Cranberry Orange Challah

Cranberry (cha-mu-tzim) חֲמוּצִית
Orange (Tapuz) תַּפּוּז

This week I wanted to experiment with mixing various fruit flavors. After a lot of contemplation and discussion with my muse, also known as my sister, we decided that this week's experiment would be Cranberry Orange. I did some research as to whether I should use fresh or dried cranberries, fresh oranges or dried orange peel, orange juice or no orange juice. So without further adieu, here is the debut of the Cranberry Orange Challah. 

2 3/4 c. orange juice

1 1/2 c. dried cranberries

1 tbsp honey

2 1/4 tsp yeast

2 eggs (plus one for washing)

1/4 c veg oil

1 tbsp orange zest (or dried orange pel)

3 1/4 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

Orange glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp orange zest

In a small bowl, combine the dried cranberries and 2c. orange juice. Let them soak for about 60min, or more, prior to making the challah dough. 

Once the cranberries are done soaking, take the other 3/4c. orange juice and heat it up in the microwave for about 15sec (or until warm to the touch). Pour this into a mixing bowl and add the honey and yeast. Stir thoroughly until all of the yeast and honey have been mixed in. Let this sit for about 10 min. or until you see tiny eruptions. Add in eggs and vegetable and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Then add in orange zest, flour and salt. While you are doing this warm your oven (I usually turn my to about 300F). Once the oven has reached this temperature, turn it off but leave the oven door closed so that most of the heat is retained. Drain the dried cranberries, and pour the cranberries into the mixture.

Mix in thoroughly until the dough is no longer sticking to your hands (or the mixer). Depending on how much orange juice from the cranberries is added, you may need to add a little bit more flour to your dough. Once you have mixed everything together make the dough into a ball and place into an oven safe bowl. Place your bowl, covered with a dry towel, into a warmed oven for about an hour and a half, or until you see that it has risen significantly.

Take the dough out of the oven and punch it down a few times. You may find that during this process you need to add in a little bit of extra flour. Decide how you would like to braid your challah (I usually do either 3 or 4 strands, but are countless ways to braid challot) and divide the dough accordingly. Once you have braided your challah, place it onto a greased baking pan and allow to rise again for about 30 min. I usually do this in a pre-warmed oven, but this can also be done at room temperature. After the challah has risen, use one beaten egg to coat the challah with an egg wash. After this is done sprinkle some brown sugar, and any walnuts that you may have left over on top. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. If it looks like the top of your challah is darkening too quickly, place some foil over it and continue to bake. Remove from oven and let cool before serving!

To make the optional glaze, combine the powered sugar, orange juice and orange zest. Whisk them together until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Drizzle the glaze over your challah and let it harden. Then eat and enjoy! 

Banana Bread Challah

Walnut (eh-gose me-lech) אגוז מלך

Originally a blog dedicated to regaling my travels during my year in Israel, I have decided to revamp this blog and use it to share some of my challah recipes. I originally started baking challah last year and over the course of the past few months I have been experimenting with various ingredients in an effort to make some interesting challot.

While I tried many basic challah recipes, the one that I found that I liked the best, and that was the most easy to adapt was from Amanda at TheChallahBlog. Her basic challah recipe is the one that I use for most of the bases of my challot. The small batch basic challah that Amanda gives on her website usually makes one larger challah or two smaller challot.

A few weeks ago, I decided to adventure into the world of using fresh fruit in my challah. I had leftover bananas in my freezer so I decided to make a Banana Nut Challah. While I was skeptical about it at first, I was REALLY happy with the final product!

3/4 c. warm water

1 1/2 tsp yeast

1/3 c. brown sugar

2 eggs (plus 1 more for washing)

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 c. banana

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 c. flour (I usually use bread flour but you can also use a combination of bread and regular flour) 

1/2 c. walnuts (optional) 

Place the warm water (I usually let my faucet run on the hottest setting for a few seconds before taking the water), brown sugar and yeast in a bowl. Mix with a whisk or spoon until all of the yeast is dissolved. Let this mixture rise for approximately 10 minutes, or until you see little eruptions. Add in eggs and vegetable and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Then add in the banana (I mashed mine before I added it but you can also mash it after you add it to the mixture), vanilla and cinnamon and mix thoroughly. While you are doing this warm your oven (I usually turn my to about 300F). Once the oven has reached this temperature, turn it off but leave the oven door closed so that most of the heat is retained.

Slowly add in the flour and walnuts. Depending on the size of the bananas that are used, the amount of flour might need to be increased or decreased. Mix in thoroughly until the dough is no longer sticking to your hands (or the mixer). Once you have mixed everything together make the dough into a ball and place into an oven safe bowl. Place your bowl, covered with a dry towel, into a warmed oven for about an hour and a half, or until you see that it has risen significantly.

Take the dough out of the oven and punch it down a few times. You may find that during this process you need to add in a little bit of extra flour. Decide how you would like to braid your challah (I usually do either 3 or 4 strands, but are countless ways to braid challot) and divide the dough accordingly. Once you have braided your challah, place it onto a greased baking pan and allow to rise again for about 30 min. I usually do this in a pre-warmed oven, but this can also be done at room temperature. After the challah has risen, use one beaten egg to coat the challah with an egg wash. After this is done sprinkle some brown sugar, and any walnuts that you may have left over on top. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. If it looks like the top of your challah is darkening too quickly, place some foil over it and continue to bake. Remove from oven and let cool before serving!

Bubbe, Zayde and Borscht: A Reform Pesach Initiative in Russia

Dear Friends,

Although Passover (Pesach) may seem a long way off, a group of eleven first-year Rabbinical and Cantorial students in Jerusalem at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), are already planning an important 2012 Passover project.  

These students, including myself, (and one fantastic spouse) will travel to several countries within the Former Soviet Union (FSU) to organize and lead Passover seders and programming with Jewish communities.

• What does Passover mean to you?
• Who sits around your Passover table?
• What would your Judaism look like without Passover? 

Building on the momentum and success of nine years of this initiative, the 10th Annual FSU Pesach Project seeks to strengthen these traditions where they are already in place and introduce them to others in under-served communities. By supporting the FSU Pesach Project, you are helping to celebrate the Jewish story of liberation in a region where oppression is a real and recent memory.

I hope you will support these first-year FSU passionate students and these communities to celebrate our powerful narrative of moving from slavery to freedom through story, ritual, food, reflection and community building.

HUC-JIR, in close partnership with the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), which unites and supports Reform congregations worldwide, is thrilled to support the 10th Annual FSU Pesach Project.  This project started in response to a call from FSU Jewish communities for Progressive Jewish education. We work closely with local communities to provide meaningful Passover celebrations for thousands of under-served Jews in the region. For more information on this important project, please visit the FSU Project website: http://fsupesachproject2012.wordpress.com.

Knowing the students donate their time, what are the other costs?  We estimate all the important bits and pieces will add up to about $30,000. Of course, the most significant costs are air travel, interpreters, food for the seders, and educational materials.  As noted, each student is volunteering their time, and forgoing Passover celebrations with their families in the States or seders in Jerusalem.  For us it is one year out of the annual cycle of celebration.  For the participants they report it is unique and important project that strengthens existing communities, and in many cases, introduces children, families, and seniors to Progressive Judaism.  This effort serves to enable these communities to continue observing Passover in the years to come.  

Your contribution will make a huge contribution to making this initiative possible. There are several ways to donate (all donations are tax-deductible):

Online:              http://fsupesachproject2012.wordpress.com

By mail:            HUC-JIR Attn: Christina Gall

            3101 Clifton Avenue

            Cincinnati, OH 45220

*Checks should be made out to “HUC-JIR-FSU Project”, please write the name Jessica Wainer in the memo line.

If you have any questions regarding this exciting project, please email me at jessica.wainer@gmail.com

On behalf of everyone at HUC-JIR, and our partners at the World Union for Progressive Judaism, we appreciate your commitment to making this project a success for us and for the FSU Jewish community.

Thank you very much  

Спасибо   תודה רבה

Jessie and the FSU Team of 2012

Viva la Espana!

Spain (Se-pha-rad) ספרד
Spanish (Se-phar-a-dit) ספרדית
Sangria (San-gri-ah) סנגריה

Over Sukkot break, I was lucky enough to spend time both in Israel and outside of Israel. The first day or two of my break I was in Israel. I spend the first night of Sukkot in a sukkah with some good family friends and then promptly left for the airport to spend the better part of a week in Spain with my good friend Julie. I will spare you the boring details about how my flight was delayed because of the general strikes in Greece, but I will say that Israeli customer service, when it comes to delays is much better than American customer service!

I spent the first day that I was in Spain in Madrid, which is where Julie lives. We went to Templo de Debod which is an ancient Egyptian temple that was rebuilt in Madrid. It was built very close to the Royal Palace of Madrid, and sits on the side of a mountain overlooking part of the city. We didn't do much else in Madrid that first day, as I got in relatively late and we were getting up early the next day to go with the program that Julie staffs to Toledo, Spain for the day. Although, I did have my first real Spanish sangria and I can tell you that it doesn't even compare to that of any sangria that I have ever had anywhere else in the world.

Templo de Debod, Madrid, Spain

Real sangria in Spain!

On Friday we spent the day in Toledo, Spain. I happened to luck out at the time that I went, as Julie's program happened to be taking a day trip there and they allowed me to join them for the day! Spain, prior to the Spanish Inquisition, was a very important location to the Jewish people. Some of the most influential thinkers have come from Spain, including one of the most famous Rambam (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon). Toledo was known and recognized as being a place of coexistence of Christian, Jewish and Muslim cultures. Throughout the day we visited churches that had once been mosques and churches that had once been synagogues. It was amazing to see how the original architecture and religious influences had remained in the buildings, even after other religious took over them. Additionally, especially in the synagogues, it was amazing to see how much Hebrew truly remained. A lot of the Hebrew was hard to read because of how intricately it was it was designed, but it still remained as a reminder of how the synagogues used to look, before the churches redecorated. One of the things that I had always learned about, both in my Spanish classes at school, as well as my religious school classes, was about how the Moorish and Spanish architecture had influenced the design of synagogues in Spain. This could clearly be seen in the two synagogues that we went to, that had many archways that resembled the keyhole arches that Spanish architecture is known for. While I was in Toledo, I also of course had to try marzipan, which is another thing that Toledo is known for. At first I got a kick out of it because I thought they were talking about rugulah (which was entertaining to think that when I had thought of marzipan I automatically equated it with Marzipan rugulah and not with actual Marzipan). However, at this Mazapan they make real marzipan which was absolutely delicious!

Marzipan in the shape of fruits!

A sukkah for Sukkot at one of the synagogues in Toledo!

Inside one of the synagogues. Can you see the Hebrew at the top? 

The keyhole arches inside one of the synagogues in Toledo

A view of Toledo from outside of Toledo

Julie and I outside of Toledo

We got back from Toledo relatively late on Friday, and promptly left early Saturday morning to spend the next two days in Granada, Spain. I have learned and dreamed about going to Granada since I can remember. There are a lot of reasons for this, but two of the most important are that a) I can now say that I have been to and seen both cities of Granada (Spain and Nicaragua) and b) I have now seen and explored only parts of the Alhambra, which means that I definitely need to go back to see more! Granada is a beautiful city in Spain located in the Andalusian region of southern Spain. Since we had reservations to go and visit the Alhambra on Sunday morning, we decided to spend Saturday exploring  Granada. We went to the Parque de las Ciencias, which had an interactive science museum, as well as a butterfly house that we explored! After educating outselves for a little bit we went to the famous Catedral and Capilla Real where Ferdinand and Isabelle used to worship, and are now buried. I have been to some of the other famous European cathedrals, and they never cease to amaze me with just how much detail and beauty they have intertwined in them. There was gold every way that you turned, whether in the main cathedral, or in one of the side private cathedrals.

Consuming fruits and vegetables in Spain is natural and the ones of Granada are exceptional! 

Albert and I are now on a first name basis

Butterfly at the butterfly world at the science museum

One of the sculptures and installations in the Catedral

The graves of Ferdinand and Isabelle 

We spent the rest of the evening walking around and exploring Granada. We had some exceptional tapas and even got caught in the middle of a social justice protest. I felt right at home! On Sunday, we spent basically the entire day at Alhambra. I knew that it was a large palace, but I had no idea how enormous the ground of Alhambra actually are! I will let the pictures speak for themselves...

Julie and I on top of one of the lookouts at Alhambra

The last two days of my trip to Spain I spent touring around Madrid. Julie was working, which meant that I took a map and for the most part, got myself around Madrid. I only got lost once (which for those of you know me is probably a world record) and managed to find my way back without too much trouble. My first day I spent exploring some of the parks, as well as the Royal Palace of Madrid. Like many of the other royal palaces in Europe, it was ginormous and over-extravagantly decorated.  My second day I spent visiting museums in Madrid. There are three famous art museums known as the Golden Triangle because they are all so well known and contain so many famous artists. I was only able to go to two, the Prado and the Thyssen, both of which had world renowned collections of arts from both Spanish artists like El Greco and Picasso, to Monet and Van Gogh. Julie also took me to see the Retiro Park which is like Madrid's Central Park.

Overall, it was an absolutely amazing trip to Spain! I definitely didn't get to go everywhere that I would have liked, but all that means is that I need to go back to Spain in the near future to keep exploring! And who knows, maybe next time I will actually be able to speak in Spanish in them, as opposed to understanding all of their Spanish and responding to them in Hebrew!
 

After the Chaggim

After the Holidays (a-cha-rei ha-cha-ggim) אחרי החגים

In Israel they have this saying "After the Holidays" or "אחרי החגים". This is because for the period of about a month there are at least 4 major holidays for which everything in Israel closes down. Because of this, there are generally a great many things that people just put off until after the holidays. Even though I have had a fully functional computer this entire time I have been slacking on keeping up with my blog postings, using the excuse that I will post after the holidays so that I can do one all-encompassing post of the chaggim.

Slichot


In Ashkenazic tradition Slichot begins on the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah (unless Rosh Hashanah is on a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, in which case it is the week before). We had our services at HUC that night which were led by a few of the different Rabbis and Cantors on faculty, as well as our high holiday choir which included cantorial students and a few rabbinical students. I had only been to Slichot services a few times before this, so it was really nice to get a sense of different types of services that were being led. There were some songs that were sung, a quick group discussion, and that was about it. Since our Slichot services ended relatively early, a group of us decided to explore an additional Slichot service at the Great Synagogue. The Great Synagogue  is an Orthodox synagogue, but I decided that it would be interesting for me to see what the difference was between a Reform and Orthodox Slichot service. Needless to say there were many differences, as their service started at 10pm and when we left at almost midnight the services were still going.

Rosh Hashanah


Rosh Hashanah was an interesting experience here for many reasons. First of all, Rosh Hashanah is the only holiday where Israel also celebrates 2 days (as opposed to holidays such as Passover where in Israel there is only one night of Seder instead of 2 in the Diaspora). Because Rosh Hashanah happened to begin on a Wednesday night this year it meant that stores closed relatively early on Wednesday afternoon and did not open again until Saturday night. You can only imagine the madness that ensued at both the shuk and the grocery store. By the time that we got to the grocery store on Tuesday night I felt like I was going grocery shopping on Thanksgiving day, the store was so picked over. However, we managed to find everything that we needed and managed to make it out of the store in one piece. For Erev Rosh Hashanah Rebecca and I went to a good family friends house, who happens to be the home for the wayward OSRUI alums in Israel. It was great to see old friends, and be reintroduced to people who I worked with at camp many years ago. I would have to say that the highlight of the dinner included an explanation of the Rosh Hashanah seder complete with a singing fish instead of a fish head on our table!

For the first day of Rosh Hashanah, HUC did not have services, but instead encouraged us to go to different congregations around the Jerusalem area. A group of students, including myself, went to a congregation called Kehilat Tzur Hadassah in Tzur Hadassah. Generally, when I think of a traditional Reform high holiday service, it includes everyone showing up on time, dressed in their "Sunday Best" since for many people this is one of the few times a year that they might go to synagogue. In Israel, it is completely the opposite! Most people come to the service half way through, in time to hear the Torah being read of the sounds of the shofar being blown. At the beginning of the service there were no more than about 20 people in the room and by the peak of the service there were maybe 50 people present. The dress code in Israel is generally different than in the States. Here people regularly wear a pair of jean and a top to services, a wedding, or generally for any day events. It has taken a little bit of getting used to to realize that one does not need to wear a fancy dress in order to pray.

The second day of Rosh Hashanah I chose not to go to services in the morning, mostly because it was my birthday and I wanted to be able to sleep in! We went back to our family friends house for an open house Rosh Hashanah luncheon and that night (which also happened to be Shabbat) we had a Shabbat dinner at our place. It was really nice to have a group of our friends gathered together to celebrate Shabbat and also relax after a few days filled with services!

Yom Kippur


There is absolutely nothing like Yom Kippur in Jerusalem! Yom Kippur, which is the Shabbat of Shabbats, is truly treated that way here. Beginning early on Erev Yom Kippur everything began to shut down. By the time that the siren went off to indicate that the holiday had started, you could barely hear any traffic or movement outside. By the time that services ended around 8pm there was almost zero traffic. The city shuts down to the extent that all street lights are set to stay a flashing yellow, as no one would actually have to wait for the traffic to pass. One of the greatest things about the observance of Yom Kippur in Jerusalem is that everybody is out and walking around in the middle of the streets! It was truly amazing to see how so many different people observe this holiday. Since our services ended so early, a few of us decided to walk to the Western Wall to see what the old city would be like on Yom Kippur. I have to say that it was not much different than any other day except for the fact that people were all dressed in white (one of the traditions of Yom Kippur). We also noticed something funny, which was that many of the ultra-orthodox men were not wearing shoes. This was not to make a fashion statement, but rather because leather is traditionally not worn on Yom Kippur. For many people I know, this allows them to wear gym shoes, sandals, crocs, or just generally something more comfortable. However, in the Orthodox community, the alternative shoes that they wear are not supposed to make them feel more comfortable. For this reason there was a tshuvah (response) issued that people should not wear crocs (a shoe staple in Israel) on Yom Kippur. Instead, men just chose to go bear footed throughout the city.

Sukkot

Sukkot in Israel is a great experience (even if I only had one night of it). Beginning a few days before Sukkot hammering could be heard all throughout the city, a telltale sign that people are putting their sukkot up. However, it was not only personal households that put up a sukkah but also hotels and restaurants. It was hard to find a street where you could walk down and not see a sukkah. The morning before Sukkot began we had an optional tour of one of the markets that sells the Arba Minim (Four Spices). We talked about what constitutes a kosher Etrog, Lulav, Hadass, and Aravah, as well as different traditions that people have about how one is supposed to shake them in the sukkah (namely whether one shakes it in all of the directions with their feet firmly planted on the ground, or whether one physically moves to face each direction). We then entered the market and were able to have a look around. It reminded me a little bit of a Christmas market in which everyone has their own booth or table where they are selling their specific items and people look around and take hours to find the perfect thing that they are looking for. As I stood there looking around it became evident to me just how important this holiday is to people, and how much it means to have just the right Lulav and Etrog.

Men measuring the Hadassah to make sure that it is long enough and has enough leaves on its stem.

This bag says "Kosher Hadass" and is indicating to people that they have already been checked for the correct length and number of leaves. 

Etrogs (Citrons) of all different shapes and colors!

Sukkot Break in Spain! 
Blog update and pictures from Spain to come soon!

שנה טובה ומתוקה

Year (Sha-nah) שנה
Good (To-vah) טובה
Sweet (Me-Tu-Kah) מתוקה

I realized that it has been an extremely long time since I have posted here, so bear with me, as I have a lot of things to say! The two main reasons that I haven't posted to my blog is that I had two major technological catastrophes: my computer battery and charger dying both within the same week, and spilling some lovely milk on my computer. Luckily, my computer loves me and is still functioning!

We are now into the think of our fall semester. I am finding all of the classes really enjoyable, and all of the professors are really great. One of the nicest things about being in a small class, and on a small campus, is that each of us really gets the opportunity to know our professors on a much more personal level than I ever had the opportunity to do at Indiana University. It is not that I didn't have great professors at IU, because I most definitely did, but here we are able to sit and have one on one discussions. There are even times when our professors come and spend their lunch hour sitting with students and getting to know us, rather than staying among the faculty. I know that these are people that will some day be my peers, but it still amazes me that they are willing to take the time out of their busy lives to spend time learning about us!

Two of my favorite classes are the History of the Zionist Movement and our Israel Seminar class. The history class is meant to discuss Zionism from before there was even a word for Zionism, all the way through the present times and what Zionism means today. I think that I find this particularly interesting because I spent the past year working for the American Zionist Movement, which is the American branch of the World Zionist Organization. I think that until I was done working for the AZM last year, I didn't realize how much of a Zionist I really was. No, that doesn't necessarily mean that I will be moving to Israel any time in the near future, but it does mean that I care very deeply about Israel, and will continue to develop what my connection to Israel really means. As a part of our Israel Seminar class, which I will talk more about in a minute, we have monthly meetings where we answer a prompt and then discuss this within our small groups. The first prompt had to do with the land of Israel, and I chose to write about my struggle to connect to the physical land of Israel. You can read the response here, for anyone who is interested.

Our Israel Seminar is a class that we have once a week. The purpose of this class is to explore, in greater depth, different aspects of the history of Israel, as well as contemporary issues in Israel. One of the things that I like most is that at the beginning of every session, we have an opportunity to discuss the ongoing issues within Israel. That can be anything from the social justice protests to the Palestinian's application for statehood in the UN. These are all issues that can tend to be incredibly complex, and while some parts of it may be easy to understand, in a world where everything can change at the drop of a hat, it is nice to have some Israeli insight! One of the other reasons that I particularly enjoy this class is because it is not just lecture based. Every week we either go on a field trip, or have speakers some to talk to us. These speakers are not just your average run of the mill Israelis (although they are perfectly interesting to talk to) but instead they are people like Natan Sharansky. So far, we have had two field trips. The first was a look at Jerusalem, based on walking along one particular street, King David Street. We talked about the pre-Israeli military forces and what they did to try and get the British to leave Israel. We also go to walk up to the top of the YMCA in Jerusalem, which a)used to be the tallest building in Jerusalem and b) was built by the same architect who built the Empire State Building.

A view from the YMCA sign from the top of the YMCA tower.

The second trip that we took was to Tel Aviv. I was not particularly looking forward to this field trip, as we were leaving early and I had been to all of the places that we were going, but by the end I found it incredibly interesting. We spent the day working our way through the history of Tel Aviv, from the time that it was first established as a city through the Tel Aviv of today. One of the most interesting places that we went to was Rabin Square. Unfortunately, we were not able to enter the actual Rabin Square as it is under construction, but we were able to sit outside and discuss the events surrounding Yitzhak Rabin's assassination.

Part of the graffiti that memorializes the place where Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. 

I found this particularly interesting because the day that we were there was 9/20, the day that the Palestinian Authority was supposed to decide whether they were going to submit their bid for statehood to the UN General Assembly or the UN Security Council. I found it particularly interesting that on the day that we were sitting there talking about a man who gave his life trying to make peace in Israel (and the one that has been the closest yet to making peace with the Palestinians) Israel was facing some major implications based on the decisions of the Palestinian Authority. Of course, nothing has been decided yet, but here, it is definitely something that people are constantly talking about. There is a lot of general speculation, but no one will really know what will happen until decisions are made, or votes are taken.

In a time when many things are uncertain, we can do nothing more than to watch and hope that decisions are made that can appease both sides, and help everyone to move onto a new chapter in their lives, one which involves a peaceful existence.

 שנה טובה ומתוקה - May you have a sweet and healthy new year, and may you be inscribed in the book of life.