for the New Year
September 21, 2006 by
My 5yo came home with a bag of things from gan, pictured here. They include gan-made apple jelly, a card, a hand with "simanim" for the holiday attached to the fingers with velcro, a glossy pamphlet called "My Machzor" with a selection of holiday prayers, a pomegranate decorated with red plastic … [Read more...]
Recent Comments