fbpx

GET HOME DELIVERY! CLICK HERE »

ADVERTISE
pick up locations
HOME DELIVERY
donate

Jewish Journal

Connect. Inform. Inspire.

December 22, 2022

‘Eight Nights of Flirting’: A Heartwarming YA Hanukkah Romcom

Books /

Need a break from Christmas themed books and movies? 

“Eight Nights of Flirting” is the Hanukkah equivalent of a Hallmark Christmas movie. Aimed at teens, but enjoyable for anyone who likes a heartwarming holiday story, it comes complete with a large family, multiple celebrations and lots of genuine, human connection.

Throughout this season, the media focuses on Christmas … with Hanukkah as the afterthought. In Hannah Reynolds’ “Eight Nights of Flirting” the Festival of Lights takes center stage, but there’s still a bit of harmony between December holidays.  

Gingerbread lattes and sufganiyot, anyone?

Reynolds, who wrote the critically acclaimed “The Summer of Lost Letters,” grew up outside of Boston, and comes from an interfaith family. Her mother is Jewish; her father’s parents were Southern Baptist and Roman Catholic. While Reynolds and her brother were raised Reform — it was important to her mother that they were raised Jewish — they also celebrated Christmas with her dad’s family.

“I wanted a story where a Jewish girl got to experience that same festive romance, in a tale filled with everything I love about the holidays in New England: the snow and starlight and candles and sledding and icicles and hot cocoa.” 

“I grew up surrounded by Christmas rom-com books and movies, but there were none about Hanukkah,” Reynolds told the Journal. “I wanted a story where a Jewish girl got to experience that same festive romance, in a tale filled with everything I love about the holidays in New England: the snow and starlight and candles and sledding and icicles and hot cocoa.” 

In “Eight Nights of Flirting” readers experience the holidays through the eyes — and heart — of 16-year-old Shira Barbanel, who is spending the season with her extended family — including a dozen cousins, some of whom are quite the handful — on Nantucket. 

Hannah Reynolds

On a mission to get the perfect boyfriend for Hanukkah (she has the perfect candidate), Shira gets an assist from Tyler Nelson, the popular and charming “boy next door,” she used to love (and was rejected by him a few years ago), but now loves to hate (the embarrassment stuck). As Shira is a disaster with boys, she and Tyler strike a deal: he will give her flirting lessons in exchange for intros and career opportunities. A modern-day romance with a touch of historical mystery, readers are in for a treat.

“I had so much fun writing about the parts of Hanukkah I love, plus inventing a Hanukkah play that Shira is dragged into by her cousins,” Reynolds said.

The author writes “joyful, uplifting stories,” because those are the stories that have always made her feel the best.

“Happiness is a deeply important emotion, and being able to bring happiness into readers’ lives is very fulfilling,” she said. “I consider it very worthwhile — especially when the reader is a young person going through a tough time.”

Reynolds wrote “Eight Nights of Flirting” during the pandemic. She missed her friends and family, and wanted to write a heroine who was also lonely. Shira, however, is lonely because she has trouble letting her guard down, which makes it difficult to develop relationships, especially romantic ones.

“I wanted to explore good communication and opening up, which can be hard for everyone, not just teens,” Reynolds said. “I also wanted to write about a big, supportive family, to show the warmth and importance of those relationships in addition to romantic ones.”

Reynolds hopes her book helps people realize sharing their feelings doesn’t need to be so painful. 

“In particular, I hope “Eight Nights of Flirting” shows Jewish teens a world where they’re reflected in positive, familiar ways,” she said. “When I was growing up, I rarely saw Jewish characters outside of victims in Holocaust fiction, and I want future generations to have more varied and positive representation.”

In her youth, every Saturday Reynold’s father would take her and her brother to the local bookstore, where she gravitated towards stories of adventurous girls triumphing over evil and fighting wrongs. 

“I loved these books, which showed me how life could be messy and strange and scary, but still wonderful,” she said. “Books brought me so much happiness growing up; books made me laugh and gasp and cry. I became a writer to create those same experiences, and hopefully bring as much satisfaction to my readers as my favorite authors gave me.”

Reynolds spent most of her childhood and teenage years recommending books to friends, working at a bookstore and making chocolate desserts. She received her BA in Creative Writing and Archaeology from Ithaca College. After living in San Francisco, New York and Paris, she came back to Massachusetts and now lives in Cambridge.

Reynolds’ favorite Hanukkah memory is of watching the candles flicker low on the fifth or sixth night, when there’s still a few days left in the holiday. “You’re surrounded by family and warmth and sated by too many applesauce-drenched latkes,” she said.

These days, she celebrates Hanukkah by scraping her knuckles while grating potatoes for latkes, enjoying parties with friends (though their latkes are never as good as the family recipe) and exploring Boston’s pop-up Hanukkah bars.

Reynolds still gets together with her family to light candles and sing songs (“Ma’oz tzur” has always been her favorite), using the same battered collection of photocopies they’ve been using her entire life.

She also hopes “Eight Nights of Flirting” brings joy to its non-Jewish readers, and welcomes them into the warm world she created, filled with family, friendship and love. 

“It’s incredibly important right now that people are introduced to communities outside their own, and books are one of the many ways to do so,” Reynolds said. “Reading increases empathy, and teen readers are still forming their worldview. I hope “Eight Nights of Flirting” helps everyone who reads it become more compassionate towards the people around them.”

‘Eight Nights of Flirting’: A Heartwarming YA Hanukkah Romcom Read More »

Sivan’s Kitchen and Super Sufganiyot

Food /

Sivan Kobi was born into a family of bakers. Her grandfather, her uncle and her father Paltiel Sherman were all European pastry chefs in Israel. 

Photo courtesy Sivan Kobi

In 1980, when Sivan was four years old, her parents moved to Los Angeles. Her father opened Sherman’s Bakery in Sherman Oaks. Her parents worked very hard and Sivan literally grew up in the bakery. Her parents went on to open a bakery in West Hills and another in Thousand Oaks. Her father started a very successful kosher style delicatessen called Sherman’s Deli, where 15-year-old Sivan began her career in the food world. 

After selling the bakery business, Sivan’s father opened an artisan bakery called Stone Ground. He was very proud to open the first account selling challah and babke to Trader Joe’s. 

Sadly, in 2008 her father passed away of a heart attack at the age of 57. 

Our friend Mickey of @mickeybakes introduced Sivan to Rachel and me. The three of us spent several hours at Urth Caffe in Beverly Hills comparing notes and sharing about our families. 

She told us that her entire childhood is filled with memories from the bakery. 

She grew up a “valley girl,” attending Jewish day schools.  She married her first love, a fellow Israeli-American after high school. She became a mom to her daughter Arielle at 19. She had her “prince” Yehuda a year later. Her family grew to include daughters Lorenne and Leaelle. And now she revels in being a grandma to her first grandchild. 

Over the years she worked as a Hebrew teacher’s assistant, fitness instructor, and owned a successful custom cake business. When the pandemic hit, she decided to finally share her passion for cooking and baking on Instagram with the handle @sivanskitchen. 

She worked really hard to master the art of making reels and her recipes quickly went viral. 

Her reels for rolled cookies filled with Nutella, her apple crumb cake and her apple squares all received over a million views. And her puff pastry apple recipe hit a record 6.5 million views!

—Sharon

My father would start frying Sufganiyot weeks before the holiday began and he would bring them to me to taste test. I miss that very much. -Sivan Kobi

Photo courtesy Sivan Kobi

My father took such pride in his baked goods and his bakery. Sherman’s Bakery made sufganiyot really popular and people started coming from all over California to try them. People still talk about his sufganiyot today. I remember every Hanukkah, how hard he would work frying sufganiyot from five o’clock in the morning until late at night. My father would start frying sufganiyot weeks before the holiday began and he would bring them to me to taste test. I miss that very much.

I’m so excited to share the BEST sufganiyot recipe with you! It’s my father’s recipe and the flavor is UNBELIEVABLE!

—Sivan Kobi 

Sivan told us that besides being famous for his challahs, sufganiyot were really his trademark. We’re thrilled to share the recipe. 

—Sharon

Sufganiyot Recipe

Yield 26 donuts
5 cups of all purpose flour
2 tablespoons of yeast
1 large egg
1/2 cup of sugar
1 stick of margarine or butter
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
2 cups of warm water

You’ll need:
Canola or avocado oil for frying
Red raspberry preserves for filling
Powdered sugar for sifting
Piping bag and spout

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, place flour, yeast, egg, sugar, butter, salt and vanilla and mix on low speed to create the dough.
  • Slowly add water.
  • As the dough incorporates the water, begin to mix on medium speed.
  • When the dough has formed and looks moist, continue kneading for a minimum of 10-12 minutes. Remove the dough from mixer and form into a smooth ball.
  • Place the dough back into the bowl, drizzle with a little oil and rub the outside of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and a dish cloth and allow to proof for one-and-a-half hours.
  • Line a baking sheet with 26 3-inch squares of parchment paper.
  • Remove the dough from the bowl, release the air and make 60 gram balls (about the size of a tennis ball).
  • Roll each ball and place on the baking sheet, then cover to proof another 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Heat oil in a large frying pan to 365°F. (It’s very helpful to use a thermometer, which will ensure perfect donuts. If the oil is too hot, the donuts will be raw inside and If it’s too cold, they’ll be heavy and full of oil.)
  • Place each ball WITH the paper into the hot oil. Remove the paper using tongs.
  • Once the donuts are golden brown, flip them over.
  • When donuts are completely golden brown, remove from oil and place onto a dish lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
  • For baked sufganiyot: place donuts with the paper on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for about 15-18 minutes.
  • For air fried suvganiyot: place them in the basket with the paper, and bake at 340° for about 8 minutes.
  • Fill piping bag with preserves and inject into the donut. You can inject from the side or from the top. Sift powdered sugar on top and enjoy warm and fresh.

Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food. Website sephardicspicegirls.com/full-recipes

Sivan’s Kitchen and Super Sufganiyot Read More »

Becky’s Best Burmuelos

Food /

In Morocco, I grew up with North African cake-like donuts called rosquitas and sfinj. However, at various times in history, Morocco was a Spanish colony and then a French colony, so our family traditions also included bimuelos and beignets de Hanukkah. 

When I married Neil, his mother Becky introduced me to burmuelos, the Ladino name for Sephardic donuts. It’s a yeasty sticky dough. Big spoonfuls are plopped into hot oil and they puff up to the surface. Then they are soaked into a honey sugar syrup. 

My children were lucky enough to delight in the traditions of both their grandmothers for many years. Now every Hanukkah, I carry on the frying traditions. I serve rosquitas, sfinj, burmuelos and they all get eaten up. There’s always a lively conversation about which ones came out best this time around. Everyone has their own favorite. These little treats bring so much joy to our family with every bite. It’s worth all the work.

It brings me the greatest pleasure to continue these family traditions. Knowing that these were recipes my mother, my grandmother and my great grandmother made brings me the most joy. 

Yes, over the years we have learned to love good latkes. But for the better part of my life and my husband’s life it has been all about the burmuelos and rosquitas. It brings me the greatest pleasure to continue these family traditions. Knowing that these were recipes my mother, my grandmother and my great-grandmother made brings me the most joy. 

Passing this down to my children and keeping these recipes alive is what it’s all about for me. 

This is the first Hanukkah without my mother. I really wanted to teach my daughter Rebekah how to make rosquitas. So we spent Sunday afternoon making them.  My mother must have been smiling down on us because they were probably the best rosquitas I’ve ever made.

—Rachel

Becky’s Burmuelos

For the dough-
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of salt
1 egg
2 cups warm water
3 cups all purpose flour
Canola or vegetable oil

  • Mix ½ cup of water with 1 teaspoon of instant yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar.
  • Let sit till it is foamy.
  • Then mix with 3 cups of flour, 1 egg, 1 ½ cups of warm water and a pinch of salt.
  • Mix with a wooden spoon to form a sticky wet dough.
  • Cover with dish towel and let rise for 2 hours.
  • Pour 1/2 inch of oil into a pan over medium heat until a pinch of dough immediately floats to the top.
  • With a spoon or small ice cream scooper drop into hot oil.
  • Dough will puff up and rise to the top quickly.
  • If dough does not rise, it means the oil is not hot enough.
  • Fry until golden, remove and place on wire rack, or paper towels to drain any excess oil.

For the syrup-
1 cup of sugar
3 TBS of honey
½ cup water
Bring to a boil, then pour over the Burmuelos. Serve hot.
Best day of and even better to serve right away.

Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food. Website sephardicspicegirls.com/full-recipes

Becky’s Best Burmuelos Read More »

Journalist Jason Fine, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Jew and Brian Wilson Confidant

Music /

For many years, I’ve been a huge Brian Wilson and Beach Boys fan. I especially love “Pet Sounds,” one of the greatest albums in rock ‘n’ roll history. 

The unsatisfying thing about being a Brian Wilson fan is that unlike other musicians, where there is so much content on them that you feel like you know them, Brian was always a bit of a mystery. In most interviews I’d seen, he wouldn’t reveal very much about himself. He wasn’t an open book, to say the least.

Then, in 2021, a documentary called “Long Promised Road” came out. It followed Brian Wilson and interviewer Jason Fine, the editor of Rolling Stone, as they traveled around Los Angeles and talked about Brian’s life. 

The film was endearing and shined a light on a living legend. It was very sweet, and you could feel the love in it.  

Jason started writing for Rolling Stone as a freelancer for in the 90’s and has also interviewed Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. He’s a local – he grew up in Laguna Beach – and enjoyed the references to his hometown on Beach Boys records. 

“I loved hearing Laguna and the surf culture of Southern California mentioned in the songs,” Jason said. “One of the first records I ever bought on my own was ‘Endless Summer,’ the Beach Boys collection, when I was 8 years old. I was looking at these wild-bearded figures on the cover, who seemed almost mythological to me.” 

As soon as Jason put on the record, he fell in love with it.

“You can go in the sunshine and be pretty sad. I think that was Brian. I related to that.”
– Jason Fine

“I was pretty entranced,” he said. “But I didn’t really realize until much, much later that there was something else beyond the surf and the cars and the girls and Southern California mythology going on in the music. It wasn’t until much later that I realized it was Brian’s pathos and depths and sadness and melancholy, and those things had spoken to me too. You can go in the sunshine and be pretty sad. I think that was Brian. I related to that.”

When the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” came out in 1966, it revolutionized how musicians made songs. Today, it’s seen as a masterpiece and one of the first concept albums in rock. 

Brian Wilson

“Brian was able to balance these incredible arrangements and melodies and deep, personal emotions,” said Jason. “He put himself into those songs and was able to express them through the arrangements and voices in a way that really no one else has ever done. It’s unfathomable to think: How does this thing come into your head and then translate out into the real world in real time? It’s not like where it is now, where you could make a record with a Norwegian string quartet if you wanted to. Back then, it was done in the same room, at the same time. It was pretty mind-blowing.”

In “Long Promised Road,” Jason asks Brian if he’s making music these days. “You still get ideas for different ways to produce sounds?” he says.

“Yeah,” Brian says.

“What’s your process like?” Jason asks.  

“You start with a background track, you do the background vocals and then you do the leads,” Brian says, like it’s so simple. 

Much of the documentary is about Brian’s late brothers Carl and Dennis. Carl died of lung cancer in 1998 and Dennis died in 1983, drowning in Marina Del Rey. 

“I hadn’t thought about how significant his relationships with his brothers would be,” said Fine. “That’s what the film is centered on.”

Fine handles the tragedy in Brian Wilson’s life with care. He’s so respectful of Brian and comes off as an absolute mensch. 

He believes that “Long Promised Road” gives Brian a voice and inspires everyone who watches it.

“I hope it gives people a kind of comfort that maybe Brian himself didn’t feel in his own life for a long time,” he said. “It does what we set out to do, which was give Brian the chance to tell his story, in the way that he chose.”

Journalist Jason Fine, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Jew and Brian Wilson Confidant Read More »

Campus Watch Dec. 22, 2022

Campus Watch, Community /

Education Dept. to Investigate Berkeley Student Bylaws Banning Zionist Speakers

The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has opened an investigation into Berkeley Law School over the several student groups who passed bylaws barring Zionist speakers to campus.

OCR sent a letter to attorneys Gabriel Groisman and Arsen Ostrovsky, who heads The International Legal Forum, responding to their November 18 complaint against the law school. The OCR letter, which was obtained by the Journal, said that they would be investigating “whether the University failed to respond appropriately in the fall 2022 semester to notice from Jewish law students, faculty, and staff that they experienced a hostile environment at the law school based on their shared Jewish ancestry when University-recognized student organizations passed a bylaw against inviting speakers who support ‘Zionism, the state of Israel, and the occupation of Palestine.’” Groisman and Ostrovsky had argued that Berkeley Law violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by failing to take action against the student groups with the bylaws.

Vanderbilt Assistant Football Coach Who Defended Kanye Undergoing Bias Training

Vanderbilt University Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletic Director Candice Lee announced on December 13 that Assistant Football Coach Dan Jackson is undergoing the process of bias training for defending rapper Kanye West in a Facebook post.

Lee said that Jackson, from his personal Facebook account, had defended West under the auspices of “free expression and equality in the treatment of Black and white public figures” and was unaware of West’s antisemitic remarks. But when Jackson became unaware, he realized his remarks “were hurtful and lacked critical context.” The university found that Jackson violated university policy on “unprofessional communication” and as such he has stepped away from football for the rest of the 2022 season. Lee added that Jackson “is in the process of completing relevant educational work, including unconscious bias, inclusion and anti-discrimination sessions offered by campus and community resources.”

“Jews Not Welcome” Graffiti Found at Maryland High School

Antisemitic graffiti stating “Jews not welcome” was found at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Md. on December 16.

WUSA9 reported that the graffiti was found on the school’s welcome sign and that it came right after a Holocaust lesson; students had lobbied the school for Holocaust education after learning that their fellow classmates didn’t know what the Holocaust was.

“We all opened our phones at the same time and you could hears kids saying ‘oh my god’ check your emails,” student Rachel Barold told the local outlet. “Everyone was in shock about what happened.”

NC High School Student Hacks Intercom to Shout “Heil Hitler”

A student at a North Carolina high school is being disciplined for hacking the school’s intercom and saying “Heil Hitler” and other antisemitic remarks as well as threats to President Joe Biden on December 15.

The News & Observer reported that Enloe High School Principal Jacqueline Jordan issued an apology to students over the intercom on December 16 and addressed the issue of antisemitism in emails to parents. “Antisemitism is, unfortunately, on the rise in our country, along with other forms of hate,” Jordan said. “We must continue to do everything we can to resist and reverse this trend.”

Columbia Antisemitism Panel Postponed

An antisemitism panel scheduled for the Columbia School of Social Work on December 19 was postponed.

The event, titled “Jewish Identity & Antisemitism in America,” was slated to feature writer and editor Jordyn Tilchen, Jewish activist and content creator Ilana Wolstein and Eden Cohen, Founder and President of A Wider Frame and Senior Adviser to Israeli Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and Delegitimization Noa Tishby. Tilchen tweeted out a email from the university saying that the event was postponed “at the request of the panelists and moderator.” “The event was postponed twice after the school cowered to antisemitic complaints and bullying from students and faculty alike,” Tilchen wrote. “We also very much agreed to be available for the panel and were not responsible for its postponement, as the email they sent out suggests. Why does the blame continue to fall on the Jews?”

A spokesperson for the Columbia school told the Journal that the event was postponed because “it was planned as a hybrid event, and building an in-person crowd during finals week on campus proved difficult. We look forward to rescheduling the event on this critical topic in the new year.”

Campus Watch Dec. 22, 2022 Read More »