In the midst of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, Samson Talkar did something he had never done before on Shabbat: He packed a pistol before leaving for synagogue. Talkar, a retired chief of homicides with the Mumbai police, was not frightened. But as last week’s terrorist siege on his city entered its third day, the unflappable…
Evanston, Ill. — With the economy in turmoil, rabbis around the nation are under increasing pressure to raise funds to keep their synagogues healthy and oversee budgets that are being squeezed as members lose their jobs. But little of what the rabbis learned in rabbinical school prepared them for the management skills they need to…
Washington — The selection of retired Marine General James Jones as President-elect Barack Obama’s National Security Adviser has reopened discussions over deployment of international forces to the Palestinian territories, an idea fathered by Jones last year. Jones, a former commander of NATO forces, raised the suggestion in talks with Israelis and Palestinians last year, but…
One of the most prominent Jewish organizations has announced that it is replacing its current executive with the ally of one of its signature donors. The Birthright Israel Foundation, which raises private donations to support free trips to Israel for young Jews, announced that Robert Aronson would assume its helm at the beginning of 2009….
There’s good news and there’s bad news. The bad news: A single latke contains about 65 to 100 calories. (And who eats just one?) The sour cream? Another 60 calories per glob. Other Hanukkah foods, such as fritters in syrup eaten by Sephardi Jews and deep fried chicken, popular with Jews in Italy, are not…
In years past, you had one option for making latkes: the potato. Now countless variations exist, such as latkes made from zucchini, beets or vegetable medleys. Still, there is a surprising array of possibilities available from just sticking with the potato, provided you experiment with different types. A traditional dietary staple of a diverse group…
When we think of Hanukkah food, we usually think of mouth watering, belly expanding latkes, or round, jelly doughnuts. Both are fried in oil — a staple of Hanukkah cooking. Another ingredient linked to the Festival of Lights is cheese, but dairy dishes are often forgotten, buried beneath pounds of potatoes and vats of oil….
This past weekend, I saw my first snowfall of the year. The plump flakes reminded me of the short, crisp days to come, of walks where a bright red berry or a still-green blade of grass will surprise me. As winter days wink by, flanked by longer and longer intervals of darkness, I’ll be more…
Delicious on almost anything – pasta, roasted vegetables, chicken, bread, drizzled in soups …. Yield: 1 ½ cups Ingredients: 4 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves, washed ( about 1 large bunch or 2 small bunches) 1-3 cloves garlic ¼ – ½ cup toasted pumpkinseeds 1 cup extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper to…
This is a really satisfying (and healthy) dip. When you taste it, you wont believe that it is made with yogurt! they key is to taste as you go – and keep adjusting the seasoning until it tastes just right (after all some garlic cloves are HUGE other are tiny, some are extremely potent others…
Tel Aviv — Hours after news filtered out of Mumbai that Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg were dead, 8,000 miles away at Chabad of Atlanta, Georgia, a congregant was called to the Torah to name his one-day-old daughter. It was obvious to him what she should be called — Rivka. Neither the father, Yaakov Citrin, nor…
