Hosting Israeli Guests

I was out and about Monday with my friend Suzanne because we hosted two visiting Israeli (middle/high school) principals. One photo's are of our lunching together after a morning of activities together and at lunch, and the other at the school they had events.

Suzanne is on the far right. Mira, with longer hair, is the principal of the middle school.
Chani, short hair, is the principal of Beit Yerach HS.
Both from the area of Tiberius, Israel.

They are here visiting schools,speaking to classes and working with staff.

Chani hosted me at her campus last year on my visit to Israel. Our exchanged visits are part of a partnership program with a northern area of Israel and the Milwaukee Federation.

Suzanne was my roommate at UW-Madison and now retired from teaching french and Hebrew at Nicole high school. We also are carpooling and taking a UW-Milwaukee class together.

I am so grateful to be part of this partnership and being able to share it with such amazing people!

Harriet Minnette open house

ah, the pleasure of holding my charming little granddaughter at our open house. how fabulous it was to have all our friends and family get to visit with her mom and dad, Stephen and Christina, and meet her.

Thank you to you all for sharing my joy. G-d willing: Let us share many events in the future as we have in the past!!

The best celebration: 5771!

pictured from left to right TOM, LAEH, RABBI SHAPIRO, STEPHEN,CHRISTINA WITH HARRIET MINNETTE aka Chava Laeh, and ADAM.

The Holy Days are a time I love because we sharing time those we care about. I am so happy to have an opportunity to have my friends and family as guests in our home to celebrate the NEW YEAR: 5771 and visit with Tom and I, our son's Adam and Stephen, our daughter-in-law Christina, meet our little Harriet Minnette.

It was especially meaningful this year as our beloved friend and rabbi, Rabbi Ronald Shapiro along with Stephen and Christina gave our first grandchild a Hebrew name in front of the arch at synagogue.

Some history of this tradition:
The Torah tells us that Abraham was blessed with "everything" (Genesis 24:1). The Talmud says this refers to Abraham having a baby girl (Baba Batra 16b). when it says that God gave Abraham this big blessing, it was a baby girl. The daughter was singled out for this great praise.

Why is a baby girl considered "everything?"

With the blessing of a baby daughter comes a realization of the fullness of life. The song says: "thank heaven for little girls." The Jewish people have always 'thanked heaven' for Jewish women, because our survival as a nation has been primarily because of Jewish women. From the birth of our nation, as our Matriarchs guided us through familial challenges, to the slavery in Egypt when the women kept their faith, and the heroines of Esther in Purim and Yael in Chanukah. At every crucial juncture in our history, Jewish women have come to the forefront, steering the Jewish people in the right direction.

The naming of a baby girl is a statement of her character, her specialness, and her path in life. For at the beginning of life we give a name, and at the end of life the Torah teaches us that a "Good Name" is what we take with us. (see Talmud - Brachot 7b, and the Arizal - Sha'ar HaGilgulim 24b)

Naming a Jewish baby is not only a statement of what we hope she will be, but also where she comes from. The Ashkenazi tradition is to name a new baby after a relative that has passed away. In this way, we acknowledge the strong roots that have produced the tree of the Jewish people, and of our own family's character. The Sephardic tradition is similar in philosophy, however the custom is to name after living relatives.

Our granddaughters shares both traditions: Ashkenazi and Sephardic:

She is named for our beloved Aunt Eva Swerdlow (of blessed memory) CHAVA
and me LAEH.

My Yom Kippur Pre-Fast Meal Recipes


Recipes for the Yom Kippur Pre-Fast meal, called Seudah Mafseket, should be low in salt, high in carbohydrates, and without any caffeine.

Here is my tentative menu:

Challah,and apple slices dipped in honey

Chicken Soup with carrots,celery, parsley ( with rice or matzah balls)

Chicken baked with carrots/onion/ red potatoes

Green seasonal vegetable to be decided

Fresh fruit platter

THIS IS A CROKE!

I AM CONFESSING:

I woke today with great anticipation to use the crock pot/slow cooker I just bought. BUT my first meal was HORRIBLE.
Even the wine I used did not save the tasteless coq au vin that I served! We choked down some with a resolve to never use the recipe I did.

Do send any FOOL-proof recipes!
Maybe that is why it is called a CROCK POT.

Looking to the FUTURE

In this new year,5711, we have the ability to sort through the past year and to forget that which diminished us personally or spiritually. We may have missed the mark or forgotten the Rock who birthed us, but we are using these Days of Awe to return and to remember.



great time with "Happy" harriett minnette mchenry

what can i say....I enjoy all the blogs and postings of photo's and stories of my friends and family little ones. They are a blessing and our future!
I am grateful for my family! We just returned from visiting family and can not wait to spend time with my granddaughter....she is just living too far away....for me!