There are many ways to support Israel and its people, but this Chanukah, no gift is more transformative than one to Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency services system. Your support of MDA isn’t just changing lives — it’s literally saving them — providing critical care and hospital transport for everyone from victims of heart attacks to rocket attacks, and every emergency in between.
Donate today at MagenDavidAdom.org or call 866.632.2763.
More Than a Meal
At Father Joe’s Villages, every meal we serve is a step toward a brighter tomorrow. Each one opens the door to housing, healthcare, childcare, job training, and other life-changing services that help individuals and families move beyond homelessness. When you include Father Joe’s Villages in your future giving plans, you help ensure this vital work continues for generations—providing care, stability, and hope to neighbors in need.
CHANUKA EVENTS
CELEBRATE WITH CHABADS OF S. DIEGO ALL OVER THE COUNTY!
DEC 14
SUNDAY
DEC 15
MONDAY
Friendship Circle & KEN Chanuka Party
Chabad East County Chanuka Circus Show
Coastal Chabads Encinitas Block Party
Chabad RB LED SHOW @ RB Town Center
Chabad of UC Menorah Lighting in UTC
Chabad Downtown & Chabad PB Liberty
Station Menorah Lighting
Chabad Chula Vista @ Otay Ranch Town Center
Chabad Escondido @ Harmony Grove Park
Chabad S. Marcos Wonderland @ S Elijo Hills
DEC 16
TUESDAY
DEC 17
WEDNES
DEC 18 THURS
DEC 20
SATURDAY
DEC 21
SUNDAY
Chabad Tierrasanta Rec Center Gelt Drop
Chabad S. Marcos City Hall Menorah Lighting
Chabad RSF Menorah Lighting @ The Inn
Chabad Oceanside/Vista Regal Cinema Plaza
Chabad Carmel Valley & Chabad RSF One Paseo
Coastal Chabads Carlsbad Premium Outlets
Chabad Scripps Ranch Gelt Drop Fairbrook Park
Coastal Chabads Forum Chanuka Party
Chabad Oceanside/Vista Downtown Vista
Chabad of UC Family Chanuka Party
Chabad Carmel Valley Israel Celebration
REACH OUT TO YOUR LOCAL CHABAD FOR MORE INFO!
PUBLISHERS
Mark Edelstein and Dr. Mark Moss
EDITOR
Susan Edelstein
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Makayla Hoppe
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Donna D’Angelo
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Eileen Sondak
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Emily Bartell, Linda Bennett, Andrea Simantov, Trevor James McNeil, Marnie Macauley, Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort, Galia Miller Sprung, Micah Siva Lisa McGuigan
At Kindness, we believe that no Jew should struggle alone when dealing with a hard hand in life We provide customized concierge support to Jewish individuals and families navigating challenging times. Kindness is your home to come to, where you'll find compassion, dignity, support, and hands-on assistance.
Your generosity becomes the backbone of our mission and a powerful investment in the fastest growing Jewish nonprofit transforming Jewish lives With applications for assistance up 395% this year, we need your support now more than ever to provide every Jewish family the chance to uplift their life with dignity, hope, and opportunity.
Whether you volunteer once a week, once a month, twice a year, or whenever your heart calls, your time matters. No act is too small Come as you are, and leave knowing you've changed a life because that's what happens when you perform a mitzvah: you transform the world and yourself in the process
Our mission is to alleviate poverty in San Diego's Jewish community by mitigating individual crises and fostering selfsustainability, rooted in kindness, empathy, and Jewish values. Fully dedicated to our Jewish community, we go far beyond crisis response. We walk alongside families, building lives through dignity, education, and personalized one-on-one concierge case management that meets each person exactly where they are.
Drop off your gently used or new items to support Jewish families in need. All services and goods are free of cost. Our warehouse offers household goods, clothing, toiletries, bedding, cleaning supplies, and more Drop-offs open 5 days a week. Families in need, come shop with dignity and joy. Together, we're supporting 9,600+ visitors annually.
Make a Difference. Maximize Your Impact.
This holiday season, thousands of families in San Diego County are turning to the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank for help putting food on the table. Your gift provides nutritious meals for children, seniors, veterans, and working families — and may offer tax benefits before December 31.
Ways to maximize your impact before year-end:
• Give appreciated stock or securities
• Donate through your Donor Advised Fund (DAF)
• Make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA
• Give by December 31 to count toward 2025 tax benefits
Together, we’ll close this year with impact and welcome a hunger-free new year.
Learn more at SanDiegoFoodBank.org/legacy or call 858-863-5109. Scan to Give Today Fighting Hunger. Feeding Hope.
IN HONOR OF
Sandy’s Grandsons, Jackson Evan Bold, Andrew Michael Roseman, Jason Gabriel Roseman, & Elliot Harrison Roseman; Granddaughter, Sydney Ilyse Bold; Daughter & Son-in-Law, Rochelle & Bill Bold; Son & Daughter-in-Law, Loren & Dana Roseman. — Sandy Roseman & Families
Law Offices of Charles S. Roseman
& Associates
Providing quality legal representation throughout California for over 53 years.
1761 Hotel Circle South, #250, San Diego, CA 92108
LAW OFFICES OF CHARLES S. ROSEMAN & ASSOCIATES
t (619) 544-1500 • csroseman@rosemanlaw.com f (619) 239-6411 • www.rosemanlaw.com ADR SERVICES, INC. t (619) 233-1323 • csroseman@adrservices.com
• Mediation/Arbitration Services ADR Services, Inc.
• Personal Injury Law
• ADA/Personal Injury Law
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Scripps Clinic OB/GYN
DINA FAINMAN, MD
• Insurance Law
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• Civil Rights Law
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Dr. Fainman specializes in general obstetrics and gynecology, birth control options, pregnancy care and childbirth, minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, and hormone replacement therapy and menopause. She speaks English, Spanish and Hebrew.
Scripps Clinic, Encinitas 310 Santa Fe Drive, Suite 204 | Encinitas, CA 92024 Call 760-633-7245 to schedule an appointment or visit Scripps.org for more information.
Celebrate
WITH BETH ISRAEL
17 19
CHANUKAH UNDER THE STARS
Wednesday, December 17 @ 5:00 pm Mission Valley Mall
Join your Beth Israel community for a joyful evening with a menorah lighting by our clergy, music by our youth & teen choirs, live entertainment by DJ Benji, family crafts, sweet treats, and a free raffle with exciting prizes.
LIGHT UP THE NIGHT!
Friday, December 19
6:00 pm Light Up Your Chanukiah 6:15 pm Erev Shabbat Chanukah Service 7:15 pm Light Up the Night Chanukah Celebration & Oneg
Celebrate Chanukah with a communal chanukiah lighting, an uplifting Erev Shabbat Chanukah service featuring our youth & teen choirs and the Zimriyah Chorale, and a festive oneg with Israeli music, latkes, doughnuts, and a special craft.
9001 Towne Centre Dr., San Diego, CA 92122 www.cbisd.org
Founder Myra Chack Fleischer
SUSAN EDELSTEIN
Hanukkah
—
A Time
to Spread Light and Joy
Hanukkah is the festival of lights, a time of joy when we engage in traditions and make new memories, when we share with and give to others. These four words — light, joy, traditions, memories — appear in all the beautiful pieces written by our contributors and reverberate through our December issue.
Beginning in the kitchen, Micah Siva shares her joy and indulgence with a new tradition, cauliflower latkes, while Marnie Macauley gives us a lovely history of challah and reminds us it is not just bread, it is a tradition thousands of years in the making, and through its many iterations, the woven braids continue to symbolize our unity.
Andrea Simantov recounts that the tradition of welcoming guests, all guests, began with Avraham who taught that kindness and good deeds allow us to ‘be a light unto the nations.’ Galia Sprung invites us into the memories of her early farming days in Israel where she was eager to fit in and did so by learning and sharing the ancient tradition of Turkish coffee. Trevor McNeil’s article on Elie Wiesel reminds us of the importance of memories and memoirs in retaining history and traditions.
Perhaps Rabbi Eilfort says it best — Hanukkah is about light and joy, sharing it and spreading it, and that ‘even in the face of antisemitism, we can light up the whole world with our menorahs.’
Please also enjoy our features on the caring, sharing and spreading of light and joy being done by The Studio Door, Father Joe’s Villages and the San Diego Food Bank. Happy Hanukkah! A
Top right: Hilit Edelstein, Christopher Jackson and Barry Edelstein; Middle right: Jennifer and Richard Greenfield; Bottom right: Colette Carson Royston, Karen Cohn, Dr. Irwin Jacobs and Iris Strauss; Bottom left: Barry Edelstein, Sheryl White, Jennifer Greenfield and Tim Shields.
Photos by Jenna Gilmer.
Reimagining Food Assistance
At JFS, we are changing the way people access healthy food. From home-delivered meals to community distributions, we are providing nourishment with compassion, dignity, and choice. This same welcoming spirit is at the heart of our Lieber’s Corner Market—a grocery store on our campus where shoppers can choose fresh produce and pantry staples, free of charge and free of stigma.
JFS Responds to Government Shutdown For seven weeks, our emergency drive-thru food distribution uplifted impacted community members.
592 Households (2,159 Individuals) Served 17,890 Meals Distributed
Because the need is still critical, our drive-thru food distributions continue.
LIVING ON THE FRONT PAGE
by Andrea Simantov | andreasimantov@gmail.com
The Blink of an Eye
It had been such a long week. Catching up after a very short trip overseas, I’d hit the ground running, barely stopping to catch my breath. My own work, clients, laundry, reconnecting with children and grandchildren, a few doctor visits, the need for nourishing food after eating catch-as-one-can while traveling. Sleep had been elusive and, consequently, meals and together time had become uncharacteristically quiet.
Ronney is strong. But at 73, he clearly cannot hoist furniture and build shelving with the same speed and grace as he did earlier in our marriage. A few years ago, he tore a tendon in his right arm while roughhousing with grandchildren and has been affected by this ever since. Some days, the pain is unbearable. And still...
temple peppered the landscape. Ronney attends a netz minyan, a super early prayer group that challenges the sanity of anyone who appreciates the idea of, occasionally, sleeping in. Call it ‘madness’; call it ‘marriage.’ I have begun to attend synagogue with him at this ung-dly hour as well.
We believe in work and are not seduced by thoughts of retirement. Consequently, on Friday we spent a few hours in his small factory, making orders and developing new systems. Even though I have my own business, with a few personal scheduling tweaks, we created organizational magic. I’d cooked for Shabbat the night before and even set the table. Dusty and drained, we locked up his workplace and headed for our car.
We were parked far away, and my husband carried a very heavy carton
for delivery to a client. The weather was stifling, and both of us dripped with perspiration. Out of nowhere, a young man wearing khakis and an army t-shirt lifted the box that Ronney was schlepping and asked, “Which car is yours?” Easily, this reserve soldier gently slid the box into the back seat and said, “Shabbat shalom.” We responded in kind.
We arrived home in plenty of time to take showers, make a few salads and light candles. The peace that descended was real. How can one describe a feeling that envelops and comforts? G-d’s presence was palpable. A neighbor joined us for supper and this helped make Shabbat even more special.
The next morning, Ronney and I sat on the mirpeset with our coffee, watching the sun rise over the mountains of Gush Etzion. An Arab village and Herod’s
We talked about Avraham, and his determination to perform the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim, welcoming guests. Not just the guests who look like us or vote like us or smell like us, but guests who are different, those who are not necessarily front and center of the orbits in which we exist. How does one ‘find’ such guests? By opening one’s eyes and seeking, yearning, aching to reach beyond ‘being’ into the realm of ‘doing.’ Doing good. Doing kindness. Doing honesty. Doing G-d’s will.
Over this same cup of coffee, I shared some memories of Rabbi Zakon, zt”l, the teacher who had the greatest impact on my Jewish education as a young child. I did not appreciate him at the time and probably taunted and teased him along with other unruly and unappreciative youngsters. He did his job, teaching with clarity, purity and without ambiguity. At the ages of 10 and 13 — it was my great fortune to have him twice — I could not begin to appreciate these stellar qualities. He did his job. He did not
continues on page 19 >>
“Incredibly
LITERATURE WRITTEN IN FIRE
by Trevor James McNeil tremcneil1980@gmail.com
Witness to History
Even in the world of fiction, it usually helps to have life experience. While the phrase “write what you know” isn’t always meant literally, experience with the world and how it works can add a sense of credibility even to the most fantastical scenarios. One only needs to know that J.R.R. Tolkien was in WWI for “The Lord of the Rings” to make a lot more sense. Someone else who used their personal history for their writing was the journalist and author Eliezer “Elie” Wiesel.
Born in 1928 in a village in the Romanian part of the Carpathian Mountains into a Jewish farming family, his father, Shlomo, and mother, Sarah, were also self-taught intellectuals. The family was multi-lingual, speaking Yiddish, Hebrew, Romanian, German and Hungarian, and Shalom encouraged Wiesel to read literature, instilling a sense of connection to the wider world, while his mother instilled a deep sense of faith, encouraging him to memorize the Torah.
In 1944, when Wiesel was 15, Romania was occupied by German forces, extending its influence and policies into Northern Transylvania. It wasn’t long until every Jew in his village was put into confinement ghettos. As was already happening in Poland, the Germans pressured the Romanian government to deport the Jewish population to Auschwitz, where an estimated 90 percent of Romanian Jews were killed on arrival. Sarah and
Inspired by the French author, Francois Mauriac, Wiesel broke his years-long silence on what happened during the war.
his younger sister, Tzipora, were killed immediately, but Wiesel and his father survived as laborers in both Auschwitz and Buchenwald, until the camp was liberated by the U.S. a year later in the spring of 1945.
After the war, Wiesel was transported to France as part of a program for child survivors. After successful recovery at an Orthodox-run rehabilitation center, Wiesel moved to Paris where he added French to his already impressive list of languages, and was accepted at the elite Sorbonne University to study literature, philosophy and psychology. He attended lectures by Jean-Paul Sartre and read the Jewish surrealist author, Franz Kafka, for pleasure in the evenings.
Not one to do things by half, by the time Wiesel was 19, he had found work as a journalist, a Hebrew-language tutor
and a choirmaster. His journalism career included work for the Israeli Yiddishlanguage newspaper, Tsien in Kamf.
In 1955, Wiesel relocated to the United States, moving to New York as an international correspondent for the Israeli daily newspaper, Yediot Ahronot. It was here that Wiesel broke his years-long silence on what happened during the war, inspired by the French author, Francois Mauriac. After three years of hard work, the mammoth 900page memoir “Un di Velt Hot Geshvign [And the World Remained Silent]” was published in 1958, getting an English translation under the title “Night” in 1960.
Switching to fiction, Wiesel applied the same work-ethic, publishing six novels between 1960 and 1968 at a rate of nearly one per year, including the direct spiritual sequels to “Night” titled “Dawn” in 1960 and “Day” in 1961. Dipping into his strong religious background, Wiesel also wrote “The Gates of the Forest” during this time. Released in English in 1966, “The Gates of the Forest” is based on the idea that “G-d made man because He loves stories” and tells the story of three Hasidic leaders who have to follow a ritual to save their community by way of a miracle at different points in history, each of the leaders forgetting one of the steps as time passes, in an inter-generational, celestial game of “Telephone.”
1970 saw his return to nonfiction with “One Generation After,” a collection
Literature continued
of essays touching on subjects like religion, history and the state of modern Israel, especially in the aftermath of the existential threat of the Six-Day War three years before. In 1972, Wiesel began a series of theological biographies under the umbrella title “Portraits and Legends,” running from 1972 to 2003, starting with “Souls on Fire: Portraits and Legends of Hasidic Masters.” True to his intellectual roots, Wiesel got a position as a professor at City University of New York in 1972. In 1973, Wiesel returned to fiction with his seventh novel, “The Oath.” A work of historical fiction, the story follows Azriel, sharing a name with the Angel of Death, who is the sole-survivor of a brutal pogrom on his village in early-20th century Hungary, as he attempts to save a suicidal young man 50 years later.
In 1976, Wiesel started teaching at Andrew Mellon University in the Humanities Department, specializing in Religion and Philosophy. His turnout slowed down a bit going into the 1980s and 1990s, averaging a book, both fiction and nonfiction, every three to five years as opposed to a book every year or two in his early career. The biggest gap
being the nearly eight years between the seventh and eighth installments of “Portraits and Legends,” which took from 1991 to 1998.
Working and publishing consistently until 2010, Wiesel effectively retired at the age of 80. He died peacefully of natural causes in his Manhattan home in the summer of 2016 at the age of 87. A
Israeli Lifestyle continued
weigh whether or not a young, disruptive and academically challenged girl in his class might, one day, choose a life of Torah observance. Or be blessed with many Jewish children. Or embrace the mitzvah of aliyah. He did his job. Avraham did his job.
And a young soldier, spotting an older man struggling under the weight of an unwieldy carton, did his job. There is so much holiness and we live in a world that teems with opportunities to grow closer to Heaven.
The Jewish people were created to be a ‘light unto the Nations,’ but this
Growing up in the far north, Trevor James McNeil had little to do other than read when the temperature went below 40 Celsius, and he developed an affinity for stories of all sorts. Graduating from the University of Victoria in 2009, he has been reading and writing in a professional capacity since. He lives in a cabin in the woods with his dog, and firmly believes The Smiths would have been better as a trio
requires humility, learning and effort. Whether teaching Hebrew school, carrying packages for others and/or feeding strangers, all we have to do is to embrace our respective assignments. A
New York-born Andrea Simantov moved to Israel 29 years ago. She is a small-business owner and both a print and media journalist. Her popular podcast, “Pull Up a Chair,” is produced by Israel News Talk Radio. She can be reached at andrea@israelnewstalkradio.com.
ROTISSERIE AFFAIR CATERING
The Heart of What Makes Art Thrive
by Makayla Hoppe
In the Uptown San Diego neighborhood of Hillcrest, there sits a locally owned and passionately run small business. The Studio Door, founded and operated by director Patric Stillman, is an art gallery and studio for artists of all backgrounds and skill levels. While the gallery allows artists to benefit financially from their hard work, the studio helps people hone their skills to create beautiful works of art.
A Creative Career
Since 2014, The Studio Door has helped Patric and the community thrive in the artistic mediums they so choose.
His passion lies in creating new works, but his background in international business allowed him to turn it into a career.
“When I turned about 40, I realized that I was missing that creative spirit that I loved as a younger man, and wanted that back in my life,” Patric said. “I became a full-time artist, and very quickly, I realized that so many artists didn’t have the business skills to be commercial successes, and that community really helped to move my own career path faster. So, I created The Studio Door to give myself a space to work and bring community together to
be able to help them with marketing, and how to get into galleries and the basics of creative commerce.”
The Artists
For 13 years, Michael Hopkins served as the CEO of Jewish Family Services. And for over 10 years, he has been a member of The Studio Door’s classes and gallery. Michael and Patric have been working together since the studio’s first location in North Park.
“Working with Patric has been a truly meaningful experience,” Michael said. “He has been both a generous teacher and a steady mentor . . . He has an
intuitive sense of when to step back and let me learn through experimentation, and when to offer guidance that opens up a new way of seeing. He also helped me understand that creativity doesn’t come with rigid rules — it’s a process that evolves, and he’s encouraged me to trust that. He often says, ‘It’s just paint.’”
The studio offers informal lessons for artists of all skill levels. It’s a place for people to improve their craft, hone their skills or learn a new method of creating art they may be unfamiliar with.
“The Open Lab is a space for artists to come in and say they want to create something, and then I just sort of assist them in helping them to reach their vision,” Patric said. “Instead of me teaching [Michael] how to do figure painting, he may come in and say he wants to do a beach scene . . . I can sort of guide him along and give him some ideas to improve that painting so that he can execute his vision.”
Welcoming All
In addition to being a hub for seasoned and budding artists alike, The Studio Door proudly serves as a safe space for the LGBTQ community. Right near the intersection of 4th Avenue and University Avenue, the studio’s Hillcrest location brings art and culture to the historic neighborhood.
“I am a member of the LGBTQ community, and as a sort of sideline to helping artists and local artists in general, I also want to support the diverse voices from my community,” Patric said. “So, Hillcrest seemed like a natural fit.”
“Being in a space that celebrates LGBTQ creativity and expression adds a layer of meaning,” Michael added. “It feels like a place where people are free to be themselves, and that openness feeds into the art we create.”
Gifts For the Holidays
The Holiday Art Market is a special event highlighting the smaller works by locals. There are plenty of opportunities to find beautiful, hand-crafted pieces of art for gifting.
“In November and December, I like to open up a portion of the gallery to local artists and feature small works by them under $500,” Patric said. “So, this year, for example, we have 50 local artists working in a variety of styles and including paintings, ceramics, fused glass, handbags and jewelry. This gives these artists an opportunity to get their visuals out into the world, and hopefully, for the holidays, make some sales.”
The studio works hard to defy the “starving artist” stereotype by providing a platform for locals to sell their work successfully.
“It’s been a very tough year economically for a lot of people, and artists are no different,” Patric added. “So, I thought that this would be a great opportunity for them to have some space during the holidays and help support them in financial ways.”
A Lasting Impact
Michael says he enjoys painting things closest to the heart — “my family, my dog, the landscapes that shape my sense of home.” Painting has influenced and shaped his life in many ways, and he has The Studio Door to thank for that. The artists who come to the studio find community, personal growth and the opportunity to learn.
“The most significant shift has been learning to see myself as an artist — something I never expected,” Michael said. “Painting has fundamentally changed the way I look at the world. I find myself paying attention to clouds, sunsets, birds — even the way light hits a flower. I see color, shape, shadow, and negative space in ways I never did before. It’s as if the world has become a series of paintings waiting to be noticed.” A
LEFT: The Studio Door.
RIGHT, from top: Michael Hopkins, artist; gallery; Patric Stillman, artist and The Studio Door founder.
Why start drinking something called Mud Coffee? Because I wanted to belong.
With
Red Soil, Mud Brew
by Galia Sprung
After months of writing about the war in Israel — its weight, its imprint on daily life — I’m turning now in a different direction. This story doesn’t begin with tragedy or resilience, but with a finjan. It’s about mud coffee and my early days in Israel. I never drank coffee in America, so why start here with something called mud coffee? Because I wanted to belong. Mud coffee? Yes. Also known as Turkish coffee. When I moved to Israel, I wanted to feel I was one of the hevra, the group. I wanted to sit with my new friends on breaks, or in the evenings around a game of backgammon and, like them, sip the heavy black, often bitter liquid from small glasses poured from that funny looking metal thing, a finjan. I did a lot of things back in the 1970s when I moved to Israel because of that desire to be what I perceived as Israeli. Drinking mud coffee while on a break from planting seeds in holes in the ground that I had made with a little stick seemed to be one way. Smoking the occasional cigarette (which always made me sick) on a break after cutting silky skinned green peppers from their stem was another.
I would sit in the shade of a lean-to, coffee or cigarette in hand, gazing at the hills of Jordan across the border as sunlight and the accompanying heat
completed the scene of my new life as a farmer on a border moshav. We farmers worked the fields together in those days, men and women, dressed in blue cotton button-down shirts, shortshorts with folded cuffs and the popular kova tembel, pointed hat. All you needed for that break in the fields was a flame, some coffee and water in a finjan. And patience.
I had never seen a finjan before moving to Israel. I loved the new word. It was soft, middle eastern and exotic. Today I have several copper finjans from different communities in Israel. My most treasured one is from the Druze town of Daliat El Carmel. Another is from an Arab merchant in Old City in Jerusalem. Both have wide bases and tall sleek necks ending in graceful pouring spouts, the handles elegantly curved like slithering snakes. The tops, although opened by pressing on a little lever with the thumbs like most tea kettle tops, are designed to show off. Intricate patterns, some resembling the spires of minarets, make regular kettles seem fit only for the back burners of dreary kitchens. Finjans are designed to be displayed and admired.
But back in the early seventies, our finjans were more practical than elegant. These oversized metal mugs with a black plastic handle still produced a perfect drink. I was obsessed with mastering
the process. I learned the proportions of coffee to water and the correct procedure.
“Keep an eye on the finjan,” my neighbor told me. “The trick is to bring the coffee close to boiling seven times without letting it boil fully.”
No boiling? So, I focused on the liquid. As tiny bubbles made their way up the sides of the Finjan, I quickly lowered the flame, then raised it again.
“Never, never add sugar until after the coffee is ready,” she instructed me.
It was time consuming, but I learned that this process produced the froth — that treasured pièce de resistance of mud coffee.
Now that our coffee is ready and the sugar added, it’s time to pour. The angle of holding the Finjan influenced the flow of the black, aromatic liquid as it gently filled the small glasses. It was forbidden, heretical, to add milk, so the coffee remained very hot. The cooling period is just another step. In the Middle East, coffee making is a ceremony, an art form, not just a drink.
Although it’s commonly called Turkish coffee, this heavy drink originated in Yemen in the 15th century and was introduced to the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century by Ozdemir Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Yemen. I’ve
kova tembel,
read several articles about the origins and rituals connected to this coffee and was surprised to discover that there were nearly 2,500 coffeehouses in Istanbul alone by the 19th century. The coffee was slowly brewed for maximum flavor and intended to be consumed just as slowly to fully appreciate the brew. A lesson in patience. Like waiting for the crops to grow and the moshav to succeed.
The crops did grow. In the beginning, we had melons, watermelons, eggplants, tomatoes and grapes. Not all were the right choices for our arid area. Everything was experimental — almost like my moving to Israel and trying to be something I had no training or preparation for. All I had was the conviction that I was in the right place to fulfill my dream of working the land to achieve the Zionist dream: to build the Jewish country. It was all trial and error. Some crops found their home in the rich, red, salty soil. Some didn’t.
I know the feeling. It’s hard to settle in and to grow when you don’t know the language, the customs, the jokes, the army lingo.
I was an idealist, not
a farmer. The former was perhaps more important than the latter. One can be learned, the other must be in the soul.
Coming to our small, rather isolated moshav (in those days) offered an opportunity to be in on the beginning, to be among the first to work the land where Jews hadn’t lived for 2,000 years. Being part of this would surely quality me as a true Israeli.
So, I drank mud coffee and skillfully prepared it for friends, guests and construction workers. My favorite part was when seeing their initial skepticism — “this American is making me mud coffee?” — demur into a nod of admiration declaring that I knew what I was doing. I did. I still do, though much has changed since those early days. I stopped trying to imitate my Israeli friends and simply became Israeli. Israel and I evolved together. I bought a Mr. Coffee on a trip to visit family (and surely never declared it at customs). Later came a makinata (moka pot) from Italy, a French press from a department store, and eventually Nespresso machines with their tidy pods. Today, a coffee machine grinds and brews my morning fix. But my stainless steel finjan still sits in the cabinet, the decorative ones are behind glass, and there’s always a bag of mud coffee in the pantry for the purists who remain. A
Galia Miller Sprung moved to Israel from Palm Springs, California in 1970 to become a pioneer farmer and was a founding member of a moshav in the Jordan Rift Valley. Today, she is a retired high school teacher, a writer and editor. She lives with her husband in Tzufim.
Sharing the Light of Chanukah with a Dark World
by Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort
Way back when, in the days of my youth, I decided I wanted to become a Chabad Emissary, known in Hebrew as a Shliach. I chose this path, or perhaps it chose me, because Chasidic philosophy resonated within me. Chasidic philosophy (chasidut), emphasizes the presence of G-d around us and within us, the divine spark (neshama) in every one of us, and the need to serve the Creator with joy. Since then, I have come to appreciate how very blessed I am being able to do that which I love every day. That is not to say that there haven’t been ups and downs along the way. There were many. From personal difficulties, including familial tests, to Jewish national tragedies, sometimes it can be hard to remain optimistic.
Imagine this: the most ‘Jewish’ city in America, the very seat of Jewish life and culture, as well as the largest and
most active Jewish community in the U.S., and perhaps the world, just elected a man dedicated to the destruction of the lone Jewish country. Incidentally, he was elected because of his hatred of Israel, not despite it. I almost feel sorry for those trying to get him to disavow his Jew-hatred, trying to moderate his tone, if not the deeper code (dog whistles) expressed through his many slogans. Leaders of the Democratic party tried mightily to move him a bit into the center, making him less unpalatable to the average American and certainly the mainstream Jewish community. They largely failed, mostly because his base demands hatred of Israel, as a Jewish state. That is how he was raised, a (rich and privileged) socialist who hates Israel. Ironically, he dresses up his antisemitism as anti-colonialism and claims he is taking the moral high ground. And many people drink the Kool-Aid. They have
not learned the lessons of history, or the many forms Jew-hatred takes, antiZionism just being the latest iteration. Apparently, we Jews are not as well connected and influential as many in the world believe us to be. If we can’t even help elect someone who is supportive of the only free and democratic country in a rough neighborhood, and who is against the type of terror we saw on Oct. 7, 2023 (the Mayor-elect peddles the hated saying ‘Globalize the Intifada’ and cannot bring himself to unequivocally condemn murderers and rapists of Israelis), our ‘power’ is clearly severely limited. Dark times indeed.
It is impossible not to notice the growing antisemitism, which now emanates from the fringes of both major parties. In fact, it is becoming harder to find politicians who are unreservedly pro-Israel, without them throwing
Sharing the Light
in some sort of criticism of Israel. And this time around, we can see the antisemitism with our own eyes, in our own neighborhoods. High schoolers choosing socialism and Naziism. Universities becoming hotbeds of antiIsrael rhetoric and Jewish students being chased and tormented—in the name of ‘free speech’ no less.
Where is G-d hiding through all of this? Maybe it’s more important to ask, “Why is G- d hiding through all of this?” I asked a New Yorker whom I am close with if he is concerned with the results of the election. He said, “No. G-d is in charge.” I suggested that G-d sometimes ‘hides’ in order that we should put effort into creating the outcomes we seek. Have you ever been in a place where there are no manmade lights on a clear night? I have had that particular blessing. When I looked up into the night’s sky, I saw countless stars shining. Their light
is usually obscured because of all the manmade light found in cities. What an amazing show we are missing! When the sun goes down, we have an opportunity to behold and enjoy an entirely different kind of light. My theory is that sometimes G-d conceals Himself so that we have the opportunity to truly shine. Chanukah is coming. It comes during the time of year when the days are shortest, meaning the nights are longest, darkest and coldest. G-d takes a ‘step back’ so that you and I should take a step forward and fill the darkness with our light. That is why we light the Menorah in our windows and doorways, to allow the light we create to spill outdoors and light up the public thoroughfares. Light automatically drives away darkness. Light represents life itself as well as knowledge. Goodness is light. Evil is darkness. It is our sacred obligation to light up this whole world. There will be those
Prepare your Menorah. Help your Jewish friends by making sure they have a Menorah and undertake the sacred task of lighting up the world. Mark your calendar and make sure to join together in some of the many giant Menorah lighting ceremonies around town, as we unabashedly demonstrate our fierce Jewish pride. Be a modern day Maccabi.
Happy Chanukah! A
Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort co-directs, with his wife Rebbetzin Nechama Eilfort, Coastal Chabads, Chabad at La Costa, Encinitas, and Carlsbad North where everyone, regardless of level of knowledge or observance, feels cherished and loved. Rabbi Eilfort welcomes and encourages readers’ comments and questions sent to his personal email: rabbie@chabadatlacosta.com. who argue it is unethical for us to allow our light to shine forth. They are on the wrong side of history. They will be defeated.
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Guardians at the Gates of Homelessness & Hunger
by Susan Edelstein
Hanukkah is a great time to take stock of our community as givers — how we give, to whom we give, and how we can give more. We give of ourselves in myriad ways, almost daily, and there are many individuals and groups who devote themselves to the caretaking of those in need, but two organizations deserve to be singled out and recognized as the pillars of humanity that they are. Father Joe’s Villages and the San Diego Food Bank have been at the forefront in the causes of homelessness and hunger for a combined 123 years and are our giants in helping San Diegans to survive and to thrive.
Father Joe’s Villages
For 75 years, Father Joe’s Villages (FJV) has been in the forefront of the fight against homelessness. Father Joe’s
embodies empathy and fulfills deeply human needs — a warm bed on a cold night, a hot meal, a shower and some clean clothes, a child with a place to learn and grow, a place where a person can rediscover their purpose. Their creed in dealing with our neighbors experiencing hardship and adversity says it all: Compassion, Respect, Empathy, Empowerment, Dignity. Father Joe’s army of staff are compassionate and committed to restoring dignity to those in need and ending homelessness one life at a time. Last year, FJV’s 6,000 volunteers logged more than 56,000 hours and provided essential services to more than 11,000 people including almost 1,000 children.
FJV’s four pillars of care are Meeting Basic Needs, Investing in Children, Making Health a Priority and
Strengthening Self-Sufficiency. A part of Father Joe’s strategic plan is their Innovation Lab, whose purpose is to foster creativity among staff and pilot innovative solutions to homelessness. Ideas move successfully through tiers before projects are approved and integrated into Father Joe’s programming.
As of May 2025, the number of unhoused people in San Diego was just under 10,000, with decreases from the year before in the numbers of children, veterans and seniors, and an increase in the chronically homeless group. Father Joe’s currently has just under 1,000 affordable housing units, and as part of its Turning the Key program, added more than 200 housing units in 2025 and has acquired buildings for development which will meet their goal of 2,000 total units by the end of 2026.
Father Joe’s annual fundraising efforts include the Children’s Charity Gala, now in its 40th year, the Golf Classic in its 4th year, and the Run for Hope Thanksgiving Day 5K, running for over two decades with last year’s participants numbering more than 7,500. And 2025 will mark the 2nd annual Holiday Village at the Hilton Bayfront. As Father Joe Carroll described the FJV community, it “has always been about neighbors helping neighbors, a place where people from all walks of life—rich or poor, educated or not, needy and welloff—come together as equals to change people’s lives.”
San Diego Food Bank
The San Diego Food Bank (SDFB) was established in 1977 with the goal of providing fresh and shelf-stable food to our neighbors in need, including working-poor families, fixed-income military families, children living in poverty, and those experiencing unemployment and/or homelessness. Together with its many donors, SDFB is able to distribute food to local pantries, soup kitchens, low-income day care centers and senior programs. In addition to providing nutritious food to needy San Diegans, the Food Bank advocates for the hungry and educates the public about hunger-related issues through guided tours of their 90,000-squarefoot Miramar warehouse. From this warehouse, the Food Bank and its 450 partners are able to distribute food
throughout San Diego county’s 4,300 square mile radius.
In 2024, SDFB distributed 52 million pounds of food, of which 23 million pounds was fresh produce, and fed 400,000 San Diegans each month. And hunger is on the rise. As of June 2025, 26% of San Diegans were experiencing nutrition insecurity, the highest rate since 2020. Out of the 860,000 total people estimated to be nutrition insecure in San Diego County, 222,000 are children, 184,000 are older adults (age 60+), and 139,000 are living with disabilities.
In the past eight months, SDFB experienced $11.37 million in funding
reductions from the federal government, which translates to approximately 6.6 million pounds of food lost for our community. SDFB hosted its first emergency distribution on Nov. 2, 2025, reaching nearly 2,200 people, and are planning more in the communities that need them most. SDFB’s partnership with 2-1-1 San Diego provides real-time insight into this growing need. As of Nov. 7, 2025, food-related call volume had surged by 143%, more than double the normal rate. This spike underscores the urgency of the situation. It will take all of us—philanthropy, nonprofits, businesses and neighbors—to close the gap and ensure no one goes hungry. A
Left: SD Food Bank & Magnolia Project. Below right, top: FJV therapeutic child care; Bottom: FJV Village Health Center. Cut out: FJV Feather Joe and Deacon Jim.
Shared City
AT A CROWDED EVENT IN JERUSALEM, a young Palestinian student, Rahaf Abdel Latif, makes an acquaintance with a woman. When Rahaf explains her background—Muslim, educated in a Christian school, now studying at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU)— her new friend wonders aloud if Rahaf isn’t confused by “all the religions and all the cultures.” With a smile in her voice, Rahaf replies that no, in fact, the University has shown her “the beauty of being different.”
That spirit—measured, pragmatic, hopeful—is refreshing, but not new. A century ago, scholars at the Hebrew University were already trying to build intellectual bridges. Historian Dr. Amit Levy recounts how the School for Oriental Studies, founded in the 1920s, pursued rigorous philological work in Arabic and Islam while also carrying a diplomatic ambition. Its founder, the German-Jewish orientalist Josef Horovitz, “saw this mission as promoting Arab-Jewish betterment of relations through intellectual contacts” and sought to show regional intellectuals “that the Hebrew University is interested in Arabic and Islam for their own sake,” not merely as a tool for understanding Judaism.
The approach drew notice. Across the Middle East, leading writers and scholars corresponded with the University, visited, and followed its projects—critical editions, concordances, and other classic feats of textual scholarship. As Levy puts it, figures such as Taha Hussein in Cairo and Muhammad Kurd Ali in Damascus paid close attention to the work, which was “very philological, textual in their nature,” and sought contact with the Hebrew University scholars producing it.
History, of course, intervened. After 1948, Jerusalem was divided, and Arab students from East Jerusalem could no
longer attend. The shared academic space yielded to barbed wire and geopolitics, yet the aspiration never died.
On today’s Mount Scopus campus, the presence of Palestinian students from East Jerusalem has quietly grown. With that growth came practical challenges, especially around language. Rahaf is candid about how overwhelming the start was: “I didn’t know any word of Hebrew… I looked at the Hebrew University as something very big.” Family and friends urged her to choose another campus. She pluckily refused: “I will continue and I will be one of the nerds of Jerusalem.” Today, she teaches Hebrew to elders in East Jerusalem.
The administration has learned to turn structural hurdles into designed opportunities. Dr. Yoni Yahav, from HU’s Unit of Diversity and Inclusion, describes “Nekudot Mifgash”— Points of Encounter—a program that pairs Israeli and Palestinian students. “We developed one of these programs... where we try to bring students from both populations to work together,” he says. “Hopefully, this can break some of those boundaries between them.”
Integration is more than just programs. Prof. Mona Khoury, the University’s Vice President for Strategy and Diversity, frames her mandate in two parts: increase access for underrepresented groups and create conditions for all students to excel and belong. “It’s not the student’s responsibility to feel belonging,” she says. “We have to give them all the conditions and circumstances that enable them to feel that they belong to this institute.”
Some fixes are deceptively straightforward. “One of the main things that we changed during the last few years is translating all the signs and formal letters into three languages,” Khoury notes. Scholarships, attention to diverse
holidays, and careful work on speech norms round out the approach.
To understand how far this landscape has moved, one must go back almost 70 years. Sabri Jiryis, a PalestinianArab Israeli lawyer and writer who studied law at Hebrew University in the late 1950s, recalls: “We were four Arab students.” In his cohort, “there was a special class” to strengthen Hebrew for newcomers and for students like him.
Socially, he remembers little social interaction—not just between Arabs and Jews, but even among Jewish students themselves. Politics, too, felt distant on campus. “Everybody was caring for his own affairs and studying,” he says.
Beyond the classroom, the constraints of the era weighed heavily. Under military government until 1966, Arab citizens couldn’t move or act freely, Jiryis says; he threw himself into writing and research all the same, later publishing a pioneering book in Hebrew on Arabs in Israel.
Fast-forward to the present, and the picture is strikingly different. Yahav notes a post-2016 surge in East Jerusalem students connected to new government funding for Hebrew instruction and a Mount Scopus preparatory program.
Khoury’s research expertise in child and youth welfare shapes her administrative instincts. There’s no single cause of adolescent violence, notes the professor of social work; peer delinquency matters, as do parent relationships and exposure to community violence. Discrimination itself is linked to “higher levels of violence” and to attitudes that “support the use of violence.”
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Her conclusion is sober and actionable: “Education is one of the factors that can be a protective factor,” and helping underrepresented groups reach college can make Israeli society a better one.
Walk the campus today, and the signals of a shared civic space are easy to spot: Muslim prayer rooms, Arabiclanguage posters, and the multilingual signs Khoury championed. Everyday student life—queuing at the same gates, sharing lecture halls and labs, commiserating over exams—may be seeding habits of coexistence that outlast a semester.
Rahaf shares that she hears from skeptics that Hebrew University is “a place only for education, you can’t speak up for your own community.” Her rebuttal is simple: “The Hebrew University opens the door and is very welcoming to all opinions. It’s not only about education, it’s also about being yourself, representing your community.”
By tuning into classrooms, corridors, and conversation circles, the portrait emerges of an institution carefully trying, one encounter at a time, to turn proximity into connection. In Rahaf’s words, a campus can be a “place of hope.”
To hear more fascinating stories from Hebrew University’s past and present, listen to The View from Mt. Scopus—the podcast bringing to life the people and ideas that make this institution a beacon of knowledge and impact, for Israel and for the world.
the season with the gift of an experience. There’s something for everyone at The Conrad!
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Bridges
Local Arts
BY EILEEN SONDAK
LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE
lajollaplayhouse.org
La Jolla Playhouse’s Mandell Weiss Theatre is showcasing “Working Girl,” a razor-sharp musical based on the popular film. With a fresh book and new score, “Working Girl” promises to deliver an exhilarating theatrical experience. The show, directed by the Playhouse’s own Christopher Ashley, has been extended until Dec. 14.
The DNA New Work Series will be holding readings of up-and-coming plays Dec. 4-14. Back by popular demand, “Burnout Paradise” will be playing Dec. 17-21
NEW VILLAGE ARTS
newvillagearts.org
New Village Theatre is bringing the groundbreaking rock musical “Rent,” Jonathan Larson’s Tony Awardwinning show, to local audiences through Dec. 24. That’s a nice holiday gift for the community.
CYGNET THEATRE
cygnettheatre.com
Cygnet Theatre’s annual telling of “A Christmas Carol” is celebrating its 10th year in production. Cygnet has added a new twist to the old chestnut with a refreshed script, a larger cast, and a generous dose of magic. The show will remain on the boards through Dec. 28.
The theatre is also featuring ”Cygnet’s Magical Christmas at the Joan” Dec. 10-28. This lively offering is a colorful song-and-dance fest that spreads Yuletide joy with classic songs like “We Need a Little Christmas.”
THE OLD GLOBE THEATRE
theoldglobe.org
The Old Globe is celebrating the holidays with two classic Yuletide favorites. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is on the Main Stage. This beloved Dr. Seuss classic will continue to entertain the small fry set through Dec. 31
The Globe’s White Stage is featuring another holiday favorite. “Big San Diego Christmas Show,” which throws the spotlight on Ebenezer Scrooge, is an adaptation of the Dickens classic directed and co-authored by Gordon Greenberg. Scrooge will be on stage through Dec. 28
OLD GLOBE: (from left) Cathryn Wake, Josh Breckenridge, Christopher Sieber, Dan Rosales, and Jacque Wilke in Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show, 2023. Photo by Rich Soublet II.
SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART
sdmart.org
The San Diego Museum of Art is featuring “Eduardo Chilida: Convergence, a stunning exhibition of sculptures by a visionary artist who transformed the way we think of space, form, and material. This exciting show will remain at the museum through Feb. 8, 2026
The Museum of Contemporary Art has another stellar exhibition to show off — “Alex Katz: Theater and Dance,” a comprehensive and magnificent museum presentation of Katz’s work with the performing arts. The exhibition demonstrates the way this talented artist’s work has been reflected across the full spectrum of dance and theater productions. The exhibition will stay on in La Jolla through Jan. 4, 2026
LAMB’S PLAYERS THEATRE
lambsplayers.org
The Lamb’s Players is presenting another holiday treat this year. The Lamb’s “Festival of Christmas” is a joyous celebration of the season, complete with songs, dances and storytelling. You can partake of this Yuletide goodie Dec. 3-28
LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY
theconrad.org
The La Jolla Music Society’s Holiday Open House is on tap for Dec. 11. This free event includes activities for the kids. Later that day, Canadian Brass will perform festive holiday songs. Cellist Philipp Schupelius and pianist Julius Asal perform on Dec. 14
NORTH COAST REPERTORY
THEATRE
northcoastrep.org
North Coast Rep is reprising one of its hits this month. “2 Pianos 4 Hands” is returning Dec. 11-31 to give audiences another chance to savor the keyboard gymnastics and sharp comedy of its two talented performers.
LAMB’S PLAYERS: “Festival of Christmas.”
SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART: From “Eduardo Chilida: Convergence.”
NORTH COAST REP: Richard Todd Adams and Max Roll star in “2 Pianos 4 Hands.”
Food
BY MICAH SIVA
Cauliflower Latkes
Hanukkah has always been a holiday of joy and indulgence, from latkes to homemade jelly donuts, and chocolate coins galore. By the end of the eight nights, I’m ready for vegetables! But what if we incorporated a little more veg into our week of latkes? Cauliflower is the ultimate chameleon in the kitchen, from gnocchi to pizza, there’s nothing it can’t do. I love this lighter version of the classic latke. These are a mix between a fritter and latke — and the trick is to pre-roast the cauliflower so that it is tender and sweet, without having to risk burning your latkes. Paired with fresh lemon to cut through the richness, these deserve a place on your Hanukkah rotation.
SERVES 8
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 large head cauliflower cut into small florets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 large eggs, whisked
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• Avocado oil, or frying
Tahini Sauce
• ¼ cup tahini
• ½ cup water
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
PREPARATION:
1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Transfer them to the baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and kosher salt. Roast for 20 minutes until they soften slightly and begin to brown.
3. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Roughly chop the cauliflower until pieces are no larger than ¼-inch in size. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Add the minced garlic, green onion, chopped parsley, whisked eggs, flour, baking powder, and lemon zest, mixing to combine.
5. Line a baking tray with paper towel. Set aside.
6. Heat ½ inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Use a ¼ cup to scoop the cauliflower mixture into the pan pressing lightly to flatten. Repeat two or three more times, careful not to crowd the pan. Let fry about 4 minutes per side until golden. Flip, and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the latkes to the towel-lined baking tray. Salt them immediately.
7. In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, water, cumin, and salt until smooth. Serve with the latkes.
ASK MARNIE
by Marnie Macauley marniemacauley@gmail.com
Challah Mysteries: Secrets of the Braided Superstar
My dear San Diegans, Challah isn’t just bread. It’s the diva of the carb world—golden, glossy, and braided like it’s headed to a red-carpet event. You’ve seen it shimmering on Shabbat tables, maybe even starring in your Instagram feed, but do you know the juicy secrets hiding in those strands? Buckle up, carb lovers. We’re about to spill the dough.
A Loaf with Layers Challah isn’t just something you tear into while pretending you’re “saving room for dessert.” It’s history, ritual, and a little bit of drama rolled into one. Every twist of that braid whispers stories from centuries ago. And yet, challah has evolved—crossing continents, adapting to cultures, and now trending on TikTok like a Kardashian. So what makes this bread so special? Spoiler: It’s not just the eggs and sugar.
Challah Started as a Holy Tax
Before challah became the star of Friday night dinners, it was basically a divine tax. In the Torah, bakers were told to set aside a piece of dough for the priests — a ritual called hafrashat challah. Today, we still do it by burning a little piece during baking. Think of it as the original “tip your server,” except your server wore linen and sang psalms. Every time you bake, you’re not just making bread —you’re paying homage to thousands of years
of tradition. And honestly? That’s way cooler than tipping 20%.
Braids Came Later — And They’re Basically Hair Extensions
Those gorgeous braids? Not biblical. They showed up in 15th-century Europe when Jewish bakers borrowed the idea from their fancy Christian neighbors. The braids symbolize unity and, according to some, the flowing hair of the Sabbath bride. So yes, your bread has a romantic backstory. It’s basically a romcom in carbs. And the more strands you braid, the more meaning you add — three strands for truth, peace, and justice; six strands for the six days of creation.
Two Loaves, Twelve Tribes, Infinite Symbolism
Ever wonder why there are two loaves on the Shabbat table? They represent the double portion of manna given to the Israelites before the Sabbath. Back in Temple times, there were 12 loaves — one for each tribe. Today, we settle for two because, let’s be honest, 12 loaves would require a dining table the size of a football field. Still, the symbolism remains: abundance, blessing, and a reminder that carbs have always been a comfort food — even in the desert.
Shapes Speak Louder Than Words A three-strand braid? Truth, peace, and justice. Six strands? The six days
of creation. Round challahs for Rosh Hashanah? They symbolize the cycle of life. Basically, your bread is a philosopher in disguise. Next time someone says carbs are empty calories, tell them your loaf is literally full of meaning. And if you’re feeling extra creative, try a laddershaped challah for spiritual ascension or a bird-shaped one for freedom. Yes, challah doubles as edible art.
Sweetness Is an American Upgrade
European challah was humble — savory, simple, and sugar-free. Then Jewish immigrants hit American shores and thought, “Why not add eggs, sugar, and make this thing fabulous?” Because in America, everything gets bigger, sweeter, and Instagram-ready. Cue the chocolatechip challah, pumpkin-spice versions, and even rainbow-colored loaves. (Yes, that’s a thing.) Traditionalists may roll their eyes, but hey — if challah can survive exile, pogroms, and gluten-free trends, it can handle a little Nutella swirl.
Rituals You Didn’t Notice
Covering the challah with a cloth? That’s a nod to the dew that covered manna in the desert. Dipping in salt? A reminder of ancient sacrifices. So next time you tear into a slice, know you’re reenacting history — while simultaneously wondering if you should have started keto last week. Even the act of tearing instead of cutting has meaning: it’s about
humility and gratitude. Who knew your Friday night carb-fest was basically a spiritual TED Talk?
Global Glow-Up
From saffron-speckled Sephardic loaves to rainbow-colored TikTok creations, challah has gone global. It’s the bread with range — traditional enough for Shabbat, trendy enough for influencers. Somewhere out there, someone is braiding challah with matcha powder and calling it “fusion.” And honestly?
We’re here for it. Because challah isn’t just bread — it’s a canvas for creativity, a symbol of resilience, and a delicious way to connect with history.
Modern Challah:
From Grandma’s Kitchen to TikTok Fame
Today, challah isn’t confined to religious rituals. It’s a star in brunch menus, a darling of food bloggers, and a viral sensation on social media. People are
experimenting with colors, flavors, and even shapes — think unicorn challah, galaxy challah, and savory versions stuffed with cheese and herbs. Purists may cringe, but innovation keeps traditions alive. After all, challah has always adapted to its environment. Why stop now?
How to Nail the Perfect Braid (Without Losing Your Mind)
Want to try making challah at home? Here’s the secret: patience and practice. Start with a simple three-strand braid before you graduate to six. Pro tip: If your strands look like limp noodles, chill the dough for 10 minutes; it makes braiding easier. And don’t stress if your loaf looks “rustic.” Challah isn’t about perfection; it’s about connection. Plus, once it’s baked and golden, nobody cares if your braid is a little wonky — they’ll be too busy asking for seconds.
Bottom Line
Challah isn’t just bread. It’s a cultural icon, a spiritual symbol, and a delicious way to tell a story, one braid at a time. So next time you knead that dough, remember: you’re not just baking. You’re carrying on a tradition that’s thousands of years old, with a side of sweetness and a sprinkle of sass. And if anyone asks why you’re making two loaves, just wink and say, “Because one is never enough.” A
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Books & Art — A Perfect Partnership
ArtReach is a San Diego–based nonprofit expanding access to visual arts education for youth, especially those from under-resourced schools and communities. Through free and low-cost programs in schools, community sites and studios, ArtReach ensures equitable access to transformative art experiences. Its offerings include in-school programs that nurture creativity and social-emotional growth, collaborative mural projects that build teamwork and community pride, and studio workshops that connect families and individuals with local artists.
This year, the San Diego Hazard Center Barnes & Noble will be collecting books for ArtReach San Diego. These books directly support ArtReach’s mission of igniting youth
creativity by fostering imagination, emotional growth, and artistic inspiration. They not only connect to SocialEmotional Learning (SEL) by helping students explore feelings, empathy and storytelling, but they also provide a calming and reflective activity, offering young artists a gentle way to regulate emotions before or after artmaking.
Many of the books feature themes, stories and illustrators that align with ArtReach’s curriculum, sparking creative connections between literature and visual art. Through this thoughtful integration, each donated book becomes more than a story, it becomes a bridge between literacy, emotional wellness and artistic expression. A
Sierra Aguilar is Education Resource Manager at ArtReach.
Three world-premiere musicals and three extraordinary plays. Six fun nights out, all sorted. Get the best seats at the lowest price and lots of perks with a Premium 6-Play Subscription - from just $50 per show! Give the
HAPPY HANUKKAH
May love and light fill your heart and home this holiday season.
