Thank goodness Passover is not yet around the corner. Sentry seems to think it is -- the matzah are already out on display, but I've got weeks to go ( Read more... )

The last couple of weeks Drew and I have been making an effort to have a nice dinner on Friday night. This week we weren't sure what we'd eat, but he asked me to make challah anyway. So Thursday night after dinner I started the challah. My current favorite recipe is the Czernowitzer Challah from A Blessing of Bread. It's very easy to mix up -- no ( Read more... )

I just saw this on the Velveteen Rabbi. Barack Obama was on a conference call with 900 rabbis today. Here are 2 posts by rabbis who heard him: R. Danya Ruttenberg and R. Andy Bachman.  As per usual, the man was inspiring!

I love that Obama has respect for religious communities without letting them run rough-shod over the community as a whole. And ( Read more... )

I'm thinking out loud here. I just read an article about an uptick in Chevrim (correct plural?) Kaddisha, Jewish groups who prepare the dead for burial. It sounds like a really interesting activity, a mitzvah that really makes a difference. And one that does not involve as much person-to-person contact as caring for the living. There is a chevra ( Read more... )

It's that time of year again, we're spending part of Passover in El Paso. Drew's family seder is no longer held first or second night because we have too many cousins whose in-laws are more invested in Passover than our family is. So they go to them for the traditional seder nights, while our family seder is always scheduled on a Saturday to make ( Read more... )

It's Pesach time again! At services this morning we concluded that we're excited about Passover this year because it's so late. Also, you know how there's a little insert line in the g'vurot about precipitation that flips from winter to summer at Pesach? It's still winter this week, and to prove it we got snowed on.

Tomorrow I clean the kitchen for ( Read more... )

This week I baked lots of hamentaschen and tonight we dressed up and went to the Purim Shpiel at 6:30. Consequently there was no dinner at dinnertime. Tonight's holiday appropriate dinner has been hamentaschen and beer. :)

If this made no sense to you, Wikipedia can tell you about Purim and the tasty treats that are hamentaschen.

Last week I was at the Union for Reform Judaism Biennial convention. I had a wonderful time attending workshops, concerts, a play, and praying a whole lot (and, a.n.ers, meeting Karen for dinner and photos). In addition to the ideas I've got for improving my committee work, I've come home with a crazy idea percolating in my brain ( Read more... )

This is mostly a note to myself. Novelty Chanukah songs are listed here:
http://www.mistletunes.com/hanukkah.html

I was just listening to Interfaith Voices and the Chanukah spot ended with a "Happy Chanukah" song set to the tune of "Feliz Navidad". Apparently it's by 2 Live Jews.

We just got home from Jeff Erlanger's funeral. It was huge and beautiful. Jeff Erlanger was an amazing guy in our town, here's his obit, the memorial in this week's Isthmus, and a memorial in the Capital Times. Jeff had an amazing spirit and touched way more people in 36 years than anyone else I know. As a result our synagogue was packed. They ( Read more... )