At a recent seudah havra’ah, I was approached by one of the guests who had attended the funeral service.

Woman (with accent): That was a lovely service.

FS: Thank you.

Woman: I mean, we’re obviously not Jewish but…

FS (interrupts): Obvious??

Woman: I mean…we don’t sound Jewish…

FS: I am quite certain that there are Jews in the British Empire.

Woman (rather indignant): We are from South Africa. We are not British.

FS: True. However, South Africa was part of the Commonwealth.

Woman: It is a Republic.

FS: It is now…

Aside from the fact that this woman was probably an Afrikaaner and most likely rejects the historical fact that South Africa WAS part of of the Commonwealth until 1961, I was left wondering whether I ought to be insulted by her comments.

What did she mean when she said that she and her husband “obviously” weren’t Jewish? What was supposed to be the tip-off? That they didn’t have horns? They weren’t swarthy?

We like to say that Anti-Semitism no longer exists in a liberal, inclusive, politically-correct haven such as the United States. And while we do enjoy freedoms here unmatched by most other countries, to pretend that there is not hatred (at the worst) or a lack of genuine acceptance (at the best) is just that; it’s just make-believe.

For the record, I do not think that this woman harbours deep hatred. I suspect she just sees us as different.

Has it only been five weeks since I had my worst working mother day ever?? The day that Bubbe was called to the school to handle issues concerning two of the three kids? Including taking Poppyseed to the doctor for what turned out to be a supracondyar humerus fracture? Has it been just four weeks since her surgery to repair the said fracture?

To say that Poppyseed was hysterical would severely restrict your imagination. Her terror-filled shrieks brought not a staff member to the exam room but some other concerned mother. Who spoke no English. Poppyseed was amazed to discover that her mother could actually carry on a conversation in Spanish with this poor lady who felt so awful for my daughter. As evidenced by her clucking and cross-making.

Time heals all wounds, “they” say. In this case, two metal pins helped.

Two pins that will now be part of Show-and-Tell when Poppyseed returns to school after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Four more weeks of restricted activity for Miss Poppyseed. Otherwise, she is good to go!

As mandated by our synagogue’s Constitution, our community gathers twice a year for a Congregational Meeting. The May meeting, which occurs just 6 weeks prior to the end of the fiscal year, is typically a longer meeting as it includes the passing of the budget. The November meeting is more of a State-of-the-Synagogue.

Tonight’s business was conducted in a relatively short amount of time. People came early for a nosh…and lingered for quite some time after the conclusion of the meeting. I know that everyone is busy and has a lot going on in their lives. But tonight, they really took the time to kibitz. To enjoy one another’s company. To enjoy the yummy food (thanks Board of Trustees!). I personally enjoyed D’s macademia nut brownies, S’s homemade cookies, L’s peanut butter cookies, AND S’s (yes, the same S!) famous yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

As unexpected as this might sound, a great time was had by all.

The first of Shabbat of Kislev has come to an end. The air was crisp and, thanks to BubbeGiraffe, we had some hearty Potato, Leek, and Pea soup warming in the slow cooker all day.

Thanks to the time difference, this week’s Haveil Havalim is ready a little earlier than usual. Many thanks to this week’s host, A Mother in Israel, for putting together a great carnival.

Shavua tov one and all!

Easy Lentil Soup

Ingredients

■about 5 cups fresh tomatoes
■1 cup sprouted lentils
■2 onions
■5 cups vegetable stock
■1 tsp brown sugar
■fresh or dried basil
■seasoning
■olive oil

1.Place the fresh tomatoes in a pan of very hot water for 1 minute, fish them out with a slotted spoon and peel away the skin. Set them aside for use later on.
2.Peel and roughly chop the onion and rinse the lentils in a colander.
3.Cook the onion in a little olive oil in a large saucepan, until golden.
4.Add the lentils, tomatoes, stock, basil and seasoning and stir well.
5.Bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 30 minutes.
6.Blend the soup, adjust the seasoning and if necessary, thin it down with a little more stock or tomato juice.

Do you suppose this is how Jacob made it? (Gen 25:34)??

Here are some other yummy lentil recipes for Shabbat Toldot:

Leora: Lentil Soup AND Lentil Salad
Cooking Manager: Lentils with Onions and Garlic
Epicurious: Lentil Stew with Spinach and Potatoes
Busy Cooks: Crockpot Moroccan Lentil Stew

B’te’avon and Shabbat Shalom!

Peach sauntered into the house. A saunter with just a touch of swagger.

“Look at me!” he exclaimed.

This is my third kid. I know that kids are gonna poop in the potty when they are good and ready. And nothing I am going to do can make my kid ready before his time. Sure, I can read books on the subject to him. Get him his own potty seat. Even select the big boy underpants he’ll get once he is potty-trained. But it’s going to happen when it’s going to happen.

Come to think of it, that’s a good approach to much of this parenting stuff.

There are moments in the lives of others that I get to witness solely by virtue of the office I hold. Moments so personal that I sometimes feel like a voyeur. As though I am witness to something so intimate…so private. And some of these moments are laden with emotion so powerful that it transports me to a place beyond description.

What is particularly strange about my work is that these glimpses of the Divine often occur within the context of an otherwise ordinary day. Meetings…phone calls…students… correspondence. With holiness wedged amidst the chaos of the everyday.

On the atara of my talit is the phrase, yorah yorah tadin tadin. Can she teach? Yes, she can teach. Can she judge? Yes, she can judge. These are the traditional words associated with ordination. My s’micha certifies that I can sit on a Rabbinical Court. And it is in this capacity that I found myself today. Joining two colleagues as we considered the testimony of a conversion candidate. A demonstration of faith and passion for the people Israel so potent that I thought my soul was bursting.

Yitchak Zechariah ben Avraham v’Sara.

Welcome to our people.
Welcome home.

I was recently tagged by Homeshuling to participate in a Jewish Mommy Meme. As we are now in the same month as Chanukah (Rosh Chodesh Kislev began this evening), I thought it was appropriate to share my responses.

One menorah, or several? Hillel or Shammai? (just kidding about that part)

My family had a tradition of lighting a ton of menorahs. But an unfortunate fire in the living room back in ‘76 forced a downsizing. So in our home, there is one for each person that is lit and we have others scattered around as decoration.

Do you buy your children gifts for every night of Chanukah?

SO…when my parents got married, they brought two very different Chanukah traditions to the table. DadGiraffe came from a family that didn’t indulge in the assimilationist gift explosion that has come to define Chanukah. From his point-of-view, some nuts, a dreidel, perhaps a nice shirt. And that was the end of it. MomGiraffe, on the other hand, came from the tradition that a gift each night per child. DadGiraffe lost that one. Interestingly, I discovered just the other day that the Grands (MomGiraffe’s parents) had the very same experience when they got married!

I would be just as happy downplaying the whole gift thing, but old habits are hard to break. Since my family has a tradition of giving gifts each night and PC’s family has a tradition of a few gifts per person, it didn’t make sense to create a new tradition that would alienate us from BOTH families! So our children DO receive a gift each night by the time all is said and done.

Do you and your spouse/partner or any other adults in your life exchange gifts?

Yes, my husband and I do exchange gifts. So do all the adults on my side. On my husband’s side, the adult sibs don’t give gifts. Though I wish we did because I enjoy selecting gifts for people whom I love.

Special family Chanukah traditions?

My family has gotten together on the Saturday night of Chanukah since before I was born. GGma and DadGiraffe and I have the same machloket every year. Do we recite the Shehecheyanu or not? Typically, the Shehecheyanu is recited only on the first night of a holiday as a way to distinguish it from the other days of a festival. GGma holds that any time the family gets together, we should give thanks. DadGiraffe is a bit more traditional, but figures though it’s not required neither is it forbidden. And FrumeSarah??? Well, the name says it all!

Latkes or sufganiyot? If latkes, sour cream or applesauce?

Depends on whose house. GGma’s and PC’s mom’s latkes are accompanied by brisket. So applesauce is the appropriate condiment. MomGiraffe’s latkes are adorned with sour cream.

As for the the first part, I don’t understand the question. Latkes and sufganiyot are not mutally exclusive! PC’s mom always has sufganiyot as a chaser to the rest of the feast.

Favorite Chanukah book?

The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming by Lemony Snicket.

Do you actually play dreidl? If so, what do you use for counters?

Yes, we absolutely play dreidl. As far as the kids are concerned, lighting the chanukiah and opening presents are nice. But if we skip a night of dreidl, it’s as if we didn’t “do Chanukah” that night. When I young, GGma would give us each a bag that contained a dreidl, hazelnuts, some gelt, and an orange. With our kids, we use gelt and nuts. We also LOVE No Limit Texas Dreidel

What relationship, if any, do you have with Christmas and all things Christmas-y?

I LOVE Christmas music. And I prefer the more religious Carols such as “Adeste Fideles,” “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” “O Holy Night,” etc. And while I expect that my children will become familiar with them at some point, I’m in no hurry. So I only listen to Christmas music when they are not in the car. I also enjoy watching Midnight Mass celebrated by the Holy See at St. eter’s Basilica. Though it drives me crazy that coverage actually begins not at midnight but at 11:35pm.

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