Elul 5780

This year’s list reflects the turbulent times in which we live.:

• Dreams Never Dreamed by Kalman Samuels (Toby Peres, 2020) - Never settle for less than the exact fulfillment of your dream
• For the Shabbat Table by the late Rabbi Chaim Wilschanski (Gefen Publishing, 2001) - only the tip of the iceberg
• I Am a Cat by Galia Bernstein (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2017) - We are all different and all the same
• How Women Rise: Breaking the 12 Habits That Hold You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith (Hachette Books, 2018) - Know your faults so you can work with them (or get rid of them)

I was already excited about Dreams Never Dreamed and the story of Shalva. But looking back, and after watching many videos, I was amazed at the humility and awesomeness of Malka Samuels, whose ideas and dreams came true. She saw a need and worked hard. And once she knew what she needed and what she wanted, she was determined to make it happen. And not just to check it off the list. For example, when designing the new center, she insisted on a particular color of tile. She ended up going to Italy, designing custom tiles, and then redyeing it when it was not exactly the right shade. The result is a beautiful, warm, welcoming place for all who enter.

We bought For the Shabbat Table many years ago and read from it each week during Shabbat lunch. Part of the reason we enjoyed it so much was that in almost every election, Rabbi Wilschanski would demonstrate a point "with the following anecdote." The rabbi "left this world on the eve of Passover" this year, and I feel a very personal loss. When we read the book, all I knew was that Rabbi Wilschanski was leading a congregation in London and then retired to Israel. Reading his obituary, I understand that his book is just a small piece of an amazing total package. A native of Germany, he had to flee from the Nazis. He went to the Gateshead Yeshiva with a small Torah scroll in his suitcase. He got married and studied at the Gateshead Kollel, then taught in London. He and his wife had five children, and he served as rabbi at Hampstead Garden shteibel for over 45 years, where he was a dynamic and popular speaker with a huge impact on the community. He also played the violin. After his retirement he would talk to Jewish students who had attended non-Jewish schools. He and his wife moved to Jerusalem when he was 83, and he remained active in his studies. He got to see the fifth generation of his family.

But more than that, when I told my family he has passed away, everyone remembered the stories from twelve years ago that included "the following anecdote." May he use his warm personality and dynamic speaking skills to be a meilitz yosher (strong advocate) for all of us.

These uncertain times have brought to the forefront of what used to be hidden hatred and violence. Many librarians and groups have offered books to help young readers cope with the situation and learn more about different groups and cultures (see AJL's "Love Your Neighbor" lists). I Am a Cat is a little gem that uses all kinds of felines to make its point. Simon is a small domesticated cat, but when he greets his cousins, ​​the big cats are amused. The lion tells Simon that he is not a cat because he has no mane or tuft on the tip of his tail, and no one will be afraid of him. The cheetah tells Simon that he is not a cat because he is not sleek or graceful and cannot run fast. Other cats tell Simon that he is mistaken because Simon does not live in the mountains and jump, he is not black and he does not live in the jungle, and he is not big and strong and orange.

But Simon remarks that while all of these cats have things that make them special and different, they also have a lot in common. They all have "small, perky ears, and a flat nose," whiskers and tails, sharp claws and  teeth, and eyes that can see in the dark. The big cats consider his argument, and they agree that Simon is a cat. "They [all] spent the rest of the day pouncing and prowling, prancing and playing, like cats of all sizes do."

As a cat lover, I adore this book. As a librarian I see it works on so many levels. It's about cats, it's about differences, it's about similarities, it's about making your point in simplicity and courtesy. The illustrations are colorful and cute, and it can work with any of the sub-themes of books dealing with diversity and respecting others.

How Women Rise is a career counseling book for women who have reached a certain level and realize that something is holding them back from advancing further in their company or in their field. But it reads like a book about middos. It helps you identify things you do or say (or do not do and do not say) that can be perceived as weaknesses or faults. For example, many women work diligently and do not talk about their accomplishments because they think they will sound boastful and egotistical if they "toot their own horn." While on the one hand, working hard is a good trait, if people don't know what you're doing or how hard you're working, they will not value your contributions. They are ways to let people know your achievements, such as weekly or monthly updates, quick meetings with the boss, or memos that can let people know how indispensable you truly are.

The Real Cats of Israel have been luxuriating in the heat:

May 5781 be a year of health, happiness and good reading!!

Passover 5779

Because this year is a leap year on the Jewish calendar, Passover is relatively late this year, beginning on Friday night, April 19th. As with almost all Jewish observances, there are customary foods and family favorites.  

Haroset

Haroset is that mixture of fruit and nuts on the Seder plate in which we dip the bitter herbs.  In Haroset: A Taste of Jewish History (The Toby Press, 2019), Dr. Susan Weingarten "attempts to solve the riddle of the origins of haroset -- when and why it appeared, what it was made of and how it changed over the generations." Dr. Weingarten is an archaeologist and historian and has published many scholarly papers about the history of food. Full disclosure: what I thought would be an academic discourse (boring) is a fascinating exploration of both Jewish sources and cultural influences. As Weingarten explains in the introduction:

Haroset has always been something of a mystery. It was not one of the three original symbolic foods eaten at the first Passover in Egypt. It first appears in the Mishna, but with no explanation of why, and with few details of what it was made of or what it tasted like. The [Babylonian and Jerusalem] Talmuds tell us that haroset was said to resemble the mud or clay for the bricks made by the Children of Israel as slaves in Egypt, so it was clearly connected to the story of the redemption from an early stage, but we do not know when it arrived at the Seder. It seems to have been introduced to counteract the bitter herbs, which have been part of the Passover meal since the time of the Exodus. 

I learned that many ancient cultures using dipping sauces to offset the tastes of other foods. Ashkenazi Jews pretty much use the same basic recipe -- apples, nuts, wine, cinnamon, and all the ingredients have deep symbolic meaning. Sephardic Jews enjoy a variety of recipes, varying from community to community and depending on the fruits available in the spring. Some groups even "add a small amount of clay or scraped brick" into the mixture. History also influenced the development of haroset, as red wine used to be added at the Seder table, but the practice was discontinued in Europe because of blood libels. Communities often made a huge batch that was distributed to all the families. 

Most recipes are not exact; the important thing is that the consistency should be thick, like mortar. Sephardim often cook the mixture, and grinding the mixture is an important part of the process for all cultures. 

Want to add an interesting taste to your Seder? Try "Zoya Leviva's Haroset from Uzbekistan:"

black raisins

almonds

red wine

optional: walnuts

©The Toby Press and Dr. Susan Weingarten, 2019. Used with permission.

Passover Baking

Paula Shoyer is known as "the Kosher Baker," and she is an expert on the history of Jewish cookbooks. She is also the author of four cookbooks: The Kosher Baker (Brandeis University Press, 2010), and three from Sterling Epicure: The Holiday Kosher Baker (2013), The New Passover Menu (2015), and The Healthy Jewish Kitchen (2017). For Passover, she is sharing some recipes for the holiday that those who eat "keto"will also enjoy.

For those who have been living under rocks, the keto (ketogenic) diet is protein rich, high fat, low carbohydrate plan of eating. The diet has been suggested for children with epilepsy, those with neurological disorders, those on the spectrum, and Parkinson's Disease patients. Those who work out frequently have also embraced the keto diet. Since so many carbohydrates are either chametz or kitniyot (grains, beans, and soy that Ashkenazi Jews do not eat on Passover), you can literally have your cake and eat it, too, as the baking ingredients for her desserts include coconut oil, almond flour, and quinoa.

Lemon Quinoa Cake   - PAULA SHOYER

Serves 12

PREP TIME: 20 minutes • BAKE TIME: 15 minutes to cook quinoa, 65 minutes to bake cake • ADVANCE PREP: May be made 3 days in advance or frozen •

CAKE

¾ cup quinoa

1½ cups water

Cooking spray or 2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons lemon zest, from 2-3 large lemons

½ cup fresh lemon juice, from 2-3 large lemons

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or other vanilla if for Passover)

¾ cup coconut oil

1 ¼ cups sugar

1 cup almond flour

¼ cup coconut flour, plus 2-3 tablespoon to dust bundt pan

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

Glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)

Place the quinoa and water into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan, and cook the quinoa for 15 to 18 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Let sit for 5 minutes off the stovetop. The quinoa may be made 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Use cooking spray or oil to grease a 12-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons coconut flour, or more if needed, over the entire greased pan and then shake the pan all around to cover and then tap out the excess.

Place the quinoa in the bowl of a food processor. Add the lemon zest and juice, eggs, vanilla, oil, sugar, almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and process until the mixture is very smooth, about 2 minutes.

Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake it for 1 hour, or longer, until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool for 30 minutes and then remove it gently from the pan onto a wire cooling rack.

Recipe by Paula Shoyer 

www.thekosherbaker.com

used with permission

As a responsible reviewer, I tried this recipe, and...

I am not a big fan of coconut, which came through more than the lemon for me. But, the cake is super easy to make, there are no weird ingredients that are not available during Passover, it does not require tons of eggs that have to be separated, and it was gone in less than 24 hours, so somebody enjoyed it very much.  Further proof is that my cake looks similar to the promotional picture of Paula's.

For more about Paula Shoyer, super colleague Heidi Rabinowitz spoke to her at the Limmud Conference in Boca Raton, Florida in December, 2018, and you can hear their conversation at Heidi's podcast - The Book of Life.

The Real Cats of Israel are enjoying the spring weather:

People watching at the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem

Chag Kasher V'Sameach!
A Happy and Kosher Passover!
Happy Reading!