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January, 2010:

Tu B’Shvat Strudel (a very different kind)

Jan 28th, 2010
by Leah.
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Tu B’Shvat Strudel (a very different kind)

As promised, here is my Tu B’Shvat recipe for your enjoyment.

In our family this recipe goes back at least all the way back to my great-grandmother. When my mother was 19, my grandmother suffered a stroke from which she did not recover. Along with all the other losses, my mother mourned, she was sorry not to have learned my grandmother’s secrets in the kitchen. Then one day she discovered  this recipe scribbled on a piece of paper. That was very unusual, since my grandmother was not in the habit of writing down recipes. This is how I can now share it with you.

Unlike the traditional strudel, this one has a thin, dry crust and moist fruity filing. The filling in this recipe combines apples, raisins, date spread, and nuts. However, you can choose to fill the strudel with just about anything you have in the house: fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, cream cheese, pineapple, or coconut. Whatever filling you choose, it’s a good idea to add some jam to bind everything together and add moisture and sweetness.

Tu B’shvat Fruit Strudel


 

Checking Fruit for Insects – Tu B’Shvat

Jan 25th, 2010
by Leah.
2 comments

As balmy spring-like weather gave way to four straight days of rain last week, all of us in Israel were reminded that the winter is far from over. The rain was a fitting gift for the fruit trees (and their growers) as they get ready for Tu B’shvat, the Jewish Arbor Day, in just a few days.

Many Israelis commemorate Tu B’shvat by eating dried fruit. The original custom back in the Diaspora was to eat fruit from the Land of Israel. Since it was impossible to obtain fresh fruit, people would eat dried dates, figs, and olives brought from Eretz Israel. Ironically, the Israelis perpetuate the custom by eating dried fruit imported from Turkey, instead of feasting on fresh locally grown oranges, apples, and kiwis so abundant at the markets. (more…)

Do We Value Children?

Jan 23rd, 2010
by Leah.
7 comments

A month ago, I visited my relatives in Russia. From the few TV programs I watched while there, it appeared that children are the number one issue on the Russian agenda. Yet, there seemed to be a cognitive dissonance between the declarations about the importance and the value of children and the fact that Russians are just not having them. Most women that decide to bring a child into the world, suffice themselves with one. Three children in a family are a rarity.

It is true that Russian women are an integral part of the workforce and that stay-at-home moms are almost unheard of in urban areas (except for the very rich of course). Getting childcare could also be tricky. (My cousin told me that in order to send her daughter to a day care center at the age of two, she had to sign up as soon as the baby was born, and it would probably take a bribe to really get in.) However, similar challenges exist in other countries as well without affecting demographics. (more…)

The Israeli Hospital in Haiti – even CNN noticed

Jan 21st, 2010
by Leah.
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The Israeli medical team in Haiti must be REALLY amazing to have drawn praise even from the CNN.

You’ve got to see it to believe it. It is not going to be repeated any time soon, unless G-d forbid another major disaster strikes for Israelis to run helping. I guess as far as CNN is concerned that’s the only thing the Israelis  are good for – pulling people out of the rubble and performing complex surgeries in field conditions.

By the way, I am still waiting for footage from the Saudi Arabian, UAE, Egyptian, and Syrian hospitals. At the very least, the Saudis could have sent a symbolic tanker of fuel. Couldn’t find anything on youtube. Wonder why.


 

Egg-free Schnitzel (Not for Allergics Alone)

Jan 21st, 2010
by Leah.
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What do you do when a sudden lifestyle change prevents you from enjoying something you like? Last year, when my nursing baby was diagnosed with an egg allergy (preventing me from eating fried eggs as well), I needed to find an idea for making schnitzel without eggs.

Schnitzel is a staple at our house. My husband and I both consumed huge amounts of schnitzel as children and we proudly pass this tradition on to our own kids.

As much as I love schnitzel, I don’t particularly appreciate the nutritional value of its egg-and-bread coating. So the baby’s allergy was a terrific catalyst for my new, healthier egg-free schnitzel recipe. I am not going back to the regular recipe, even after the baby is weaned or outgrows the allergy.

Enjoy!


 

The Danger of Parenting Books

Jan 14th, 2010
by Leah.
13 comments

What has been the worst decision of your life? For me, buying a subscription to a parenting magazine some 10 years ago has become the most destructive mistake I have ever made.

Since I was born in Russia, my parents had a hierarchical, children-are-children, parents-are-parents, approach to child-rearing. And that was exactly the attitude with which I started out as a parent. Then, when my oldest daughter was 2 or 3 years old, I came across a parenting magazine. It seemed to have in-depth articles on child psychology, lots of helpful tips, and other relevant information, so I shelled out the $50 or so for a year-long subscription, thinking it would be a source of “enrichment.” Boy, was I wrong!

For the next 12 months, I read all about democratic parenting, authoritative advice on acceptable and unacceptable child management techniques, and the damage awaiting my children if I would fail to follow through. By the time my second daughter was born a year later, I had pretty much lost faith in my parenting abilities. Every challenge from the children made me question the wisdom of my decisions. The children sensed that and did their best (unconsciously of course) to test my authority. (more…)

The Point of Divergence

Jan 11th, 2010
by Leah.
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In the wake of the recent Leib Tropper scandal, I have read quite a lot about his Eternal Jewish Family and its ongoing battle against Modern Orthodox and Religious Zionist conversions in the US and in Israel. While many bloggers view it as a power struggle, I think that the political differences are an extension of a theological rift, which in recent decades has been pushing the charedi and the so-called Modern Orthodox camps further apart.

While halacha requires a convert to demonstrate both a sincerity of purpose and a commitment to Jewish observance, Tropper’s EJF has chosen to relax its standards in regard to the former (by converting Jew’s Gentile spouses), while blasting non-charedi conversion courts for foregoing the later. This distinction became especially apparent in an interview given by Shannon Orand, who last week completed her conversion in Israel. (more…)

Buckwheat – the Other Side Dish

Jan 6th, 2010
by Leah.
6 comments

One Thursday, during the early years of our marriage, my husband and I discussed the upcoming Shabbat dinner menu. “Can you think of an interesting side dish,” he asked. “I am tired of rice and potatoes.” A quick perusal of my only cookbook at the time left us disappointed. Rice and potatoes was all it had to offer.

Since then, I have discovered a whole array of interesting side dishes, but my hands-down favorite is what many of our ancestor ate back in Europe – buckwheat or kasha. (more…)

TSA Security Measures

Jan 5th, 2010
by Leah.
3 comments

When I was a kid back in Russia, my family would spend all our summer vacations in Yalta, a seaside resort on the Black Sea. One year, as we were driving to the airport for our flight back home, we were stopped by the police and diverted into the local botanical gardens. Together with several hundred other people, we spent the next several hours waiting for Brezhnev (the then Soviet president) and his entourage to drive from the airport to his seaside retreat.

The absurdity of treating everyone as a potential assassin resurfaced I my mind as I was reading about yesterday’s  security breach in Newark and the ensuing pandemonium. The sheer absurdity of rechecking thousands of people and grounding hundreds of flights, even those on the other side of the Atlantic, is a clear sign that the Transportation Security Administration lacked an advanced emergency scenario plan and was acting on the spur of the moment. At least they were considerate enough not to ground ALL air traffic in North America until the poor chap, who had wondered through the wrong door, could be found.

(more…)

Seven Ways to Bring Moshiach

Jan 2nd, 2010
by Leah.
3 comments

This week’s Maayanei Hayeshua shabbat pamphlet published an interview with Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu’s wife, Rabbanit Tova. Amidst stories of other patients healed following a blessing from Rav Eliyahu, she recalled a conversation in which she asked why he was not praying for himself. Rav Eliyahu answered that he was accepting the suffering upon himself in order to annul evil decrees against the Jewish people, saying that ultimately this would culminate in the coming of Moshiach. When asked what needs to be done to bring Moshiach, Rav Eliayhu said that everyone should do teshuva in the area of “veachavta lereyecha kamocha”  (loving our fellow Jews).

I realize that this is nothing new. Any kid can tell you that since the Beit Hamikdash was destroyed due to sinat chinam, so the geula will come through ahavat chinam. Still, Rav Eliyahu’s statement gives this idea a new urgency.

After reading the interview, I started thinking of practical ways we could enhance ahavat chinam. Here is my list: (more…)

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