…When you can make it out of CHOCOLATE?!? For a spin on the classic song “Oh dreidel dreidel dreidel, I made it out of clay,” I decided it would be fun and delicious to make chocolate dreidels.  Pictured are Chavarim students using squeeze bottles & special molds to turn liquid chocolate into dreidels. While allowing…

Jews are diverse, yet we are tied to each other historically and religiously. In preparation for Torah Weekend, November 18-20, featuring Rabbi Gershom Sizomu, the leader of the Abayudaya Jews of Uganda, Bshul is focusing on Jewish Diversity. I am teaching students that historically Jews around the world were a migrating people.  As Jews moved about, they often married…

On September 28th Beth El’s Zayin class kicked off religious school by participating in a mitzvah!   Our students prepared and served dinner to homeless families at the Bower Hill Community Church.  This location serves as a site for Family Promise of Southwestern Pennsylvania.  The organization connects children and families experiencing homelessness with a network of local…

If you ask any Beth El Religious School student “what is your favorite Jewish food?” the overwhelming response will be challah!  They love it on Shabbat, with chicken, as a snack with butter and jelly, or made into french toast for breakfast. I can’t think of a better way to start the year than by…

My garden is overflowing with dill and Kirby cucumbers so I have been making refrigerator pickles and they are delish! Below you will find a little history of Kosher pickles and my recipe for how to make two pint jars in 10 minutes! Try to wait 48 hours before cracking them open! According to Wikipedia,…

Thanks to Steve Recht for reminding me about chremslach (chremzlekh) which are thin pancakes or fritters made with matzo meal.  When I was a little girl my mom, Leah Lampel, used lemon juice to flavor our breakfast chremslach.  This not-too-sweet recipe should please even the pickiest eaters. Chremslach 4 eggs 8 oz cream cheese at…

A macaroon (also spelled “mackaroon,” “maccaroon” and “mackaroom”) is a type of small circular cake, typically made from ground almonds, coconut, and/or other nuts or even potato, with sugar, egg white, and sometimes flavorings (e.g. honey, vanilla, spices), food coloring, chocolate chips, jam and/or a chocolate coating. According to Wikipedia, culinary historians claim that macaroons…

Charoset, haroset, or charoses  is a sweet, dark-colored mixture made of fruits and nuts eaten at the Passover Seder.  The word “charoset” comes from the Hebrew word cheres — חרס — “clay.”   Jews eat charoset during Passover because its color and texture remind us of mortar (or mud used to make bricks) which the Israelites used when they were slaves in…

Sometimes you aren’t even looking, but you find a recipe that is a keeper.  People are like that, too–you are just doing your job and, BAM, it happens-a spark starts and friendship grows. For many years I have admired the Langer family from afar.  There have been opportunities to connect through our children.  Bea and…

Every year Jews worldwide celebrate Passover by reliving the story of the Exodus from Egypt as if they themselves are going from slavery to freedom.  Matzo (Matzoh or Matzah) is a flat-bread that has no leavening (eggs, yeast, baking powder). Matzo is mentioned seven times in the Torah when Israelites made the exodus from Egypt.…