Dear Helen: Every year my sister tries to upstage me at Passover. We have a family tradition of alternating first and second nights. When she goes first she puts on such an ostentatious display that my seder feels small and average. She says she cooks everything herself, but I’m convinced she’s used a deli. When…
While there are some Jewish families who have lived here for generations, many people have chosen Oregon as their home. They often leave behind extended family, which can seem lonely around the holidays. Although Passover is traditionally a “home” holiday, congregations realize there are many who do not have family nearby or who would just…
Last month Oregon Jewish Life asked our readers to submit their favorite classic and contemporary recipes for Passover. We’d like to thank our readers for the flood of recipes that came in. Here we present two traditional and two modern recipes that tickled our taste buds. The cooks who submitted the winning recipes will each…
As we gather with family and friends around the seder table this Passover, the story we read in the Haggadah is as timely as today’s headlines. The Haggadah presents the account of the Exodus: the deliverance of the ancient Israelites from bondage in Egypt. Currently, a modern-day exodus is taking place throughout the Middle East…
Oregon Kosher Passover announcements Oregon Kosher will provide the opportunity to members of the community to kasher their vessels for Pesach on April 17 from 5 to 7 pm at the Portland Kollel, 6688 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland. For more information, contact Oregon Kosher at 503-343-3497 or info@oregonkosher.org. Following are guidelines on how to prepare…
We were at Sachne one day last Passover. Sachne, also known as “The Park of the Three Pools,” is located near Beit Shahn in the Lower Galilee. It was a beautiful day, and the place was packed with both Jews and Arabs, religious people and non-religious. The kids had a lot of fun going in…
The year was 1968: the Vietnam War was raging, psychedelic music and drugs were “in,” Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated a week before President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act and the Beatles released the White Album to mixed reviews. I was about to enter 9th grade and amidst the free love and political…
Passover is just around the corner, and that means it’s time for spring cleaning! If your New Year’s resolution to finally get organized never quite panned out, Pesach presents the perfect opportunity to make good on that promise. The Torah instructs us to rid our homes of hametz or leavened foods in anticipation of Passover:…
The Passover season in Israel goes into full force right after Purim, that is, one month before the holiday. Israeli employers are encouraged to purchase various gifts for their employees, and consumers are encouraged to buy anything and everything in honor of the holiday. While it usually makes more economic sense to clean your car,…
Ever since I can remember, I have been in a relationship with God. Despite growing up in a family of agnostics, I always believed in, and even felt, the presence of God in my world. My idea of God as a child was that of a Biblical God – all-knowing, omnipotent, fatherlike and ubiquitous. My…
