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Home for Dinner Parents’ Email #1

By on December 9, 2013 in Education, Tu B’Shvat

December 9 , 2013 • 6 Tevet 5774

Dear Home for Dinner Parents,

[Image: Photo Alt]Welcome to Home for Dinner! This program, which will take place at your synagogue or school and which is supported by Hazon, will provide opportunities for you and your child to learn about healthy eating, the importance of family meals, and engage in shared experience of learning about contemporary food issues in the context of Jewish family life. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the family unite and in turn, the Jewish home and Jewish life.

My name is Liz Traison, and I am the Hazon staff coordinator of Home for Dinner. I am fortunate to have a supportive team in California and Colorado composed of Deborah Newbrun, Becky O’Brien, and Sarah Kornhauser, who will be working with you locally — as well as education consultants Vicky Kelman and Amy Kassiola.

Approximately once a month we will send you updates about the program. Please note that you have not been included on any other of Hazon’s email lists. If you have any thoughts or questions, please feel free to be in touch.  We would love to hear from you. We look forward to taking this journey with you!

All Best Wishes,

Liz Traison
Thought-Leadership & Capacity-Building Program Associate

 

In this email:

Home For Dinner Highlights

Check out these exciting Progam Launches!

[Image: Photo Alt]Congregation Rodef Shalom, CA – On Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013, 13 families who participate in the Kol HaMishpacha family school program at Congregation Rodef Sholom joined to launch a year of study based on the Hazon “Min Ha’Aretz” and “Home for Dinner” curricula.  We welcomed 23 adults, including a visiting grandma and aunt, and 21 children to the Kick-off event.

Congregation Nevei Kodesh, CO – We started the morning with an ‘appetizer’ of name tags and a graffiti wall (talking about Thanksgiving and Chanukah memories and favorite things), then broke into class circles throughout the sanctuary. Each circle had students, parents, teacher and madrich.   Our parent coordinator introduced the series of programs, and the ‘big idea’ of the day ‘hands of G-d’.  K/1 teacher and Maggid Melina delivered the “hands of G-d” story. Parents and students and teachers and madrichim discussed ethical and environmental issues raised by the story in their class circles – this was parents’ favorite activity.  Then each group took the canned and boxed food they brought (we supplemented…) and created a Chanukah themed sculpture:  one NK Building and two menorahs!  After that we went downstairs and shared a meal. During the meal we taught the ‘birkat hamazon’ lesson.

See More from Rodef Shalom

See More from Nevei Kodesh

Tu B’Shvat Resources

[Image: Photo Alt]Now that Thanksgivukkah has come and gone, it’s already time to start planning for the next holiday. Tu B’Shvat is one of 4 new years in the Jewish calendar and is a celebration of the trees.

Check Out More Tu B’Shvat Resources from Hazon

Tu B’Shvat Recipes

In addition to great resources, we also have great recipes

[Image: Photo Alt]Pomegranate and Sour Cherry Mandelbrot

This recipe originally appeared on Jew and the Carrot

Adapted from Marcy Goldman’s “A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking: 10th Anniversary Edition”

Makes 2 dozen

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup sliced toasted almonds
  • 3/4 cup dried sour cherries, plumped in warm water, then drained and dried
  • 1 egg white, beaten

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, Whisk together the oil, pomegranate molasses, honey, sugar and vanilla. Whisk in the beaten whole eggs. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, walnut halves and dried cherries.

Spoon out 2 loaves of the dough about 8-by-3- or 4-inches wide. Brush the top with the egg white, then sprinkle with sugar.

Bake until the top of the dough seems firm and dry, about 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce heat to 300 degrees.

Carefully slide the mandelbrot off the baking sheet and cut them crosswise into slices 3/4 inch thick. Place a wire cooling rack over the baking sheet, then arrange the mandelbrot slices on it. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until crisp and dry.

If you want to add a festive touch and capture the spirit of the almond tree, in step three consider replacing sugar with a combination of white and pink sprinkles.

Check Out More Tu B’Shvat Recipes from Hazon

Events in Your Community

Check out other Hazon events near you!

[Image: Photo Alt]The annual Hazon Food Conference: December 29 -January 1 at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center

Register early for the 5th annual Golden Gate Bike Ride – a great way to spend Memorial Day Weekend for families.

Enjoy an evening of rich conversation in Boulder, CO with Fred Bahnson, author of Soil & Sacrament: A Spiritual Memoir Of Food and Faith. On December 9 at 6:00 PM at the Impact Hub. Learn More.

Check out the Hazon Calendar for More Local Events



Please be in touch to share stories and highlights — we’d love to hear from you!

Liz Traison, Thought-Leadership & Capacity-Building Program Associate

Liz.Traison@hazon.org / 212-644-2332 x326

[Image: Hazon Logo]

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