Play Dreidel
What You’ll Need Playing pieces (plastic chips, pennies, small candies, buttons, peanuts in the shell, etc. may be used) for each person A dreidel for the group How to Play Distribute an equal number of playing pieces to each person. Begin by having each of the players put one or two pieces into a common pot. Take turns spinning […]
Air fryer Latkes
LATKES: 2 shallots 6 potatoes, like Yukon Golds, peeled and quartered Pinch of baking soda 2 eggs 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 2 tablespoons flour Olive oil spray to coat the air fryer basket …………………………………………………….. TOPPINGS (optional): Sour cream or Greek yogurt Gravlax, fresh dill, and […]
Our Relay for Life team
Community Seder - April 13, RSVP by April 7
D’var Torah – December 12
Shabbat Shalom! I pray this email finds you all well. Let’s imagine that there’s this company, and it could be any sort of business you want…an accounting firm, an HVAC contractor, a drywall installation group…you name it. Well, the boss, he has his favorite employees. Maybe his favorites go to the same church, synagogue, mosque, or temple as him, maybe they all went to the same college or high school, or maybe they like the same type of music or hobbies. The boss makes no secret of his bias, giving his preferred workers the best clients, the cushiest assignments, or easiest schedules and routes, whether they’ve earned them or not. The other employees, as you can imagine, grow frustrated and embittered. No matter how much blood, sweat, and tears, overtime and energy, and spirit and conviction they pour into the company, it seems their efforts go unnoticed and unrewarded. So […]
D’var Torah -December 5
Shabbat Shalom! I pray this email finds you all well. As children we’re taught some truly basic and quite frankly, beautiful concepts: “please and thank you”, “sharing is caring,” raising your hand if you want to be heard, shaking hands, giving “high fives,” being gracious, greeting everyone with a smile and a wave, saying “goodbye” at the end of the day, and saying “I’m sorry’ and “I forgive you”. If you continue to follow these amicable rules as you age, the expectation is that you’ll set the groundwork for becoming a decent, honorable, and valuable member of society. At this same developmental stage, however, we’re also taught concepts like “stranger danger,” don’t talk to people you don’t know, and have mom and dad inspect your Halloween candy before you eat it. In essence, we’re indoctrinated that you can’t trust everyone, not all people are good or have benign intentions, and […]
D’var Torah – November 28
This Word of the Week is lovingly dedicated to the memory of U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of Summersville, West Virginia and a proud member of the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade, West Virginia Army National Guard (Glen Jean, WV). She made the ultimate sacrifice protecting our nation’s capital and all of us. May her memory be for an enduring blessing and may the Holy One Blessed Be He send comfort to her family, unit, and community following this horrific murder and unspeakable tragedy. This reflection is also dedicated to Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, of Martinsburg, West Virginia and a proud member of the Force Support Squadron, 167th Airlift Wing, West Virginia Air National Guard (Martinsburg, WV). He was severely wounded alongside SPC Beckstrom. Let us all join together in praying for his full and speedy recovery. Shabbat Shalom. I pray this finds you […]
D’var Torah – November 21
In this week’s parsha of Toldot (Genesis 25:19-28:9), we are told that Rebecca was not able to conceive until Isaac pleaded with God on their behalf (25:10). Rebecca is far from the only woman in Tanakh who has a difficult time getting pregnant. Her mother-in-law Sarah, her daughter-in-law Rachel, and Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, all suffer from not being able to conceive, causing them each great sadness and anguish. However, with God’s help and intervention, they all eventually bear children who will become leading figures in the history of the Jewish people. We are commanded more than once (Genesis 1:28 and 9:7) to “be fruitful and multiply,” but is this contained only to bearing children? Bringing Torah into the modern era means acknowledging that it is not always the case that those who want to have children are able. In addition, there are those who choose not […]
