Off for Passover!

Off for Passover!

Like a salmon swims upstream, I go to Toronto for Passover.

This year, Passover begins the evening of Monday April 14.

I will return by Wednesday April 23.

Have a matzarrific Passover week!

See you soon!

The Prime Grill Cookbook

Last August, I reblogged an article from The Kosher Scene, The New… Prime Grill – Elegance par Excellence. Prime Grill’s Chef, David Kolotkin has now put out a new cookbook of the Prime Grill’s best recipes.

All I can say is… WOW!

The Kosher Scene

David Kolotkin, one of our favorite Chefs, has authored a new cookbook together with Prime Hospitality Co.’s CEO Joey Allaham. Some of Prime Grill‘s tastiest recipes are in this book, many of which SYR and I have tasted over the years, now everyone can make and enjoy them anytime they want!

The book starts out with a history of Prime Grill, photos of the original location and some of the kitchen crew. Then it has a section on Chef David, menus and a listing of potables. The recipe section is organized as follows:

• Hors d’Oeuvres
• Appetrizers
• Soups
• Salads
• Fish
• Meat
• Side Dishes
• Dessert
• Cooking Foundations
• Dressings and Sauces
• Rubs

It was hard to find just one favorite recipe to feature here, but after reviewing the book a few times I opted for this one:

Porcini Mushroom Soup

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup…

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Tichel, Tichel, Tichel!

Tichel: (Yiddish טיכל tikhl), also called a mitpachat (Hebrew מִטפַּחַת miṭpaḥat), is a headscarf worn by many married Orthodox Jewish women in compliance with the code of modesty known as tzniut. Tichels can range from a very simple plain color cotton square with a simple tie in the back to very elaborate fabrics with very complex ties using multiple fabrics. As with any other form of clothing, the tichel is influenced by fashion.

The above Wikipedia definition is absolutely perfect… without actually being any good.

Tichels (or, more accurately, tichlach) cannot be described.

They must be seen.

They must be worn.

They must be experienced.

Luckily, I have my friend Tamar. [1]

Ever have one of those people you meet on Facebook whom you think is just incredibly amazing even though you’ve never met her in real life?

That’s Tamar.

Tamar lives in Jerusalem with her husband and baby boy. Tamar is a tichel maven.

She has kindly given me permission to use her photos to demonstrate how truly captivating a tichel can be.

Tamar ROCKS the tichel look!

Thanks, Tamar.

You are, as always, the best!

You are the coolest Italian Jew ever.

Except for me, of course. 😉

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[1] Tamar Eden Goldschmidt (née Courtney Ann Gagliano).

Honey Cake

We’re approaching the end of the fall block of Jewish holy days (there are 7 of them in September alone!).

Just before Sukkot, my dear friend JRC gave me (among other things) a honey cake.

In the spirit of the season, I will share a standard traditional honey cake recipe.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 pound honey (1 ⅓ cups)
1 ⅓ cups sugar
1 cup strong coffee
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp margarine
1 tsp. baking soda
4 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon

(Some people put toasted shaved almonds on top)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour a 9″ x 13″ pan.
Beat eggs and honey together. Add sugar and mix again.
Mix coffee with baking powder, and then add with margarine to the egg mixture.
Add baking soda, flour, cinnamon, and beat together well.
Bake in greased 9″ x 13″ pan at 325 F for 55 minutes to an hour.

Enjoy!

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I originally got this Jewish holiday recipe from a Chabad Lubavitch calendar.

A New Year Begins Thursday!

The countdown to a new year. Honey, sweetness, freshness. A new perspective on things.

Old mingles with new. Tradition blends seamlessly with the unexpected. It is a joyful time, full of possibilities.

(New, fresh, sweet!)

And yet, there is also an element of introspection. We resolve not to repeat the mistakes of past and look to a bright future. Being better next time.  We prepare for the coming day of judgment. All our deeds evaluated and marked down either for praise or condemnation.

Anticipation mounts among the faithful with a religious fervour as we come ever closer to Thursday.

Yes, my dear friends, it’s…

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK!!

May all the designers & models be inscribed for a good year!

Wishing everyone a sweet, joyous, meaningful season!

Oh, and by the way… Thursday’s also the first day of Rosh HaShana!

A gutten un a gezinter yor. A gebensht un a zeeser yor!

The Hidden Synagogue

Found at Reddit, these are photos of a mind-bending piece of artwork. The contributor described it thusly:

“I got this from grandfather before he died. First used by hidden Jews during the inquisition, it is shaped like a teapot, but contains many secret Judaica pieces. The Hidden Synagogue.”

The original photos are at Imgur. I cannot adequately express in words how beautiful this is.

Playing in the World Game

Notes:

1. As reader bklyngalinla has pointed out in the comments below, this piece is a contemporary work of art, rather than being from the inquisition or holocaust periods. However, it is based on older pieces, and is in itself still a phenomenal piece of artwork. Here is a link to another blog that gives more information. I, also, am guilty of not doing any research on my own to verify the facts as stated by the original poster. This, however, has not seemed to dampen reader response to this post, which has been overwhelming – I thank everyone who has come by, simply because I chose to share something I found beautiful and faith-affirming.
2. The title “hidden synagogue” is not mine, but those of the original poster at Reddit. A number of readers have rightly pointed out that this device would have been used in a home and not a

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Purim is NOT the Jewish Halloween!

I’m afraid I have to vent about something.

This year, the Jewish festival of Purim (commemorating and celebrating the events of the biblical book of Esther) falls on Sunday February 24th. If all goes well, I will be in Israel then and for the first time (hopefully) will avoid the subject matter of this blog post.

(A Scroll of Esther)

Many non-Jews, in an attempt to wrap their well-meaning minds around Jewish concepts, ideas, holidays, customs, food, themes, etc., often try to compare or connect them to things with which they are familiar.

“OK, now… Hanukah. That’s like the Jewish Christmas, right?”

“Mezuzahs? Those are good luck amulet things on your doors, right?”

(Yeah, I kinda figured that one out on my own)

“Passover… is that the one where you sit around eating crackers for a week?”

G-d bless their little cotton socks. This is normal. This is to be expected.

This is also a bit tedious yet kinda tiresome, usually. In a way.  Well… it depends, really.

I’ll try to explain.

In the interests of multiculturalism and understanding (not to mention peace and love) between ethnic groups, I try to be sort of an ambassador for Judaism and the Jewish people, if you will, whenever I can. Most people who ask questions like this above genuinely mean well, generally. They just need a bit of Jewish education. I am happy to help put them in the picture… if for no other reason that to stop even one more person saying that Hanukah is the Jewish Xmas.

If the person is asking a sincere question and wants to know something about Jews and Judaism, believe me, it’s my pleasure. If they are genuinely interested… I am there with both feet.

But… every once in a while, we get the wise guys with their smarmy, smarty pants questions.

(“I’m just sayin’… [that I think you’re a moron]!”)

“Why do you spell it ‘G-d?’ Is it because you’re afraid you’re going to hell if you get Him mad? If it’s ’cause you’re not supposed to say His name… umm… you know that G-d isn’t His real name, right?” <insert self-satisfied smirk here>

“Kosher laws were like ancient biblical food health and safety regulations from before you guys had refrigerators, right? So… why do you still do it?” <unsaid: It’s because you’re an idiot who blindly and unquestioningly follows outdated customs, isn’t it?>

“Do you seriously think an ‘almighty deity’ cares if you turn on a light switch or scribble a note on Saturday?” <add raised eyebrow and/or condescending sneer>

These aren’t really questions. These are statements (e.g. “you’re stupid!”) masquerading as questions.

Because they’re not really questions I don’t really answer them. I just give the person the patient sigh and the pressed smile. It’s not all that difficult ignoring the non-questioner. They’re annoying but… that’s all. Just annoying.

I don’t engage with these types of people for the same reason I don’t play chess with pigeons. They knock over the pieces, crap on the board and then strut around like they’ve won the game.

(Psst… Saying it loudly doesn’t make you right)

And I won’t even get into the whole hostile evangelical questioner thing! [1] [2]

So… bottom line. Purim is not the Jewish Halloween. Hanukah is not the Jewish Xmas. Passover is not the Jewish Easter.  Moses is not the Jewish Jesus. If you want to know the real authentic answer to your questions, as your friendly neighbourhood Orthodox Jew. [3]

In a few days, I will be flying to Israel for two weeks. I’ll let you know if any secular Israelis or born again tourists ask me anything!

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[1] The loud, arrogant and downright rude biblethumper who points his finger an inch from your face or chest and says, “You Jews rejected your Messiah!” (No… we rejected YOUR Messiah. BIG difference!)

[2] I had one enthusiastic born-again preacher literally walk over a picnic table and run out to me on a sidewalk in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in order to pick a fight with (aka ‘witness to’) me. I must have stuck out like… well… a Jew walking along the sidewalk in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

[3] NB: ‘Messianics’ or ‘Hebrew Christians’ (e.g. Jews for Jesus) do not practice Judaism. That’s because what they believe in is Christianity. The answer you’ll get from them is basically no different than the one you will get from any other born again evangelical fundamentalist Christian.

Rosh HaShana – Going into Total Jew Lock Down

Well, boys and girls – geeks and nerdlings – it’s that time of year again!

The Jewish holidays will soon be fast upon us. (Is that a redundancy?)

This coming Jewish year (5773), all of the seven (count ’em – SEVEN!) of Jewish holy days between September 16 and October 10 will fall on week days.

I will be spending almost all of them in The Heart of the Old World (i.e. the area of Bathurst Street between Lawrence and Wilson avenues)

As such, this blog (along with its ‘brother blog’ Kosher Samurai) won’t be posting articles as per its regular Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule.

It’s a Jew thing. 😉

Not to worry. I will return to my usual full schedule by the middle of October, all refreshed and spiritually revived.

Wish all of my readers the best, now and always. Thank you for popping by and reading my musings.

As they say in the Vatican, “Gutt yontiff! A gutten un a gezinter yor! A gebentshed un a zeeser yor!”*

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* Translation (from Yiddish): “Happy holy day! A good and a healthy year. A blessed and a sweet year!”

Shavuot 101: Your Holiday Guide

I’ve been asked on occasion by well-meaning and genuinely interested gentile friends about the Jewish holy days of Shavuot or, as I pronounce it, Shavuos.

What Is Shavuot?

(Shamelessly taken from Chabad.org)

The Torah was given by G‑d to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai more than 3300 years ago. Every year on the holiday of Shavuot we renew our acceptance of G‑d’s gift, and G‑d “re-gives” the Torah.

The word Shavuot means “weeks.” It marks the completion of the seven-week counting period between Passover and Shavuot.

The giving of the Torah was a far-reaching spiritual event-one that touched the essence of the Jewish soul for all times. Our sages have compared it to a wedding between G‑d and the Jewish people. Shavuot also means “oaths,” for on this day G‑d swore eternal devotion to us, and we in turn pledged everlasting loyalty to Him.

Women and girls light holiday candles to usher in the holiday, on both the first and second evenings of the holidays.The holiday of Shavuot is a two-day holiday, beginning at sundown of the 5th of Sivan and lasting until nightfall of the 7th of Sivan. (In Israel it is a one-day holiday, ending at nightfall of the 6th of Sivan.)

• It is customary to stay up all night learning Torah on the first night of Shavuot.
• All men, women and children should go to the synagogue on the first day of Shavuot to hear the reading of the Ten Commandments.
• As on other holidays, special meals are eaten, and no “work” may be performed.
• It is customary to eat dairy foods on Shavuot. Among other reasons, this commemorates the fact that upon receiving the Torah, including the kosher laws, the Jewish people could not cook meat in their pots, which had yet to be rendered kosher.
• On the second day of Shavuot, the Yizkor memorial service is recited.
• Some communities read the Book of Ruth publicly, as King David – whose passing occurred on this day – was a descendant of Ruth the Moabite.

Well, there you have it my little geeks and nerdlings. You now know more about Shavuos that most run-of-the-mill (i.e. non-Orthodox) Jews know!

This year, Shavuos starts immediately after the Jewish Sabbath (i.e. this Saturday night) and goes until Monday night. I, therefore, will not be posting a blog article this Monday May 28 but will be back at it, hammer and tong Wednesday May 30.

Until then. TRY to behave!

Why I Hate Almost Everyone (Part 13): Anti-Semites

I guess I’m lucky but there haven’t been too many instances in my life when I have come across rabid anti-Semitism.

You just don’t see much open Jew-hatred in Canada. There is a social taboo against it.

Now while I am sure there are many people who harbour anti-Jewish feelings and beliefs and, in private, will give voice to those sentiments, you rarely hear these things spoken in public.

In Canada, it’s ‘just not done.’

It is precisely because of this collective agreement in our society that when people do express unvarnished and vitriolic Jew-hatred, it stands out so distinctly. It sounds even more appalling because our ears are not accustomed to it.

When presented with this ugly side of mankind, I try to make a distinction between the ignorant and the genuinely hateful.

For example, many people say offensive things ‘innocently’ in the sense that they are truly ignorant (i.e. they just don’t know). I don’t think they are being deliberately hateful. They could use some education, cultural awareness and tact… but I wouldn’t automatically lump these people along with neo-nazis, white supremacists and Klansmen.

There are also different brands of Jew-hatred.

The oldest, of course, is religious Jew-hatred. Jews as Christ-killers. Mercifully, in Canada and the United States, at any rate, this type of anti-Jewish mindset is not nearly as common as it was decades ago. This is due to in large part to the modern born-again evangelical community and their embrace of the Jewish people and Israel. Mind you, despite all their love and support, I believe the old Jew-hatred has just been shifted over and relabeled ‘anti-Judaism.’ Try this experiment. Next time an enthusiastic born-again fundamentalist evangelical is going on about how much he loves Israel and the Jewish people, ask him what he thinks about Judaism. What does he think about the Rabbis and the Talmud? Chances are, that old-time Jew-hatred is still there – it’s just been filed under a different heading.

Then we have the cultural/ethnic/racial hatred. The Jews as the eternal strangers in a strange land. Racially inferior. Never wanting to join the mainstream culture but always prepared to feed off of it. To this kind of Jew-hater, Jews are a disease, a parasite, a cancer which must be eradicated. The world needs to purify itself by ridding itself of  all Jews.

There is the sociopolitical Jew-hatred. The age-old conspiracy theories have Jews controlling the banks and media. Jews pulling the strings behind the governments. Jews are the ultimate capitalists. Jews are the ultimate communists. The image of the blood-sucking Jew… the International Jewish Conspiracy… only this time it is the whole world that is the victim.

They’re all disgusting, of course, but as I said above, these kinds of Jew-haters are, thankfully, a tiny minority.

Then there are other groups that are larger, more vocal and more brazen.

I won’t even get into the whole subject of modern Islamic Jew-hatred. To a large extent, it is basically a rehash of Christian European brands of Jew-hatred, just tailored to suit their purposes.

I am also avoiding modern liberal anti-Jewish feelings dressed up to look and sound like anti-Israel or anti-Zionist arguments. And what drives me nuts about it the most? I am a liberal! There was a time when supporting Israel was a liberal position! You support free speech? Gay rights? The right to vote? Women’s rights? Freedom of association? Then you should support the Jewish state. This modern day ‘liberal’ stance makes me sick because there is nothing liberal about it. It gives me a headache and makes me want to turn to violence. Suffice it to say that it is a good thing that I am no longer in university. I would have to be tied down and sedated during the annual Israel Apartheid Week hate-fest.

By the way, if you want to hear a South African member of Parliament (i.e. Kenneth Meshoe, someone who has lived under an apartheid system and knows more than any of the Israel Apartheid Week participants what he is talking about) address the charge that Israel is an apartheid state, you really have to watch this video clip.

But what I am talking about is Jew-hatred on an individual level… not at the group level.

I can probably count on two hands the times in my life when I was confronted by someone who I firmly believed hated Jews. And I mean HATED Jews. And each and every one of these times, it was a most unpleasant situation.

There is no talking with true Jew-haters. And that’s one of the things I hate most about them. You cannot reason with them. They are literally blinded by hatred. Anything you say or do that fits in with their prejudice will be remembered and used to further bolster their beliefs. Anything you say or do that does not fit in with their hatred will be ignored. They don’t hate Jews because of what they did or what they said. They hate Jews for what they are in their twisted imaginations. It is almost impossible to ‘fix’ these people. The disease is too ingrained… too much a part of their DNA.

It is this type of person that I am talking about. Blind, bitter, poisonous people filled with an impotent rage. They’ll spray-paint some cemetery headstones or paint something on a synagogue wall. But by and large they are the ones who blame all of the failings in their own lives to ‘the Jews.’ Can’t get a promotion? The Jews are holding them down. Can’t get a loan or a mortgage? The Jews run the banks and financial institutions. The economy is doing poorly? The Jews own Wall Street. The movies these days are crappy? The Jews control Hollywood and are using it to poison the minds and souls of moral right-thinking members of society.

If you’ve ever had the displeasure of listening to some booze-soaked middle-aged white guy grumbling on about ‘those damned Jews’, you’ll know the kind of person I’m talking about.

So, you can’t talk to them. You can’t fix them. You shouldn’t ignore them. What do you do?

Two things prove effective, not so much against the Jew-hater but with normal people who are exposed to the hatred.

Education. And ridicule. This is a pretty good one-two punch.

Educate yourself as best you can. Mock them mercilessly.

It’s perhaps not as satisfying as taking a Louisville Slugger to them… but in the long run, it probably works better for everyone else.