Last week, Janna Gur, author of The Book of New Israeli Food, posted some insightful and entertaining stories about her book.  In light of this week's holiday bonanza, Janna has graciously provided us with some of her new Israeli recipes to help spice up your meals. Enjoy, Jewcers!

Flame-Roasting Eggplants

Roasting eggplants on an open flame can be messy but is definitely worth the effort as the smoky aroma adds immensely to the taste.

First line your stovetop with aluminum foil. Place a whole eggplant (or more than one if you are confident) on a rack over the open flame and roast, turning occasionally, until the skin is scorched and blackened and the flesh feels soft when pierced with a wooden skewer or a fork. The eggplant can also be broiled in the oven, or grilled on a charcoal barbecue. Cool slightly  (to avoid burning your hands) and peel, carefully removing every last bit of scorched skin, or cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh with a wooden spoon.

Ideally, roasted eggplant should be served shortly after roasting, and seasoned while still warm to ensure optimal absorption of every spicy nuance. But if you need to store it for later, drain the roasted flesh of excess liquid, cover with oil and refrigerate. Season before serving.

Eggplant and Tahini SaladRoasted Eggplant with Tahini

This classic combination always works. Use best quality tahini.

Add ½ cup raw tahini seasoned with 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to the flesh of two roasted eggplants. If the mixture is too thick, add water gradually and stir to desired texture. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds or pine nuts before serving.

Roasted Eggplant with Pecans and Blue Cheese

This union of particularly strong flavors produces a delicious sandwich spread. Add about ½ cup crumbled blue (Roquefort style) cheese and ½ cup toasted chopped pecans to the flesh of two roasted eggplants.

Romanian-style Roasted Eggplant Salad

Don't be alarmed by the amount of oil. The eggplants love it, and so do the Romanians.

Add ½ cup oil (the Romanians insist on strongly flavored sunflower oil, preferably unrefined), at least 3 cloves crushed garlic, salt and freshly ground black pepper to the flesh of two roasted eggplants. You may also add two grated onions and/or two peeled, grated tomatoes. To keep the texture pleasantly palatable rather than muddy, mix the oil with the other ingredients by stirring gently with a wooden spoon. 

Last week, Janna Gur, author of The Book of New Israeli Food, posted some insightful and entertaining stories about her book.  In light of this week's holiday bonanza, Janna has graciously provided us with some of her new Israeli recipes to help spice up your meals. Enjoy, Jewcers!

Citrus Semolina Cake

Semolina cakes are found throughout the Middle East and are popular in Jewish Sephardic kitchens. Called basbousa, safra, tishpishti or revani, they can be filled with dates, garnished with almonds, and can even be made with ground walnuts instead of, or in addition to, semolina. These crumbly dry cakes are doused with syrup immediately after baking, making them moist and very sweet.

The following is a slightly unorthodox version that contains freshly squeezed orange (or tangerine) juice and citrus marmalade, and is prepared with separated eggs for a light fluffy texture.

Ingredients (for a 25x30 cm/10x12 inch baking pan):

Citrus Semolina CakeCake
6 eggs, separated
100 g (3½oz, 1/2 cup) sugar
100 g (3½oz, 1 cup) ground coconut
140 g (5 oz, 1 cup) sifted flour
270 g (10 oz, 2½ cups) semolina
25 g (1 oz, 1½ tablespoons) ground almonds
20 g (2 small sachets, 4 teaspoons) baking powder
240 ml (8½ fl oz, 1 cup) oil
360 ml (13 fl oz, 1½ cup) freshly squeezed orange or tangerine juice
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
240 ml (8½ fl oz, 1 cup) orange or lemon marmalade

Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Crushed almonds or coconut flakes for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the sugar for 8 minutes until they hold stiff peaks.

3. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl: coconut, flour, semolina, ground almonds and baking powder.

4. Beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl, gradually adding the oil, juice, orange zest and marmalade.

5. Stir in the dry ingredients slowly until combined well. Gently fold in the peaked egg whites.

6. Pour the batter into a well-greased pan and bake for 30 minutes, until the cake turns golden and a toothpick comes out dry with a few crumbs adhering.

7. While the cake is in the oven prepare the syrup: Bring the water and sugar to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

8. Take the cake out of the oven and pour on the syrup evenly. Cool completely and garnish with almonds or coconut.

Last week, Janna Gur, author of The Book of New Israeli Food, posted some insightful and entertaining stories about her book.  In light of this week's holiday bonanza, Janna has graciously provided us with some of her new Israeli recipes to help spice up your meals. Enjoy, Jewcers!

Traditional Couscous Soup

This is the vegetarian version of the exotically fragrant Moroccan soup that is served with couscous. Use the same procedure to prepare couscous soup with chicken (see below)

Ingredients (serves 6-8):

1 cup chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight, rinsed and drained
4 carrots, cut into 2-3 large chunks
4 medium potatoes, quartered
1 large onion, quartered
Salt and freshly ground white or black pepper to taste
Small pinch of saffron or 11/2 teaspoons turmeric
200 g (7 oz) pumpkin , cut into 4-5 large  chunks
4 courgettes (zucchini), cut into 3-4 large chunks
Half a green cabbage, quartered
4-5 stalks celery stalks, peeled and cut coarsely (save the leaves)
1/2 kg (1 lb 2 oz) instant couscous

Traditional Couscous Soup1. Put the chickpeas in a large saucepan, cover with water and cook for about 30 minutes. Drain, pour in 2 liters (2 quarts) of water (to prevent the soup from becoming cloudy later on), and cook for another 30 minutes, until the chickpeas are tender.

2. Add the carrots, potatoes and onion, season with salt, pepper, saffron or turmeric and cook for 45 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

3. Add the remaining vegetables (except the celery leaves) and cook for 15 minutes, until tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the celery leaves and cook for another 15 minutes.

4. Prepare the couscous according to the manufacturer's instructions.

5. Place a heap of couscous in a deep dish. Arrange the vegetables on top  and ladle the soup around and over the couscous.

Red Couscous Soup

When adding the pumpkin, cabbage and courgettes (zucchini), add one small can (300 g, 1012 oz) of tomatoes in tomato  paste and continue according to the recipe.

Spicy Couscous Soup

Add 1-2 tablespoons of filfel chuma (p. 296) or harissa (p. 298) towards the end of the cooking cycle.

Couscous Soup With Chicken

Add 6-8 chicken drumsticks for the last 30 minutes of the cooking cycle.

Honey, Darling?: agave, honey.The various ethical, environmental, and cultural issues surrounding honey have been considered and discussed on Hazon's blog The Jew and the Carrot, both in posts and comments.  Leah has explored whether honey is “kosher” for vegans, and wondered if there’s “any ethics-based diet that *doesn’t* have a little bit of hypocrisy clouding up its ideals.”  Michael Croland from HeebnVegan explained that the issue does little to promote veganism, and pointed us in the direction of this Satya Mag article on the subject.  Meanwhile, Rabbi Shmuel has suggested that we should critically re-examine the Rosh HaShanah custom of dipping apples in honey, and explore alternatives such as maple syrup, while Rabbi Debbie Prinz joined the conversation with a lip smacking guest post on how we can integrate chocolate into our Rosh HaShanah celebrations.

Rather than continue the debate on whether honey is vegan, eco-kashrut, or even just kosher (Leah notes that she has always “puzzled over how eating a food created by a decidedly non-kosher creature could be considered okay for the Tribe”), I’m offering a number of delicious, vegan, kosher, and organic ideas and recipes for a sweet new year.

Agave Nectar: Derived from the succulent plant of the same name, agave is like honey’s sophisticated big sister. Satisfyingly sweet and sticky, it makes for a perfect apple dip, plus it has a low glycemic index, a long shelf-life, and it won’t crystallize.  Madhava Agave Nectar is available in different grades, is certified organic, and is kosher.  It’s available online and at many markets across the US.

Maple Syrup: As Rabbi Shmuel noted, maple syrup is an ideal choice for Rosh HaShanah thanks to its rich symbolism and earthy sweetness.  “Maples,” he explains, “represent the ultimate in chesed (lovingkindness) giving freely of not only their wood and shelter but their sap - their very essence.” Shady Maple Farm offers certified organic, kosher, pure maple syrup, as do Coombs Family Farms, Highland Sugarworks, and a host of others.

Brown Rice Syrup: Rich in rice protein concentrates, brown rice syrup has been said to have a healthy effect on cholesterol levels, and may help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Because it’s produced from a whole food source and is composed of simple sugars, brown rice syrup is considered to be one of the healthiest sweeteners in the natural food industry.  With a light, sweet flavor and the consistency of honey, this is another great option to experiment with on Rosh HaShanah.  Lundberg Family Farms offers brown rice syrup that’s organic, eco-farmed, vegan, kosher, and gluten free!

Date Honey: It’s interesting to note that references to honey in the Torah are said to have referred to honey made from dates. This is quite possibly the ultimate symbolic Rosh HaShanah food, and also the hardest to find.  Our own Leah offered a recipe on the Lilith blog last year, but you may still have time to track some down at a local Middle Eastern market, or order it online in time for the holiday.  Try here and here.

Chocolate: It’s incredibly easy to find vegan chocolate these days, and what’s more, you can often find vegan chocolate that’s also organic and fair-trade.  Simply melt some semisweet, vegan chocolate chips with a drop of soy milk or oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Allow it to cool a bit before dipping your apples, bread, and fingers!

Vegan Caramel Sauce: Little goes better with apples than sweet, sticky, mouth watering caramel.  Unfortunately for vegans, caramel often contains milk and butter.  Not to worry, though!  Try one of these recipes for vegan caramel sauce, which create a thick, sweet, pourable alternative.

[Cross-posted from the Jew and the Carrot]

Celebrate The Trees: or else...If you're like me, Tu b'Shevat didn't figure prominently in your upbringing. As a kid, we did the Purim carnivals and the Hanukkah parties; we erected an annual sukkah and always had a Passover seder, but the Jewish New Year for Trees, well--it didn't enjoy a whole lot of fanfare. In fact, it wasn't until recently that I learned what Tu b'Shevat is all about.

One of the four "new years" in the Jewish calendar, Tu b'Shevat celebrates the rebirth offered by the approaching spring season and the sanctity of the earth.

Being that it's a minor holiday with agricultural origins, Tu b'Shevat lends itself to all kinds of modern interpretations and applications. You can use these guides as a jumping off point, and below you'll find a few tips and ideas for hosting your own Tu b'Shevat seder.

• Host a potluck. Ask your guests to each bring a dish that uses ingredients symbolic of the holiday: Examples include pomegranates, almonds, citrus fruits, coconuts, dates, olives, cherries, peaches and avocados.
• Create a seder plate that represents the Kabbalistic concept of the "Four Worlds." Assiyah: nuts and fruits with a tough skin; Yetzirah: fruits with a tough inner core; B'riyah: fruits that are completely edible; Atzilut: leave this space on the plate empty, symbolizing divine emanation.
• Provide four different wines, ranging in color from white to deep red. Explain that the colors symbolize the changing seasons.
• Provide paper and markers, and encourage your guests to design a tree that best represents who they are and want to be, then share them with the group.
  
• Give bonsai trees as party favors.
• Organize a tree planting event for your friends, family, or co-workers with the help of one of these following groups:

American Forests
P.O. Box 2000
Washington, DC 20013
Membership Hotline (800) 873-5323; fax (202) 667-7751
The citizens' conservation group for trees and forests, working for healthy communities and forest ecosystems.

 

Fairfax ReLeaf
2055 Government Center Parkway
Suite 703, Fairfax, VA 22035
Telephone: (703) 324-1409
Plants and preserves trees, improves community appearance, and restores habitat on public and commons lands in Northern Virginia.

Forest Releaf of Missouri
4205 Lindell Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63108
Voice (314) 533-5323 or (314) 524-7305; Fax (314) 533-0016
Dedicated to increasing the tree population in Missouri metropolitan areas and to educate its public about trees, tree care and tree planting.

Greening Milwaukee
1150 East Brady Street
Milwaukee WI 53202
Voice: (414) 273-8733; Fax: (414) 273-3393
Envisions a greener, cleaner Milwaukee by increasing tree planting and green space through education and involvement.

National Tree Trust
1120 G Street, N.W., Suite 770
Washington, DC 20005
Phone, (800) 846-8733
Seeks to increase volunteerism and civic pride in local communities and schools by promoting tree planting.

SeedTree
RR 2 Box 802
West Cape, Stockton Springs, ME 04981
(207) 567-3056
Supports international tree planting efforts to protect and regenerate endangered forest ecosystems and biodiversity.

Tree Central USA
P.O. Box 080054
SI, NY 10308
(917) 953-4724
America's tree fighters, dedicated to all trees rights being destroyed by builders.

Tree Musketeers
136 Main Street
El Segundo, CA 90245
Telephone: (310) 322-0263
Empowers young people to lead environmental improvement in Earth's communities through innovative action and educational programs.

TreeFolks
P.O. Box 704
Austin, Texas 78767
Voice and fax, (512) 443-5323
Promotes community partnerships in the renewal and care of the Austin/Central Texas urban forest through public tree plantings and education.

Tree-Mendous
Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Forest Service
Tawes State Office Building E-1
Annapolis MD 21401
Telephone, 410-260-8510
Works with volunteer groups planting and caring for trees on public land throughout the state.

TreePeople
12601 Mulholland Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Telephone, (818) 753-4600
An environmental education and activist organization that has been the leader in the community forestry movement.

Trees for Life
3006 W. Saint Louis Street
Wichita, KS 67203-5129
Telephone, (316) 263-7294
Empowers people by demonstrating that in helping each other, we can unleash extraordinary power that impacts our lives.

Trees for the Future
PO Box 7027
Silver Spring, MD 20907
A non-profit organization initiating and supporting agroforestry self-help projects.

[Killer list of tree planting organizations courtesy of Marshall House Empowerment Consulting.]

I’m such an anti-conformist I don’t spend Christmas eating Chinese food and seeing a movie. I had coffee and a bagel with a friend this morning (the kosher bagel place was hopping, of course) and then finished my grading for the semester, napped, and watched West Wing DVDs. My mother and I had a scintillating discussion about the clearance sales starting tomorrow.
Christmas Dinner: is it a fine line, or am I overly sensitive?
But the whole thing has me wondering if there’s a really appropriate way of celebrating someone else’s holidays.

There are a lot of reasons I don’t buy into the whole Jesus thing, but that’s doesn’t mean I’ve got a thing against Christians, and I’ve got mixed feelings about whether I’d be comfortable at a Christmas dinner (kashrut aside), or a midnight mass. On the one hand, I think it’s nice to be with friends when they’re celebrating whatever it is they want to celebrate, and I do have the day off and there’s nothing open, really. But it feels like a fine line between attending someone else's celebration of Jesus's birth, and celebrating that birth myself.

This goes back to my thing against religious voyeurism and how I don’t think prayer or religion should be spectator sports. I’m all for interfaith efforts and people working for better understanding between faith communities, but the idea of non Jews coming to, say, Kol Nidre because of the pretty music, or even just because they like me and they know it’s important to me seems really bizarre.

I don’t think I would be comfortable at an Easter dinner even though it’s just a meal (though the customary ham would pose a problem), and I really can’t get into any of the Christmas hoopla, either. Does anyone know of a great way to deal with Christian holidays in a way that doesn’t feel like too much of a shout out to Jesus?

Seasonal hazard: Beware Barbie assaultsI can't believe I'm about to say this, but I, Amy Guth, a Jewish woman, kind of support the keep-the-Christ-in-Christmas bullshit. I think. Wait, no. I don't. No, I do. Sort of.

Oy.

Anyway, some other Jews and a few Muslims are with me on this. For them, it's about keeping religion in the public sphere—rather than banning Santa, they want to see their local mall decorate for Christmas and Eid and Rosh HaShanah. For me, it's more because year after year, I see parking lots fill up, I see people quite literally freaking out as they shop, I see people feeling crabby and shitty and taking off of work to finish their shopping. I see stores open as early as 4 AN=M (!) so frantic shoppers can get their massive shopping finished. I read statistics about a family of four spending an average of $1,800/year (and climbing) on the holiday each year.

And it's kind of gross to me. I'm not a Christian, so although it's not my problem, I do feel obligated as a human being to at least consider the things I see pushing people to their emotional limits year after year. Especially when two fighting shoppers nearly hit me in the face with the last Barbie doll in Target.

So, despite my tendency to react to fundamentalist evangelist types with "Oy, what a short-sighted, narrow-minded thing to say!" I think the KTCIC campaign might be not the worst idea.

First, it could cut down on materialism, crabbiness and hyper-consumerism by refocusing the celebration on its origin. Gifts are great, but do they have to be so excessive and huge? Maybe focus on family time, the pretty winter scenery, the sparkly decorations, the meals, the parties, etc.

Watch out: Christmas shoppers are out in droves, and generally pissed off. Secondly—and this one would be bound to cause a huge stir if I walked around saying it to Christmas-celebrators—secondly, if it was focused on the person Christmas is actually about, the people celebrating Christmas would actually be Christians. The secularists would maybe make their own thing: Winter Solstice or something along these lines. If you like celebrating Christmas because you enjoy the sparkly lights and winter stuff, you should celebrate the crap out of lights and winter.

But then, I have a Christmas-observing friend who considers Jesus a mere metaphor, a representation of the lives of different Pharisees, and so celebrates this metaphor as a reminder of living peacefully, but doesn't feel like there's any dude behind any of it, or that there is any reason to call anyone a savior. Just like I know Jews who don't feel terribly connected to the Torah, but observe Pesach as a metaphor for freedom from metaphorical slavery to various things and people. It's somewhat largely about semantics, sure, and semantics that don't apply to me at all (in the case of Christmas), but again, when you nearly get clobbered by a Barbie-as-weapon, you can't help but feel inclined to at least riff on it.

I've been asking fellow Jews what they think about all of this, and I'm really surprised that it's elicitedsuch strong opinions—not even healthy banter, but full-on "I'm so glad you asked because..." monologues.

So here's the can of worms: Do I, do you, think it is OK to secularly celebrate any holiday with religious origin? Sort of. Maybe. Not really. Sort of. (I don't mean for secular Jews to celebrate a secular Christmas, that's a whole other issue. I mean secular Jews celebrating religious Jewish holidays secularly, secular Christians celebrating Christian holidays secularly, etc.) Maybe what I'm really driving at is that we could all use a little dose of the "if you're going to do it, mean it" as applied to a lot of things...?

But then the thought of a public school or the White House filled with religious Christmas decor like a manger or whatnot makes me itchy. I'd be uncomfortable if my kids were going to school with a manger up in their grills. And then we sort of branch off into the Merry Christmas v. Happy Holidays issue in retail (I have an upcoming post on that later—hold tight.) This whole thing a complex issue, one that certainly isn't black and white, but one that even as a Chanukah-celebrator, I can't help but consider and discuss with other non-Christmas celebrators, since we're all at risk of getting hit in the face by a Barbie doll. Discuss.

(Please note: This post was written pre-Shabbes. An unfortunate area blackout of internet access prevented it from being posted.)

Ripping Off Lance: We Can Do Better Than ThisThis weekend (actually Monday) brings yet another Jewish holiday, Yom Ha'atzmaut!

Israel's Independence Day is celebrated on the fifth day of the month of Iyar, which is the Hebrew date of the formal establishment of the state, when members of the "provisional government" read and signed a Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv. The original date corresponded to May 14, 1948.

So how should you celebrate?

Israelis celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut in a variety of ways. In the cities, the nighttime festivities may be found on the main streets. Crowds will gather to watch public shows offered for free by the municipalities and the government. Many spend the night dancing Israeli folk dances or singing Israeli songs. During the daytime thousands of Israeli families go out on hikes and picnics.

Yeah, basically, it sounds a lot like the fourth of July.  Which is cool and all.  But honestly, I've never been especially inspired by the Yom Ha'atmaut events I've attended.  Blue plastic Israel bracelets and cold felafel.

What I find more interesting is this:

The religious character of Yom Ha'atzmaut is still in the process of formation, and is still subject to debate. The Chief Rabbinate of the State (which consists of Orthodox rabbis) has decided that this day should be marked with the recital of Hallel (psalms of praise), similar to other joyous holidays, and with the reading of a special haftarah (prophetic portion). Most ultra-Orthodox Jews, in Israel and abroad, have not accepted this ruling, and some Orthodox Jews chant the Hallel psalms without the blessing which precedes it.

Hmmmm....

I'd never really thought about it before, but the creation of new holidays like Yom Ha Shoah and Yom Ha'atzmaut is a little bit complicated religiously.  I mean, if suddenly Christians decided to create a new Christian holiday.... that would seem weird to me (though one can argue that holidays like the fourth of July ARE Christian, since they get appropriated by churches and such.) 

But it's true, these are NEW holidays for us. And as such, since we live in a largely secular world, they don't feel so "religious."  We don't create much new liturgy for them, and we haven't had time for cultural traditions and religious rituals to evolve.  So I'm inclined to think of these holidays as secular. I tell myself they aren't "religious" because they grow from more cultural/political/nationalistic events than they do from say... the existance of miracles.  God's hand in the world.

Because I don't spend them in synagogue.

But think about it, plenty of other holidays stem from equally secular/cultural/military/nationalistic events.  Harvests and planting seasons, wars and liberation.  And not all of them are so ancient, really.

Purim was, if we believe the scholars, invented as a holiday to commemorate events that happened around 350 BCE,  And Hannukah didn't exist until about 500 years after that.  And both of them were created to celebrate national events, military events, legal events.

I can't help wondering if there were people hanging around in 200 CD, saying, "Yo, this Hannukah thing feels made up and new.  What's a holiday if I'm not supposed to gut a goat or something?"

All this to say that these ARE Jewish holidays, and that finding a meaningful way to celebrate them is important. Because we're the ones making them important. We're (whether we realize it or not) creating new rituals today... so that people hundreds of years from now will have old rituals. We need new foods, new games, new songs, new traditions.  We need to search our liturgy for relevent prayers and melodies. We need to come up with something better than blue plastic bracelets and cold felafel.

This is our Hannukah!

The Maxwell House Haggadah: Putting generations of Jews to sleep every year since 1922I really hate Pesach. I know every other Jew in the world loves the seders, and thinks matzah is great and gefilte fish is the best gift we’ve gotten from God since Sinai, but frankly I have very little to say about this so-called season of redemption. I think it sucks. And I’m especially irritated by the seders.

I hate the seders for two reasons:
1) There are, inexplicably, TWO of them. What could possibly be accomplished on the second night?? We just finished telling this story. It’s not like there’s a dearth of Jewish texts out there, so why in the name of God are we sitting around reading the same book two days in a row?
2) I find the Haggadah mind-numbingly boring. And yes, my family owns about forty different haggadot, and I’m not particularly fond of any of them. I’m an equal opportunity hater.

But okay, I get that I’m pretty much alone on this issue, and that it’s not particularly practical to say, “Just skip Pesach this year,” so how about I give some wary recommendations of haggadahs that I don’t hate that much, and some tips for running a seder that doesn’t send all of your guests face first into their matzah ball soup, okay?

So yeah, there’s A Different Night, which is a haggadah that is, seriously, fun for the whole family. Even the skeptical, irritable and too-cool-for-school 22-year-old daughter. But the pictures suck. The Haggadah for the Vegetarian Family is a bit too preachy for my taste, but pretty interesting if you’re a veg. I have a slight obsession with Nechama Leibowitz, and her haggadah does not disappoint, but just like her parsha worksheets, sometimes she skips right over an issue that seems pretty huge.

I’m okay with the commentary in the Feast of Freedom, which is the Conservative haggadah, but the pictures are all these abstract ugly ripped paper things that are really distractingly horrendous.

I bought my mom The Katz Haggadah, which has completely awesome pictures and is insanely frum. I wouldn’t use it for it’s commentary, but it’s really fun to look at. My mother doesn’t really like it, which is funny because she’s kind of crazy about haggadahs. But it’s cool. I’m not bitter.

Looking for something a little more alternative? Trying to prove street cred at your seder? You should probably show up with a copy of The So-Called Seder: A Hip Hop Haggadah which has a variety of songs from people like Killah Priest, Theodore Bikel and Matisyahu. Or you can download all kinds of haggadah texts from the web. Here’s an article from USA Today with more info on places to look online, but I’d say you should start with the awesome Open Source Haggadah created by Mobius. Now you’re cool.

If you’re running a seder this year, or are going to a seder that traditionally blows and you want to subtract the suckage, check out a little mini-conversation over at A Simple Jew about how to prep. My Jewish Learning also has some good ideas about ways to keep people interested and engaged all the way through the haggadah.

Or, if you want to take the same route as me, sit in the corner stewing and counting the minutes until pizza is again a viable option.

Tu B'Shevat: It's Groundhog Day in Israel!Yesterday I was out for pizza, and I heard a dad and his kid talking about Groundhog Day. The kid was like, "But what if he sees his shadow and then spring doesn't ever come???"

It was cute, but I didn't give it much thought. I had totally forgotten today was Groundhog Day.

Then this morning I sat down to post about Tu B'Shevat, which is tomorrow, and since I've already rambled on the subject, and Tamar has posted this week about all things Green, I just wanted to say something simple about it.

I wanted to give you one moment of celebration. Because even if you don't eat the required amount of fruit or plant a tree or go hiking, it's still a holiday. So I'd like to give you something to savor. I found this:

For the autumn has passed and the rain is over and gone. The blossoms are seen in the country, the season of the songbird arrived and the sound of the turtle-dove is heard in our land. The fig has ripened its fruit, the vine's flowers have given their scent". (Song of Songs, 2, 11-13)

Take a second with it. Read it carefully. Maybe twice. It's poetry. Soloman wrote it to be savored.

We can make today into a holiday about Israel, or environmentalism, or mysticism, but at its base, it's still about spring. And however observant you are or aren't, however Jewish you feel, however often you farm your land, I'm guessing you love spring.

I'm guessing that when you walk outside for the first time, and smell damp earth, or see a burst of pink on a tree, or notice that the grass is suddenly greener, you get excited. You think about parks and sandals and sitting outside with a nice wheat beer on a warm day.

Because no matter how far we get from an agricultural world, spring is still something we all need. It staves off depression. The girls get a little naked. There's BBQ.

According to the Jewish calendar, and maybe even a groundhog near you… it's spring! (even if it's still chilly). It's spring! Read these lines again, feel tingly, and then maybe celebrate with a lemonade.

Here at my house, we’ve been known to lose track of Jewish holidays. Especially those Jewish holidays our parents are unlikely to call and remind us about. So I thought that perhaps everyone might benefit from a little reminder that Tu B’Shevat (The New Year for the Trees) is right around the corner. It’s February 3rd this year (or the 15th of Shevat, depending on how you keep track).

Now please, if you had completely forgotten about it… don’t FREAK OUT! There’s still plenty of time to stock up on lots of fruit.

Why fruit?

Maybe you’ve never celebrated Tu B’Shevat before… lots of people don’t. But it’s a fun holiday, with no fasting or rules about going to synagogue or anything… so you might want to give it a whirl. Plenty of folks just go hiking (as a way of appreciating nature) or they work in the garden (if it’s warm enough).

But some people host a Seder for the holiday, like at Passover, and it seems a fine tradition, started in Tsfat, in the 1600s, by Yitzchak Luria to evoke the holiday's Kabbalistic themes.

Now I’m not up on my kabbalistic themes, but I like holidays that involve drinking four different kinds of wine.

Anyone out there have any meaningful (or useful or silly) holiday tips for us?

With Hanukkah over for another year, we can get back to random Faithhacker rantings about non-holiday topics.  At least until later this week, when we’ll all be celebrating the Tenth of Tevet, of course…

What? 

What’s that, you say?  You mean you’ve never heard of the Tenth of Tevet?

Me neither, until now.

But it would seem that while the rest of the world is getting rested up for a night of New Years Eve-ing, observant Jews will be fasting on December 31 (beginning at sundown December 30).  Because we were oppressed (no surprise there). 

Specifically, this holiday commemorates Babylonia’s siege of Jerusalem in 589 BCE, and (as a result) the first destruction of the Temple.  But I find myself reading about the siege, and the ensuing famine… and thinking about... other things.  About Iraq. 

'The essential significance of the fast of the Teth of Tevet, as well as that of the other fast days, is not primarily the grief and mourning which they evoke. Their aim is rather to awaken the hearts towards repentance; to recall to us, both the evil deeds of our fathers, and our own evil deeds, which caused anguish to befall both them and us and thereby to cause us to return towards the good. As it is said (Vayikra 26): 'And they shall confess their transgressions and the transgressions of their fathers.' (Rambam: Hilchot Ta'anit Chapter 5).

Now, I don’t know if I’m going to fast on December 31 (I doubt it, as I’m knocked up right now) but considering the state of our world... this is worth thinking about… our own "deeds" and our own complicity.  We all cause suffering, and we all suffer.

It don't get much cuterAs someone who has spent a lot of years celebrating her Jewish holidays alone (I went to a college with a grand total of TWELVE Jews!) I’ve found that if you don’t belong to a synagogue, and you don’t live near family… holidays can be really hard. 

It sucks to fast by yourself at Yom Kippur.  It sucks to make latkes for people who want to put catsup on them.  It sucks to give up altogether and just get wasted with your non-jewish friends. 

But at the same time, it’s hard to penetrate a Jewish community you don’t really belong to.  It’s awful to sit at a big table in dress clothes, sharing your Seder with complete strangers, because you begged the rabbi at a synagogue you don’t attend to find you “a place to go.” 

So I’m offering this tip, for anyone out there who would like to celebrate Chanukah in a special way this year, but doesn’t quite know how.  For people who have found that lighting a menorah alone is… lonely.  The tip is KIDS! 

KIDS! KIDS! KIDS!  Holidays like Chanukah and Purim and Sukkot are best spent with children anyway, since they get super-excited, sing songs and love sugary and greasy foods.  They’re really fucking cute and they actually think dreidels are exciting.  Their energy is infectious and makes the holiday feel… like a real holiday.  Even if they aren’t yours. 

So the best advice I have for the holidays is to find a JCC (there’s one near you!) or a synagogue, and skip the adult interactions, but go for the kiddie-parties.  If you want you can even call and offer to help (which people will appreciate because where there are kids there are messes, and extra hands are always welcome).    Kiddie-parties also tend to be instructive, with simpler version of the stories and less Hebrew.  So if you’re someone who feels a little lost at a “real” synagogue service, the Chanukah donut-party at your local JCC might be just the thing. 

I know it sounds a little creepy to go lurk where the kiddies play, but I promise you, you’ll be glad you did.