Tradition, Inspiration and Celebration · November 2021
Kislev 5782
Published by Chabad Tucson
Prison release
The day marking the “birth” of Chassidism
Veterans Day
Former military officer on courage and his newborn
Thanksgiving Pie A homemade recipe from Feigie’s kitchen
Chanukah’s coming Reflections on celebrating for the very first time
Joyfully beating cancer The survival of Judy Katz Esbit links Thanksgiving with Chanukah
GUEST MUSINGS
The Jewish outreach and education network of Southern Arizona 2443 E 4th Street, Tucson, AZ 85719
Second suggestion box to G-d By Suzanne Cummins
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Rabbi Yossie Shemtov REBBETZIN
Chanie Shemtov OUTREACH DIRECTOR
Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Feigie Ceitlin Affiliates:
Cong. Young Israel, Chabad at the University of Arizona, Chabad on River, Chabad of Oro Valley, Chabad of Sierra Vista, Chabad Jewish Center of Vail and Lamplighter Chabad Day School of Tucson
EDITOR
Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin COPY EDITORS
Suzanne Cummins Tzirel Lite CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Feigie Ceitlin, Susan Kennedy-Arenz, Dr. Nissan Mindel, Loren Minsky, Rikva Katz, Menachem Posner and Benjamin Weiss PHOTOS
Amy O Photography, Andrew Shiva and Anete Lusina SPECIAL THANKS
Chabad.org, Kehot Publication Society EDITORIAL INQUIRIES OR ADVERTISING
Phone: 520-955-9680 Email: info@ChabadTucson
Keeping Jewish is published in print periodically by Chabad Tucson and is distributed free in Tucson and around Southern Arizona. Chabad Tucson does not endorse any products or services reported about or advertised in Keeping Jewish unless specifically noted. The acceptance of advertising in Keeping Jewish does not constitute a recommendation, approval or other representation of quality of products or services, or the credibility of any claims made by advertisers including, but not limited to, the kashrus of advertised food products. The use of any products or services advertised in Keeping Jewish is solely at the user’s risk and Chabad Tucson accepts no responsibility or liability in connection therewith.
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Note: “G-d” and “L-rd” are written with a hyphen instead of an “o”. This is one way we accord reverence to the sacred divine name. This also reminds us that, even as we seek G-d, He transcends any human effort to describe His reality.
I think we all knew that my last suggestion to G-d was probably not very useful. I asked G-d to admit he was wrong and I think that might have sounded a bit arrogant. Maybe. So I am taking a new direction with my current suggestion. I am not going to say G-d got it wrong the first time – just that I have a thought about improving the world that He might not have considered. G-d - Let’s get rid of evil. Free choice was a great experiment, but it’s time for a new one. Let’s think about all that could go right without wrong in the world. No wars, no torture, no inhumanity to other humans. Perfect! Wait, I just remembered... You DID promise that. You said we would have perfection after Moshiach comes. OK, my suggestion is now slightly revised. How about giving us Moshiach now? Wait, I just remembered something a bit awkward. You imposed obligations on us that we (theoretically) are supposed to fulfill before we get Moshiach. OK, I have a different suggestion. Let’s forget about waiting for Moshiach for a moment and just get rid of the evil stuff now. I think You can forget something if I ask nicely, right? You made me forgetful – seriously, that is happening more and more every day. G-d can
certainly decide to adopt that characteristic for one little change... Like for eternal utopia. How hard could that be? Wait a minute, I just got another thought (if you can call this mental meandering a thought). I just remembered about the whole Noach situation. (Even with my memory, I was able to pull up the Torah reading from a couple of weeks ago…). So it looks like that last time G-d decided to clean things up, he CLEANED THINGS UP. Not in a good way. Except for Mr. and Mrs. Noach, I mean. They came out OK. But I am pretty sure I haven’t gotten the message to build an ark of late... and I really get seasick.
OK, G-d. Just forget it. The whole global warming thing is looking more and more like you may be having some issues with us (sea-rise and all). So I am just going to shut up and ask you to think about how I have been lighting Shabbos candles on time lately. Have you noticed? Of course you have. And as for my suggestion, I withdraw the whole thing. Are you good with that? (That was to G-d – anyone else reading, I hope you are good with it also.) — Suzanne Cummins is a Senior Lecturer Emeritus at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management
We’d love to hear your thoughts! Send us your comments, feedback and opinions: info@ChabadTucson.com
NEWS
New Torah to be welcomed at Chabad Oro Valley A new Torah scroll will be completed and dedicated on Sunday, November 7 at 2:00 PM at Chabad Oro Valley, 1171 E Rancho Vistoso Blvd #131, Oro Valley, AZ.
people that had come to love my grandfather. Among them were extended family and his many friends all over the world.”
The Torah will honor the memory of Rabbi Yaakov Safranovitz, a beloved member of the Jewish community in Los Angeles who was known as a Torah scholar and Sofer Stam, a scribe who writes the parchments for Tefillin, Mezuzahs and Torahs.
Every Torah needs a home and the decision fell on Chabad Oro Valley which serves the Jewish community of northwest Tucson and where Zimmerman serves as program director. “We are planning an elaborate celebration for this beautiful and emotional occasion,” she said.
“Last year, after my mother’s father passed away, my family was determined to do something special in the memory of this extraordinary individual,” his granddaughter Mrs. Adeli Zimmerman said.
The final letters in the scroll will be written in front of the crowd. “A dear friend of my grandfather, a fellow Sofer, will be coming in from Israel for the event to write the last few lines of the Torah with all of us looking on,” she said.
Mrs. Adeli Zimmerman and her late grandfather Rabbi Yaakov Safranovitz on her wedding
“We decided to have a Torah scroll written in his memory,” she said. “The funds were quickly raised by the many
The Torah will be raised and shown to all and will then be rolled closed to be paraded outside under a canopy and ac-
companied by music and dancing. It will be followed with a festive meal which is called a Seudas Mitzvah (the meal of a
Men’s Kollel gathers on Thursday evenings
Mitzvah) since writing a Torah is one of the 613 commandments. The celebration will be open to all.
Local organization finds its groove After going through a transition period over the past few years, Tucson Jewish Free Loan, kicked off the 5782 year with a new name and a new address. Tucson Jewish Free Loan, which leased office space at the Jewish Federation since 2019, is once again embracing its independent local Jewish roots. Their name and address may have changed, but their commitment to serving Southern Arizona remains a constant since the organization was formed in 1947.
Contestants on the “Jeopardy!” television game show last month were stumped when presented with a photo of cholent, the stew traditionally cooked by Jews for Shabbos. Mayim Bialik, the show’s temporary host and herself a practicing Jew, explained the word ‘cholent’ is from the French ‘chaud lent,’ [meaning] ‘cooks a
long time.’” While cholent is a Shabbos dish, Chabad Tucson started serving it on Thursday nights at the new Kollel Erev, a Yeshiva-style study evening for men at The Shul, 2443 E 4th Street, Tucson. Participants pair as chavrusa learning partners and explore together tea-
chings about the weekly Parsha or holiday, while enjoying a delicious bowl of meat cholent and cold beer. The Kollel had a great showing for the second week in a row. No cost or level of knowledge is required to participate in this weekly program. It can even help answer Jeopardy questions...
On October 1, 2021, they made the big move to join a collection of other local organizations under the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona’s NonProfit Campus. As part of this community, Tucson Jewish Free Loan has access to shared resources and other unique opportunities. “This will improve the way we fulfill our mission; to help people achieve selfsufficiency with dignity,” said Executive Director Allison Wexler. For inquiries, contact the Tucson Jewish Free Loan at 5049 E Broadway #156 Tucson, AZ 85711, phone 520-2975360, website www.thefreeloan.org or email info@thefreeloan.org
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PROFILE
“Why me? Why not me?” A cancer survivor’s perspective of gratitude serves as a beacon of light for herself and others By Libby Herz Everyone needs a Judy Katz Esbit as a friend. Judy, a doting wife and mother, has a magnetic personality with energy that electrifies everyone she interacts with. It is hard to feel despondent in her presence. Though Judy embodies thankfulness and joy, life has at times tossed her several curveballs. Displacing self-pity with gratitude, she has managed to turn painful hours into cocktail affairs. Born and bred in Rockland County, Judy was raised as a conservative Jew. Her family was involved in community activities cementing Judaism into her life. When Judy’s family moved to California, they joined the Jewish community there and lived a fulfilling life. Judy started out as an event marketer and then became the owner of a health food store. “I like to call meeting my husband a shidduch,” Judy chuckles, using the Yiddish word for matchmaking. While Judy was spending some time in Israel, her parents in California met the president of their congregation who later introduced Judy to Scott-- her future husband. The couple married on March 29, 1992. In 1992, Judy’s mother was diagnosed with gallbladder cancer. Judy learned at that point that, in her words, “A cancer patient’s story affects the entire family and village; not only the patient.”
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After giving birth to two sons, in 1996 and 2000, Judy and her husband were ready to move out of California and picked North Tucson for their next family home. Judy reached out to the Jewish community before they relocated, and by 2006, when Judy and her family moved
Scott Esbit, Simon Esbit (in the body brace), Judy Katz Esbit, Brandon Esbit and their dog Moose are enjoying their panoramic view from the backyard of their new “forever home on the hill.”
here, she was already deeply committed and engaged. Her sons were in school, she and her husband had jobs, and during
the rest of her time, she was “a human connector, giving as much as she could to the community and others.”
Then, on November 23, 2009, only two short weeks after celebrating the joy of their eldest son Simon’s Bar
Mitzvah, Judy was diagnosed with colon cancer. “Before I even woke up from my colonoscopy, I already had a surgical consultation scheduled for December 2, 2009.” Optimism flows through her veins. When Judy called to tell her husband the colonoscopy results, she simply stated that she had colon cancer, and soon hung up the phone. Judy was determined to sail through this. “If there was anyone that had to have colon cancer, I’m glad it was me because I knew I would kick its butt,” Judy shares. With the stage of vicious cancer in limbo between her colonoscopy on November 23 and her consultation and surgery in December, Judy still celebrated Thanksgiving with joy and gratitude for her life. “I was thankful that I got the early detection” exclaims Judy, spinning her situation in a positive light. After surgery on December 9th, Judy returned home on Chanukah, the celebration of the miracle of light. Chanukah also commemorates the dedication of the temple. “My homecoming wasn’t by chance. The dedication of the rebuilding of the temple was symbolic of the rebuilding and evolution that was going on in my life and still does.”
Though nature could readily compel a person to feel despair when given a stage three colon cancer diagnosis, Judy tells otherwise. Though people try to seek a reason for their pain, Judy viewed her challenge as simply a hurdle in her path. “It’s not about why me,” explains Judy with unfathomable and effortless strength, “because technically, why not 009, only me?” ating the on’s Bar Looking back at this period in her life,
not every day was a good day. But Judy cannot pinpoint a bad day. She was a soldier on a mission to survive. And she aced it. The greatest difficulty that Judy encountered was being on the receiving end of help from others. It was her first experience where she had stepped back from giving help and accepting the help others were willing to give to her. It was humbling and yet beautiful in many ways. “This experience taught me to value the people around me and the help they can be,” Judy recalls the few friends she reached out to for help who became a sisterhood to her through this turbulent time and beyond. Throughout the six months of treatment, friends would accompany her to her chemotherapy appointments. “I didn’t want the time spent together to be depressing,” Judy says. She infused each moment with joy and life calling her chemo infusions ‘cocktail hour’ which she celebrated with the friends who took her.
Judy’s rose-colored lenses created a conduit for apparent instances of divine providence, or in Judy’s words, moments that were bashert - meant to be. Before her diagnosis, Judy had been in touch with Allison, an agent who could pair her up with a dog that she wanted to bring into the family. “I always wanted a dog which I would name Moose after my mom,” says Judy. This process was interrupted due to cancer, but calling their reconnection “bashert” (her match) Allison contacted Judy on August 5, 2010 -- the day Judy was officially in the clear. Moose is now part of family life. “Once in remission, I felt a rebirth, like I was washed in the spiritual waters of a Mikvah,” she says. After this cleansing experience, Judy resumed her ‘regular’ life. She continued living, evolving, and rebuilding. Judy continued to metamorphose. As one can’t pour from an empty cup, Judy began taking time to reflect and listen to herself. “You’ve got to love yourself before anyone else can love you.” Judy has been
heeding this call, taking the time to listen to the voice of her soul. An advocate for others and inclusivity, Judy recognizes her affinity for creating human connections as a gift. “I have received many gifts including my husband, our two sons, our Moose, and life itself. Cherishing each gifted moment Judy utilizes her abilities. “My gift to others is helping them remain included and connected!” This past May, Judy moved to her ‘forever home on the hill’ with a breathtaking panoramic view of the Catalina mountains in north Tucson, where she hopes to live her best life for years to come. “I feel like I’ve won the lottery in several areas of life,” remarks Judy. And though life has thrown her some curveballs, Judy is ever thankful. She cruises through life using her magical perspective to transform painful experiences into opportunities for cocktails parties.
Judy learned to lan on others when needed. She participated in different programs for people with cancer. There are many systems of support for cancer patients like Tucson Cancer Conquerors and Chai Circle, and Judy is passionate about increasing awareness of these programs. She found that the supportive and educational programs coupled with the Jewish camaraderie helped her pull through the rough moments. Though learning to receive, Judy continued giving and teaching. Using her knowledge garnered from her work as a health-food store owner, she educated nurses and continues to inspire patients and others who have been diagnosed with cancer and other ailments.
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HISTORY
The “New Year” of Chassidism The Alter Rebbe’s release from czarist Russian prison is a milestone By Dr. Nissan Mindel Aerial view of Peter and Paul Fortress on Zayachy Island, Saint Petersburg, Russia * Photo: Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 4.0
The 19th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev is celebrated as the “Rosh Hashanah of Chassidism.” It was on this date, in the year 1798, that the founder of Chabad Chassidism, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812), was freed from his imprisonment in czarist Russia.
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Rabbi Schneur Zalman, also known as the “Alter Rebbe” and “The Rav,” was born in Liozna, White Russia, in 1745. He was a leading disciple of Rabbi DovBer of Mezeritch, the second leader of the Chassidic movement after the Baal Shem Tov. For twenty years he labored on his Tanya, which, published in 1796, became the “bible” of Chabad Chassidism, upon which hundreds of works and thousands of discourses by seven generations of Chabad
rebbes and their disciples are based. In 1798 (5558), the Alter Rebbe and some of his leading Chassidim (students and followers) were reported to the Russian authorities as traitors to the Czar. The false accusation was well-timed. The territory had only recently been annexed from Poland, and Czar Paul was highly sensitive to any activities by Polish nationalists. Besides, Russia and Turkey had been at war for years. The fact that the Alter Rebbe collected funds to support the needy in the Holy Land (which was part of the Turkish empire) was used by these slanderers as “evidence” that he was an “enemy” of Russia. On the day after Simchat Torah 5559
(1798), Rabbi Schneur Zalman was arrested and placed in the Peter-Paul Fortress in Petersburg. His life and the future of the whole Chassidic movement hung in the balance.
taries: the question “Where are you?” was merely a “conversation opener” on the part of G‑d, who did not wish to unnerve Adam by immediately confronting him with his wrongdoing.
A special commission was set up by the Czar to investigate the charges. Among the Alter Rebbe’s interrogators was a government minister who possessed broad knowledge of the Bible and Jewish studies. On one occasion, he asked the Alter Rebbe to explain the verse (Genesis 3:9), “And G‑d called out to the man and said to him: ‘Where are you?’” Did G‑d not know where Adam was?
“What Rashi says, I know,” said the minister, referring to the outstanding Biblical commentator. “I wish to hear how the Rebbe understands the verse.”
The Alter Rebbe presented the explanation offered by several of the commen-
“Do you believe that the Torah is eternal?” asked the Alter Rebbe. “Do you believe that its every word applies to every individual, under all conditions, at all times?” “Yes,” replied the minister.
The Alter Rebbe was extremely grati‑ fied to hear this. The czar’s minister had affirmed a principle which lies at the ba‑ sis of the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, the very teachings and ideology for which he was standing trial!
By Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin
revolutionary propaganda against Soviet rule and its leaders.” He also “persuaded Jews to immigrate to Palestine.”
“‘Where are you?’” he went on to ex‑ plain, “is G‑d’s perpetual call to every man. Where are you in the world? What have you accomplished? You have been allotted a certain number of days, hours, and minutes in which to fulfill your mission in life. You have lived so many years and so many days,”—here the Al‑ ter Rebbe spelled out the exact age of the minister—“Where are you? What have you achieved?” Ultimately, the Alter Rebbe was able to convince his investigators that his move‑ ment and its support of the needy in the Holy Land was purely a religious one and had nothing to do with political matters. Favorable reports from the local authori‑ ties of the Alter Rebbe’s district helped to convince the Czar that the prisoner was a peace-loving sage and scholar, and that all the charges against him and his tea‑ chings were false.
After 53 days, he was exonerated of all charges and released. He was released on the 19th of Kislev. This day (Yud-Tes Kis‑ lev) became known as “Rosh Hashanah” of Chassidus, since on it, not only the lea‑ you?” was der, but the whole Chassidic movement ” on the received a new lease on life. unnerve ting him The Alter Rebbe saw these events as a reflection of what was transpiring Above. He regarded his arrest as but the earthly id the mi‑ echo of a heavenly indictment against his ing Bibli‑ revelation of the most intimate secrets of r how the the Torah.
h is eter‑ o you be‑ s to every ns, at all
Proud of ‘criminal’ past
Chassidic teachings are gleaned from the mystical soul of Torah which had pre‑ viously been the sole province of select Kabbalists in each generation. The Alter Rebbe went much farther than his prede‑ cessors, bringing these teachings to bro‑ ader segments of the Jewish population of Eastern Europe. More significantly, he founded the “Chabad” approach—a phi‑
This referred to the Torah classes he gave, the mikvah he built and the kos‑ her food he supervised for Belarus Jews. And later, the underground synagogue and Jewish day school he operated in his home in the Moscow suburb of Mo‑ zhaysk, until the Soviet secret police fi‑ nally got hold of him.
A portrait of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi painted 66 years after his passing by Boris Schatz
losophy and system of study, meditation, and character refinement that made these abstract concepts rationally com‑ prehensible and practically applicable in daily life. In its formative years, the Chassidic movement was the object of strong, and often venomous, opposition from establis‑ hment rabbis and laymen. Even within the Chassidic community, a number of Rabbi Schneur Zalman’s contemporaries and colleagues felt that he had “gone too far” in tangibilizing and popularizing the hitherto hidden soul of Torah. The Alter Rebbe saw his release as sig‑ nifying his vindication in the heavenly court. Following his liberation on 19 Kis‑ lev, he redoubled his efforts, dissemina‑ ting his teachings on a far broader scale, and with more detailed and “down-toearth” explanations, than before. To study his teachings online, visit the Judaism website Chabad.org
On November 23, corresponding to the Hebrew date of Kislev 19, Chabad followers around the globe celebrate the release from prison of the founder of Chabad Hasidism, Rabbi Schneur Zal‑ man of Liadi. A few days earlier, Kislev 10, is named by Hasidim the “festival of liberation” as the day his successor, Rabbi DovBer of Lubavitch, was released from prison as well. In fact, there are more such comme‑ morations. It is told about a father who‑ se son was becoming religious and was spending time in Chabad circles: upon hearing the causes for many Hasidic ce‑ lebrations, the father commented, “Son, perhaps you should not be hanging out with such lawless folks.” My great-grandfather, Rabbi Aaron Eliezer Tzeitlin, belonged to that seemin‑ gly shady club as well. On December 20, 1937 he was senten‑ ced to eight years of “restorative work” in Russia’s Siberia (he ultimately died there, never to be properly buried). The counts he was convicted on explain why I am so proud of his criminal past — and why Chabad pays tribute to its rebbes’ felonious activities. According to the investigation file, Rabbi Aaron Eliezer was accused of being “a member of the underground group and promoted among Jewish workers anti-
Today it is hard to imagine living a Jewish life with the challenges our fore‑ fathers faced, or the existential dangers Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin. Photo: Britta Van Vranken
our grandparents confronted not too long ago. The key to securing our commitment to Jewish ideals and tradition is perhaps gratitude. We are somewhat naturally inclined to be grateful to those who pro‑ vide for many of our physical needs, but we must surely also learn to appreciate those who have provided for our spiritual ones, as Rabbi Lazar Gurkow points out in his book, “Reaching For G-d.” When we observe the Torah, we valida‑ te not only our mandate but also the mi‑ llions who sacrificed much to attain and preserve it, Gurkow says. Conversely, when we abandon the Torah, we betray not only our mandate but also our ances‑ tors’ many sacrifices. What the farbrengens (Chassidic cele‑ brations) remind us is that if our rabbis back in the 1800s could endure impri‑ sonment in Czarist Russia for keeping the faith, how difficult can it be for us? King David implores in Psalm 34: “Tas‑ te it, and you will see that G-dliness is good.” Today, you can do so much more than taste. --Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin is the Outreach Director of Chabad Tucson
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KOSHER
Kosher grocers challenged by shortages and soaring prices The High Holy Days may be over but kosher retailers are reeling from ongoing shortages and soaring prices, especially for meat and poultry. The owner of a takeout store in the Flatbush area of New York couldn’t believe his eyes when the price for a prime cut went from $11 lb. to more than $19 lb. in just a two-week period. Another kosher supermarket owner in New York complained that he was only able to get “half of the chickens I normally keep in stock.” Food prices in general have reached their highest level in a decade as the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on businesses suffering from labor shortages and supply chain issues. Many kosher independent grocers said they had shortages over the holidays due to increased demand and insufficient supply. One store told Kosher Today that he “ran out of Coca Cola products in the early days of Sukkot and could not get a
shipment until well after the holidays, frustrating my customers.” The sharply higher prices seem to be a worldwide trend. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, vegetable oil saw the highest increase at 60% compared to the previous year. Cereal prices saw the second-largest jump in food prices, rising 27.3% from the same month last year, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported seeing a 3% increase in its Consumer Price Index, which measures grocery prices.. Over 12 months, the price for all household and grocery products increased by 5.3%. According to many in the kosher food industry, the shortages and price increases come at a time of increasing demand due to population growth and “growing pantries” defined by one distributor as consumers simply buying more. (KosherToday.com)
With Israel Set to Open Borders, Tourists Face Early Chanukah a good More Kashrus Confusion While it lasts... Chanukah items sold this past month at HomeGoods in Tucson * Photo: Karen Faitelson
omen for gift business
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An early Chanukah will be a boon for the gift business, kosher food sources say. The first night of Chanukah falls on November 28th, almost a full month before the secular holiday season. But while some gift businesses prefer a season when Chanukah coincides with the secular holidays, some have said that an early Chanukah allows them to focus on the Jewish holiday and not on the season as a whole. At the HomeGoods furnishing store at 7170 E Broadway Blvd, a Chanukah dis-
play was set up well over a month before the holiday. Sparkling menorahs, colorful candles and flush dreidels were being sold in addition to gifts such as Chanukahthemed coffee mugs, coasters, scented candles, gift bags and a kippah-wearing teddy bear. The Chanukah gift business has in recent years grown by nearly 40%, according to some estimates, and the trend is expected to continue. Also noted is an expansion of many online Chanukah-related options.
Tourists may soon be back on the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv but for many observers of kashrus, the country’s everchanging kosher landscape will prompt new confusion.
tified mehadrin, the most stringent level of kosher supervision, according to a new study carried out by Ariel Finklestein and Gabriel Abensour of the Israel Democracy Institute.
Reports indicate that Israel may open its borders to fully vaccinated tourists as early as November 1st. But where to eat if you are kosher may become a challenge, according to kashrus sources.
The study comes on the heels of a planned major overhaul of kosher in Israel by the administration of Prime Minister Naftali Bennet. The reforms will in effect open the door to certifications beyond Israel’s Chief Rabbinate.
In a new survey by Israel Today, it was reported that just under half of all food businesses in the Tel Aviv District are kosher compared to 66% of all businesses across the country. Among those businesses with kosher certificates, 79% are cer-
For US tourists used to symbols by major certifying agencies and other Chassidic certifications, negotiating the Israel kashrus scene will only become more confusing. (KosherToday.com)
KOSHER
From Feigie’s kitchen: Homemade sweet potato pie By Feigie Ceitlin
Serves 8 INGREDIENTS: Ingredients: 1 graham cracker 9’’ crust 5-6 medium sweet potatoes (yams) cooked, drained and mashed 1/2 cup sugar 3 eggs 1/2 cup oat milk 2 tsp maple syrup Topping: 1 stick margarine 1 cup flour 1 cup brown sugar DIRECTIONS: Heat oven to 350 degrees Puree the potatoes and let cool Mix potato puree with sugar, eggs, oat milk and maple syrup Pour into the crust Combine the topping ingredients with
a pastry blender or in a food processor until they form a crumb-like texture Place topping mixture on top of the pie Bake for 45 minute * The blessing: Ha’Adamah “Fruits of the ground” include vegetables, legumes, peanuts, and the “fruit” excluded from the ha-aitz blessing above: melons, bananas, pineapples, some berries. Baruch atah A-donay, Elo-heinu Melech Ha’Olam borei pri ha-adamah. Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe who creates the fruit of the earth. Bon appetit! — Feigie Ceitlin is the program director of Chabad Tucson
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PROFILE
The first time I celebrated Chanukah By Susan Kennedy-Arenz “Do you celebrate Christmas or Chanukah?” Elisheva Marmor asked me. Every year except the last, when Dad was already on trial for fraud, he had brought home a Christmas tree that we strung with fairy lights and shiny balls. “Christmas,” I said. “Then you’re not Jewish,” she said. “So you don’t eat latkes or light candles.” She was right. Ever since a friend of mine lit a firework on Guy Fawke’s night that went off in his hand and left him blind in one eye, I had been scared of matches. At home, we didn’t use candles, not even on birthdays which we didn’t celebrate—not with cakes, not at all. As for latkes, I had no idea what they were. “Let’s show Susan how we light the candles,” said Esther Marmor, as though she were letting me into a family secret. We joined Mr. Marmor and the seven Marmor children—four girls and three boys—in the lounge. On the windowsill stood a silver candelabra large enough to hold nine candles and a box of tall candles. I understood I was being initiated into a rite I hadn’t known existed until that moment. I was amazed that people did things in a special way, ritually, while I lived in a home where everything felt random.Holding Shimon, the youngest child, in the crook of his arm, Mr. Marmor beckoned me into the family circle and told me that even though I didn’t know it, I was Jewish and had a Jewish soul and was part of the Jewish people. It seemed to me that this was a good thing—that I was somehow connected to all the life in this house and the theater unfolding in front of me. I wondered if Mum knew that we were Jewish and if it meant our life could be different, more joyful somehow, although I doubted it because our father had been put away for years.
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“As our guest of honor,” Mr. Marmor said, nodding in my direction, “I’d like
you to say the blessing with me before we light the candles.” I felt all eyes upon me, expectantly, generously. “I don’t know how to pray,” I said, suddenly self-conscious. Esther waved away my excuses. “Just repeat what Isaac says. We’ll all say it together.” And that’s what we did. In a language I’d never heard, I repeated words that meant nothing to me but a lot to the tribe gathered there. They told me they were celebrating the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days, which still meant nothing to me. I thought of our deep fryer sitting permanently on the stove and how the oil inside lasted not just 8 days but the entire winter because no one ever changed it. Mr. Marmor told me that each day, they would light one more candle until all eight were lit. And that there’s one candle that is the helper candle that lights all the others and which goes in a separate place because it doesn’t belong with the rest. He pointed to a hole in the middle of the candlestick out of line with the others. And he explained that they put the candlestick, which he called a menorah, on the windowsill so that everyone walking past in the dark can enjoy the light and celebrate the miracle. It seemed very different from my home whose front room, still called the piano room even though the piano had been taken away by the bailiffs, was shielded from the street by heavy curtains and used only for special occasions, of which there were none. “And now you’re going to light the candles,” said Mr. Marmor. “We light from left to right with the helper candle. When all four candles are lit, you put the helper, the shamash, here.” I forgot my fear of matches and did as I was asked. Light flickered on his children’s faces and played on the window panes. I felt a rush of heat in my cheeks. The family burst out in song as soon as the helper was in its place.
Susan Kennedy-Arenz lights Chanukah candles at home
And then some patties, which I learned were latkes, were passed around. It seemed wrong to me that in some part of London, not an hour away from my home, people who knew my Dad were celebrating while my Mum and sister sat alone, and my father had been sent away for longer than I’d been alive. An awareness crept up on me that we would never partake of the joy contained in this house—that this treat was going to live on in my memory as something profoundly unsettling, as a kind of watershed, and that rather than the Marmors being different, it was we who were different.
It didn’t say anything about who we were and made us into who we were not. Why was my grandmother a Nachmias and my grandfather an Arenz, but my Vienneseborn father a Kennedy? Why was my middle name the foreign-sounding Lena? Why did I not know whether I should go to the Jewish or the Christian assembly at school? Have the kosher or the regular school lunch? Why did I go to the Jewish Brownies but sing Christmas carols? Why did my friends not know the foods I described, like halva and mohnkuchen (German poppy seeds cake), and laugh at my mother’s accent? Why did I never want to leave the Marmors’ home?
Even our name wasn’t really ours. Like everything about us, it was a perversion.
That was my first and last encounter with the Marmors. They had given me
PROFILE
Ready for Chanukah?
Susan Kennedy-Arenz lights Chanukah candles at home
a glimpse into another world—a world which for one moment looked like it might be within reach, but which in reality was so far removed from our own it might have been out of a fairytale. I didn’t dare look into that fairytale again, not until long after my father had served not just his first sentence but two subsequent ones, by which time I was in my mid-30s, and it had become a matter of life and death. After a long period of illness, at 35, I set out for Israel, ostensibly to write a hiking guide on the country but actually to explore my Jewish past. I arrived at the end of November, a newcomer to a country I knew nothing about. The first weeks were spent settling into an apartment in Jerusalem and poring over detailed trail maps deciding how to plan the task ahead. I booked myself into a kibbutz with a guesthouse in the Bet She’an Valley. There were plenty of hikes in the vicinity, and I was assured of warmer weather there. Within moments of my arrival, I was invited to light the first Chanukah candle at the home of the guesthouse manager. Memories of my very first Chanukah came flooding back as I stood at Zvi’s
kitchen table, his wife and children graciously accepting my presence, and repeating the words of the blessing I’d first heard 25 years earlier. I didn’t actually go on any hikes that week. I was more interested in the religious life around me, the sense of purpose and lives lived well. Zvi and his wife made me feel part of their family, lent me books to read and a bike to ride, and encouraged me to learn more. The guidebook got written. A few months after its publication in 1997, I moved to Israel for good. This year I’ll be celebrating my 23rd Chanukah in Jerusalem, as usual with friends. It’s been a long journey to get here, and the fairytale ending is almost in sight. --Susan Kennedy-Arenz was born in London to Viennese Transport Kinder parents. She studied German and Politics at university and worked as a researcher in the House of Commons before becoming a teacher. At 35, she wrote a hiking guide to Israel, Jordan and Sinai and shortly after its publication, made aliya. She has been living and working in Jerusalem, as a writer, editor and teacher, for over 20 years. In her spare time, she enjoys walking and gardening.
Chanukah, or Hanukkah, is the Jewish eight-day, wintertime “festival of lights,” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods. Chanukah begins on the eve of Kislev 25 and continues for eight days. On the civil calendar, it generally coincides with the month of December. Chanukah 2021 begins Sunday evening, November 28 and continues through Monday, December 6. Menorahs, candles and other Chanukah-related items are available in stores around Tucson. Chabad Tucson provides Menorah kits free of charge. It includes a tin gold menorah, a box of candles, the prayers and a dreidel. If you have a child studying out of town, Chabad will provide him or her with a Menorah as well. To receive one, email: info@ChabadTucson.com
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HEALTH
What a juice fast taught me about determination By Loren Minsky Last week, I remembered a part of me that had been long forgotten. Suffering from inflamed gums after dental surgery, I decided to try a fruit and vegetable juice fast to help the area heal. The rationale of my naturopath was that I would give my body a chance to rest so that it could use the energy on healing that it would have normally spent on digestion. Now, let me make this clear. I love eating, and I love food, and I am not a good faster. I dread religious fasts, and feel so much relief and gratitude when they are behind me. So this suggestion was met with strong resistance. My naturopath suggested a five-day plan, which I felt was not possible considering the number of things I had going on that week. Part of me insisted that if I could not do it all, the whole venture was worthless, and I may as well not even do a little bit. An “all or nothing” approach. But for a change, I ignored that voice. In other words, I outsmarted myself and simply started. I told myself that I would start with just a day or two and see how it goes. After day one, I wanted to give up. I felt weak, depleted and exhausted. Another voice of fear piped up, telling me that this could be a dangerous idea! But instead of buying into that voice, I put myself to bed and resolved that I would see how I felt in the morning. Perhaps then I could decide to do just one more day. The next day was also grueling, but after surviving my mid-afternoon low point and enjoying my well-earned hot onion broth for dinner, I said to myself, Why not try just one more day?
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I didn’t pay too much attention to the voice that piped up telling me that this was extreme, and why can’t I be more like everyone else? No. Instead, I kept my eyes focused firmly on my “one more day” goal, and surprisingly, by the next day, I started to feel a
Illustration photo by Anete Lusina from Pexels
bit better. There were a handful of rough moments within the day, but at times I even felt light, energized and exhilarated! By the next day, I felt more vibrant, and since I had come so far, I thought I may as well try one more day. Then the next day, I consciously broke my fast in order to accustom my body to food before Shabbat. In other words, I did it. Victory! I found myself on the other side, with healing gums, thank G‑d, and a sense of accomplishment. I
had done the seemingly impossible. My accomplishment reminded me of myself at the age of 10 or 11, when I won a 4-kilometer marathon two years in a row. I remembered the strategies and mind games I played with myself back then: starting slow, not wearing myself out too quickly despite the temptation, slowly overtaking the people in front of me, one by one, until I let myself increase in speed towards the end, keeping my head down and my eyes on a goal just ahead of me,
and then moving the goal—all the way till the end. These strategies made me think of one of the meditations in Bringing Heaven Down to Earth - Meditations on the Wisdom of the Rebbe by Tzvi Freeman: “On the first night of Chanukah, all eight candle holders stand before you. But you light only one. Tomorrow night you shall light two. You know that eventually, you will light all eight.”
HEALTH
n
Mazel Tov Ellen Weiden and Jim Overmyer On the sale of your home. Mazel Tov
From which we learn two things: 1. Move step by step in life. Take things on at a pace you can handle. 2. Always grow. Always keep moving. If you did one good thing yesterday, do two today. Your ultimate achievement is always one step ahead. I had forgotten about this determined girl inside of me, the girl who is able to keep her eye steadfastly on her next goal. These days, the voice that has run the show is the one that tried to get me not even to attempt the fast. Or, it is the scared voice that insisted that this fast was not healthy, or it is the namecalling, critical voice. So the victory here is twofold. One: I did it. I actually drank fruit and vegetable juice for four to five days! I filled my body with life-giving organic juices brimming with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. I gained a sense of my own strength, empowerment and ability to be in control of my body, and not the other way round.
(I am so grateful for access to fresh fruit and vegetables, and for the juicer we bought more than a decade ago that is still doing its thing!) And two: I did not give power to the voices trying to derail me. I filled my mind and heart with the voice of a true fan: “You can do it.” “Nearly there.” “Don’t look up just yet.” “I so believe in you.” I am so happy that this voice popped up at this time. I am reminded how possible and powerful it is to feed ourselves constructive, healthy, positive thoughts. When we do, with G‑d’s help, anything is possible. Disclaimer: Anyone wanting to attempt a juice fast or any fast for health reasons should consult with a health professional first.
-- Loren Minsky is a writer who is passionate about figuring out life and sharing the lessons she learns in a real and honest way. Originally from South Africa, she now lives in Jerusalem with her husband and daughters.
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LOCAL
Welcome to town
Daniel Feldman
my first time saying the Shema with my new baby boy in my arms. Holding him in my arms while davening just brings me to tears.
Jewish app on phone:
One of those apps that give precise z’manim or times for davening every day. That app keeps me on top of davening.
Go-to Yiddish or Hebrew word:
Well, I love to sleep, so I feel like I’m always telling Sami I could use a good shluffy.
A historical Jewish figure:
Moshe. He was the ultimate Jewish leader. He led by his actions. He was stern but fair, kind, thoughtful, and brilliant. Most of all, he was selfless. He never wanted to lead, but when G-d convinced him to take up the mantle of leadership, he did so with complete ownership and poise.
Chabad:
Chabad is the essence of selflessness. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing so many amazing Chabad families who do amazing, truly world-changing work - not just for the Jewish people, but also for the entire world.
Comfort food:
Chinese food. No questions asked!
Happiness:
Daniel and Sammy Feldman at the Bris Milah ceremony of their son Raffi at Chabad Tucson, October 2021
By Benjamin Weiss A little about yourself:
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I’m an actor, former military officer, entrepreneur, realtor, and, above all else, a husband and new father to Samantha and Raphael, respectively. I usually go by “Daniel” before I know people, but am fine going by “Danny” or “Dan” going forward. A Chabad rabbi at the Kotel once told me I should introduce myself as “Daniel.” He said the greatest part of my name was the last part because of its meaning. “Why cutoff G-d?” he said. That’s stuck with me.
How long have you been in
Tucson?
I’ve bounced back and forth between Los Angeles and Tucson for vacations but moved here in December 2020.
What brought you here?
I was introduced to my now wife, Samantha Minkus, and drove out to Tucson to meet her and the rest is history. After we married in November 2020, we decided to move to Tucson to be closer to Samantha’s family, and we love it!
Compared to your hometown, Tucson is...
Well, TINY! Los Angeles is a big place but can sometimes lack the heart of a town like
Tucson. And as the word “midbar” implies, the desert speaks to me the way a big city just can’t.
Currently learning / reading:
I’m currently back to the basics of Judaism: learning and relearning Chumash. I’m also reading a fantastic nonfiction book that reads like fiction called “The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America.”
A hobby:
Ballroom dancing! I’ve competed for years and even appeared on a season of “So You Think
Enjoying a Shabbos meal with my wife and son. Second to that, performing on a film set. You Can Dance.” My wife is also Kvetch: a dancer, so it’s a perfect situaBad leaders. I really can’t stand people in tion: I have a built-in partner! positions of responsibility who drop the ball and treat their people poorly. That’s the A favorite Mitzvah/holiday: absolute worst. Leadership is about resChanukah. As a former mili- ponsibility, not privilege. I also can’t stand tary officer, I just love the beau- bad French fries. I mean, how do you get ty of Chanukah as an example French fries wrong?! of Jews standing up for what is right. I feel like Jews are ofKvell: ten pegged as weak, which is My son, Raffi. I mean, have you seen the certainly not reality; it never kid? He’s the best! Every time I look at him has been. We’re tough people I kvell, even when changing his diapers! who bring light to darkness and that’s what Chanukah is all I would like to be known for: about. I want to be known as a good man who built a family and brought a bit more light A cherished Jewish into the world. I want people to remember memory: me fondly as a kind, generous man who The Jewish memory that always put integrity above all else. sticks out to me is fairly recent:
FUN PAGE
The Jewish Books Quiz
How well do you know the Jewish library? Take this quiz and find out! By Menachem Posner 1. How many volumes does the Chumash contain? 5 10 12
Talmud? The Soncino family Rivky Goldenberg Daniel Bomberg 9. Which classic work was written by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi? Tanya (“It Has Been Taught”) Chovot Halevavot (“Duties of the Heart”) Peninei Parshah (“Pearls of the Torah Portion”)
3. Who compiled the Book of Psalms? King David King Solomon Queen Esther 4. What is the name of the foundational work redacted by Rabbi Judah the Prince? Code of Jewish Law Mishnah The Book of Ezra
Illustration photo: Yeshiva University
5. Which work was completed first, Babylonian Talmud or Jerusalem Talmud? Jerusalem Talmud Babylonian Talmud They were completed within a few days of each other
6. Who wrote the classic commentary on (almost all of) Tanach and the Babylonian Talmud? Rabbi Isaac Abravanel (Abarbanel) Rabbi Jacob ben Meir (Rabbenu Tam) Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)
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7. What was the only major book Maimonides wrote in Hebrew? Guide to the Perplexed Mishneh Torah Commentary to the Mishnah 8. Which printer established the standard pagination used until this very day for the Babylonian
10. What is the Hebrew name of the Code of Jewish Law? Yom Yom (“Day [by] Day”) Sefer Halachah Yehudit (“Book of Jewish Law”) Shulchan Aruch (“Set Table”) Answers: 1. 5 / 2. 24 / 3. King David / 4. Mishnah / 5. Jerusalem Talmud / 6. Rashi / 7. Mishneh Torah / 8. Daniel Bomberg / 9. Tanya / 10. Shulchan Aruch
2. According to Jewish tradition, how many volumes are in the Tanach (Hebrew Bible)? 14 24 42
Sudoko
Fill in the puzzle so that every row across, every column down and every 9 by 9 box contains the numbers 1 to 9. Level: hard
Keeping Jewish is published monthly in print and mailed directly to homes and businesses across Southern Arizona. For home mailing, subscribe at www.ChabadTucson.com/SubscribePrint Pick up your copy at Chabad Tucson, Chabad on River, Chabad Oro Valley, Chabad of Sierra Vista, Al Basha Grocery, Coffee X Change and Handmaker Jewish Services For Aging.
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