Shul News & Notes
Shavuot: Seven Weeks To Sinai. Count ‘em Up. What’s That About?
The holiday of Passover represents the release of the Jewish people from bondage in Egypt and their escape across the desert. Passover is followed by the holiday of Shavuot — 49 days or seven weeks later, counted from the night of the second Seder — which commemorates the day the Jews received the Torah. Curiously, Shavuot is celebrated as the giving of the Torah, not the receiving of the Torah. It has been explained as giving because the Torah was given only once in the time of Moses, but we have continued to receive the Torah all the days since.
To mark each of the 49 days from Egypt to Mount Sinai, we count the Omer with a blessing that tracks the journey. One explanation of the significance of the seven weeks comes from Jewish mystics, who believe the number 49 is the square of the holy number 7, as in the Sabbath day. Having reached the level of holiness seven times over, the Jews were ready to receive the Torah on the 50th day.
Tradition calls for dairy dishes on Shavuot. Two cheese dishes top the list of favorites — cheesecake and cheese blintzes. Over the years, The Shofar has shared various cheesecake recipes, so we are branching out this year with one for cheese blintzes which, admittedly, requires a little extra effort — but is well worth it, we think.
Classic Cheese Blintzes
For the batter For the filling
3 eggs 2 cups drained cottage cheese
1 cup milk or water 1 egg yolk
½ tsp. salt ¾ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. salad oil 1 Tbsp. melted butter
¾ cup sifted flour 2 tsp. sugar (optional)
butter or oil for frying 1 tsp. lemon juice (optional)
- Make a thin batter by beating the eggs, milk, salt and salad oil together. Stir in the flour.
- Heat a little butter or oil in a 6-inch skillet. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the batter into it, tilting the pan to coat the bottom. Use just enough batter to make a thin pancake each time.
- Let the bottom brown, about a minute, then carefully turn out onto a napkin, browned side up.
- Combine the ingredients for the filling, and spread a heaping tablespoon of the mixture along one side of the pancake. Turn opposite sides in, and roll up like a jellyroll.
- Fry blintzes in butter or oil, or bake them in a 425-degree oven until browned. Makes about 18. Serve with sour cream, fresh fruit sauce, or dusted with powdered sugar.
Book Circle Selection Details An Adventurous Search For A Nazi Spy
The Book Circle will meet on Thursday, June 23, at 4 p.m. on Zoom, to join British war correspondent Ian Graham and Nina Markova for an adventure-filled search for a lethal Nazi murderess — a ripping good story in Kate Quinn’s novel, The Huntress.
Transformed by the horrors he witnessed from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg trials, British war correspondent Ian Graham has become a Nazi hunter. Yet one target eludes him: a vicious predator known as The Huntress. To find her, the investigator joins forces with the only witness to escape from her: Nina Markova, a cunning female bomber pilot. But a shared secret could derail their mission, unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it.
The Book Circle meets monthly to discuss novels by Jewish writers and Jewish issues. For more information, email citigreenport@gmail.com with a message for Susan Rosenstreich, group coordinator.
A Symbol of Freedom…
With Elaine and Phil Goldman’s donation of a new flag, and help from Burke Liburt to connect it to the flagpole, our synagogue has a new symbol of freedom gracing Andrew Levin Park.
Trampling on a few flowers in the bed while unfurling the new flag so near to Memorial Day inspired Rabbi Gadi’s Yom Ha’atzmaut message to the congregation in which he extended a mazel tov to the State of Israel on its 74th birthday and noted that here, as in Israel, sadly we lose delicate flowers sent to fight for our freedom. “The lesson was right there at our feet,” he wrote. “Protecting the flag comes with a price. We are reminded that freedom is not free. We lose delicate flowers we send to fight for it.” SMBloom photo
Oculus: Eye On The Arts
Two new pieces have been added to the Shehechyanu Curtain, left, a painting by Saul Rosenstreich, and a fabric collage by Liz Adams. The curtain envisions responses by congregants to the Covid pandemic and its effect on their lives. New work is encouraged. Contact Saul at ctigreenport@gmail.com to request help completing your concept.
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Shul Members Zoom In to Participate In The Yellow Candle Project
On Wednesday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m., our shul joined people
around the world in a moment of global mourning to honor those murdered during the Holocaust. The Sisterhood and the Men’s Club delivered yellow candles to households and individuals participating, many of whom made donations to the Blue Card Foundation, which helps Holocaust survivors.
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