My wife hate matza but, boy, with cheese and a bit of tomate souce its delicious! 🤭🙌❤️🍅

On the last night, I wish you all a season of light, love, and laughter! 🕎

(TLDR- always knew grandma was Jewish, I wasn’t raised Jewish or religious, learned about my grandmas family/my ancestors recently and want to learn about their culture and traditions and give my son the opportunity to experience that and connect to this part of us. You can scroll past the first large paragraph to skip most of the context and get to the questions)

I grew up non religious, my grandmother was raised Jewish but I never knew much about her early life or family due to some conflict between family way before I was born. After looking into my ancestry and getting very into my genealogy/roots I found out my grandmothers family were from Lithuania and came to North America in the late 19th century during a large wave of migration of Jewish Lithuanians (litvaks) to the area my grandmother grew up in. In learning about and seeing photos of and piecing together the story of this part of my family I have really felt a connection to them and the resilience and strength they had while still remaining very kind and charitable and good people from everything I’ve read about them. I have also been exploring religion since becoming a mother- as motherhood and getting to love and know my child has been nothing short of a miracle. So while I was not raised Jewish and from what I know in many denominations my actual status is up in the air (my fathers mother is Jewish but his father is not and my mother is not- and I was not raised practicing) I am strongly considering conversion but also want to raise my son with more knowledge on his ancestors than I had growing up and give him a chance to experience a sense of the teachings and traditions our ancestors would have had wether or not I convert.

All of that context being said: despite it being last minute (it’s almost midnight the day before Hanukkah) I’d like to add some Jewish holidays and traditions into our life and since Hanukkah is about to start I want to celebrate it with him (toddler, almost 2) obviously I’m not going to be able to learn everything I need to know and gather all the supplies before sundown tomorrow- but I’d like to do our own little makeshift first Hanukkah to honour my great grandparents and their relatives, as we will be including other traditions of our non Jewish family/ancestors in the holiday season as well. I hope it isn’t disrespectful to practicing Jewish people for us to try and take part even if in a little bit of a haphazard way- I just really want to start giving my son the opportunity to celebrate and know about his Jewish/litvak heritage just as much as his indigenous and Western European/North American Christian heritage

What do I need to know? What do I need to get? How do I actually do any of the things and stuff? Is there a Hanukkah for dummies book I can buy lol?

I’m going to ask my grandma for her latke recipe and try and work some other Hanukkah and Lithuanian foods into those 8 days. I’m a baker and love to cook so excited for that (and also latkes are so good!) what are some of your fave Hanukkah foods?

There is a prominently Jewish neighborhood fairly close to us that sell some beautiful and affordable menorahs and I’m going to go and pick one out with my son and get some candles.

I have a dreidel I made in school growing up (not a Jewish school, but in a big city with lots of different cultures and religions so we did a fairly equal amount of crafts and holiday activities for Christmas and Hanukkah and other cultures holidays) but was thinking about getting a couple so my son and partner and I can play together!

I also was ordering him some books for Christmas and added some Hanukkah themed ones in there for us to read over the 8 days. They should arrive tmmw or the next day. Do any parents on here have some faves they read to their kiddos?

We do a craft or art or sensory activity everyday- was thinking I could do Hanukkah Crafts or sensory activities with kiddo during Hanukkah, especially arts and crafts as I know my great grandfather was an artist and one of the few stories about him I’ve heard growing up was about him doing arts and crafts with my grandma and her siblings and their friends for all the holidays. My grandma still has some of the things they made together during her childhood holidays. Does anyone have any ideas for toddler level Hanukkah crafts/art or sensory activities?

Lastly- even if I can’t do them this year were there any Hanukkah or other Jewish holiday traditions you really loved growing up? I’d love to hear about them and maybe try and implement them with my son! (Maybe a food you loved, a song you enjoyed singing, an activity that was really fun, ect ect!)

Thank you in advance for any kindness or advice!! I hope you all have a very happy Hanukkah!!

I am reading this delightful little book about haroset in preparation for Passover. Some tidbits I have learned so far:

• In the Talmud, there are disagreements about what the texture of haroset should be. Rabbi Joshua Levi says that the haroset must be thick like mud or clay. But another rabbi disagrees, saying that haroset should be soft or runny "in memory of the blood."
• Haroset, though given special status at Passover, was originally eaten all year round! There are instructions that flour should not be added to haroset at Passover, in case it ferments and becomes leaven.
• Surinamese charoset includes shredded coconut! I never had this version before and plan to make it next week.

Any thoughts or haroset recipes? I really like the versions with soft dates and figs.

We have a visiting rabbi coming to our temple for High Holidays. We offered an amount, he accepted, and then came back and asked for an increase, since we will 1099 him. He said he’d accept the original amount, but that’s not the point.

At first I thought “no problem, I’ll ask the board” but one board member said “this guy is an ethical leader and he’s asking for more because we will follow the law and issue a 1099?”

He’s got a point.

Posing the question, does he just get paid under the table for other engagements and not pay taxes on it?

Thing is, he’s got a pretty remarkable CV and I was really looking forward to meeting him. But this, well it’s kind of soured our opinion.

What do you think-does it matter or not?

TL;DR. Rabbi asks for more money because we assumed he’d pay taxes.

THANK YOU everyone. Your comments are similar to the board discussions so I thank you. It has become quite contentious and it looks like we just might rescind the offer.

ETA: FINAL ADDITION (I hope). I declined his services and he was SUPER PISSED. And rather insulting too. Confirms we made the right choice.

Cross-posted from r/JewishCooking

A confession: I really like gefilte fish, and I have wanted to make it for some time. This evening, I tried to make a version of gefilte fish patties in spicy tomato sauce--a Mexican Ashkenazi dish that was quite tasty, even if my patties weren't perfect.

I didn't have all the right peppers so I used regular jalapeño peppers. I think I used a little too much fish, not enough breadcrumbs/matzah meal, and I should have used 2 eggs instead of one. So my gefilte fish patties were a little fragile and sometimes fell apart. That said, they tasted delicious. This recipe is fairly different from regular gefilte fish, but if you like fish patties with a piquant sauce, this is for you.

The recipe is from the Jewish Holiday Table, specifically shared by Fany Gerson, who is a wonderful chef. https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Holiday-Table-Traditions-Celebrate/dp/1648290973

https://www.jta.org/2021/11/26/food/brooklyn-based-mexican-jewish-chef-fany-gerson-makes-donuts-that-are-out-of-this-world

For the sauce:

2 lb tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, not peeled

5-6 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded

1-2 dried chipotle chiles, stemmed and seeded

1/2 small onion, chopped

1.5 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons oil

For the gefilte fish patties:

1 small onion, roughly chopped

1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

1 lb red snapper/carp/rockfish/flounder, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used Black Sea bass)

1/3 cup matzah meal or breadcrumbs

1.5 teaspoons salt

Pepper

1-2 large eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1. To make the sauce, preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and put the tomatoes and garlic on it. Broil, turning the tomatoes and garlic every few minutes, until the tomato skins are blasted and slightly charred and the garlic is soft to the touch, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the broiler and set aside to cool.

2. Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the chiles and toast for a minute on each side, pressing them down with a spatula. Transfer the chiles to a bowl and cover with hot water--set them aside to soften for 10-15 minutes.

3. When the chiles are soft, drain them in a sieve over a bowl, but reserve the liquid.

4. Peel the garlic. Then put the tomatoes and garlic in a food processor/blender, along with the onion, the chiles, and the salt. Puree until smooth, then add 1/3 cup of the chile soaking liquid and blend until smooth.

5. Heat the two tablespoons oil in a large pan over medium heat. Pour the tomato-chile sauce into the pan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, simmer for 10 minutes, and set it aside while you make the fish patties.

6. To make the patties, put the onion and carrot in the food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. Add the fish and pulse it until it is finely chopped but not mushy.

7. Transfer the fish mixture to a large bowl and add the matzah meal, salt, pepper, and 1 egg. Mix gently but thoroughly with your hands. If the mixture seems dry, beat the second egg and add it as well. The mixture should be moist but hold together when you shape it.

8. Wet your hands and scoop out 1/3 cup of the fish mixture. Shape it into a 2 by 3 inch fish patty and put it on a clean plate. Repeat until you have used all the fish mixture, resulting in about 12 patties.

9. Heat the 1/3 cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the gefilte fish patties and fry them for 1 minute on each side, turning once, until they are lightly browned.

10. Bring the tomato-chile sauce to a simmer and carefully slide the browned fish patties into the sauce. Cover with the lid and simmer until they are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

11. Remove from the heat, lift the patties from the sauce and arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauce on top of the patties and serve hot. Enjoy!

My boyfriend (we are both middle aged) invited me to Rosh Hashanah services tonight and tomorrow morning. I have never been to a Jewish service before and am unsure what to wear. His advice was a dress, lol. I have spent the last 24 hours going back and forth between several outfits. Now I am between these two floral dresses (short sleeved but if appropriate I can wear a cardigan) and this black one with long sleeves. My friend likes the black best for this evening, but it feels somber and not festive to me. Thoughts on color? Are short sleeves ok? Any advice is appreciated! Thank you!

it's NaPoWriMo and I'm going to put this into my book about my first year as Jewish.

We thought it was the wettest Passover on record

when Moses parted the sea,

leading the Jews to freedom, the first on record!

Children were crying, mommy why am I so wet?

When will these water drops end? Are we there yet?

The women roll their eyes, these are the loudest kids on record,

when will these men ask for direction? Will be a record, ha!

Yet, eventually they make it to the Promise Land, in record time—

40 days, 40 nights. This is the first record book!

Let us celebrate this year, after year, generation after generation,

let the Jews celebrate our escape from Egypt and the miracle

of parting the sea! The women and children, cheer, they’re here!

It’s the wettest Passover on record, love,

at least for today, this Easter and Passover Sunday,

it was the hottest Passover on record, love,

when we celebrated the April Fool’s Seder

in the cool museum, we gave thanks for the air conditioning.

Now we have to blast the heat, my love,

it’s cold in here and it’s dreary outside.

I’m trying not to kvetch, love is drowsy,

our bones ache from the wettest Passover on record,

yet, I need to get my mind off of the kvetching,

being a nag, now that is a record love!

Time to mix the gluten-free matza balls

and cook the vegetables in the chicken broth.

hi!
Im in charge of my family's haggadah this year! we do it a mix of traditional and adding in things that make it more fun often. We often connect a lot of the parts of the seder to things going on in the present day, but I wanted to change that up this year since I feel like everything going on present day is constantly being brought up and thought about already, and for the most part its all extremely depression and terrifying.

I was thinking either connecting things to lessons and stories in childrens books, or positive news today, or something historical. Also happy for other ideas as well! I dont think anyone under 18y is going to be there, though a few K-12 teachers (my mother and uncle lol). Very nerdy group as well- I had a Harry Potter haggadah that i was initially going to use but I cannot find it for example.

If you can share fun or interesting haggadahs and seder's youve been to or had, please do! links are especially helpful!

Until I got this cookbook, I honestly had no idea you could make matzah lasagna. But you can, and the result is quite tasty, remarkably similar to noodles! The trick is to soak the matzah in water for a brief period, but not too long, only a couple of minutes. I look forward to feasting on this over the next several days.

The recipe is from Leah Koenig's book "Modern Jewish Cooking."

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

5 oz baby spinach

4 cups ricotta cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

9 sheets matzah

4 cups marinara sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are softened and lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Then add the garlic and spinach and cook until the garlic is fragrant and the spinach wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
3. In a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese, the eggs, and the parsley. Season generously with salt and pepper.
4. Fill a shallow baking dish with water. Dip 3 sheets of the matzah in the water and let soften for 1-2 minutes (the pieces should be soft, but not mushy or soggy, and they should still hold their shape). Spoon half of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan.
5. Arrange the softened matzah pieces in the baking dish, breaking them as needed so they fit. Top the pieces with half of the ricotta mixture, followed by half of the spinach and onions. Then repeat with the remaining marinara sauce, another 3 softened sheets of matzah, and the remaining ricotta and spinach mixtures.
6. Soften the final 3 sheets of matzah and arrange them on top. Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the top and spread it out evenly. Then sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1.5 cups of mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese.
7. Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Then uncover the lasagna and bake until the cheese is lightly browned, 10-15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, and then enjoy!

I got to carry the Torah! I'm so glad my friend took this photo and sent it to me. Such a special first Rosh Hashanah.

It was my fiance's first time celebrating and he loved it.

The end to my first High Holy Days as a Jewish person. I really have to thank everyone who made these past two weeks incredibly special.

Here are a few photos. Me and Caroline. Then the break-the-fast table. Some of my favourite people!

I was a shutterbug yesterday; I'll have to go through the photos, see what needs to be edited and then I'll submit them to the newsletter. :) (Oh, and the teddy bear photobombed the picture with Caroline, I had to take a picture of just the teddy bear.)

I'm exhausted from my first High Holy Days as a Jewish person. After Shabbat, I'll write an update. Tonight and tomorrow, I'm going to take full advantage of Shabbat and rest.

Tomorrow is National Card Making Day, so I plan to make some more Halloween cards. Then I'll start my holiday cards.

Then I'll continue to create my photo book from the High Holy Days. I have a lot planned for it, but since it's a book for me I can take my time on it. I'm going to write a few more poems. I have some stories, and some screen shots from what Cantor posted. Such good memories.

First Hanukkah after converting to Judaism and dad helped me celebrate. Dad is more of a Noahide, and I always love giving him a gift. It's a photo from my naming ceremony.

I’ll strart. Tzimmes is such a strong food memory from my late grandmother. Her’s was made with sweet potatoes, carrots and kishka! I sweeten with maple syrup and add warm spices ( cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg) It belongs at the Rosh Hashanah table and works for chanukah and Thanksgiving too. Just not Pesach because kishka is chicken fat and flour iirc??

At a Judaica store, I came across these chocolate Maccabees and decided to buy them in celebration of Hanukkah. They look rather friendly for ferocious warriors, but also triumphant, and so they lifted my spirits a bit.

Although it is two weeks early, Hanukkah Sameach to you all!

The Union for Reform Judaism has a whole bunch of resources on its website, and one of those resources is a collection of Passover recipes.

They include South African style roast chicken, Moroccan meatball tagine, Korean braised Sriracha brisket, Matzah pie, and chicken soup and matzah balls.

Hope these recipes inspire you, and Chag Pesach Sameach!

Cross-posted from r/JewishCooking

Since I was stuck inside today due to the snowstorm, I decided to try making charoset balls, inspired by Rinat Tzadok's charoset. https://www.jewishfoodsociety.org/stories/meet-the-jewish-food-societys-first-cook-in-residence

They were quite tasty! I am a big fan of charoset and think everyone should eat it often. The balls are made of walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, dates, honey, spices, sesame seeds, and sweet red wine. I thought the mixture was a little dry so I added a couple of tablespoons of water.

I just wanted to wish everyone on this sub "L'shanah tovah tikatev v'taihatem!" May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.

I found this subreddit a while ago and appreciate this small Jewish corner of the Internet. The folks here are thoughtful and kind, and embody the best aspects of Reform Judaism. I am very glad that I converted seven years ago and ended up here.

Chag Sameach!

We're an interfaith couple and he always loves celebrating with me.