Opinions

Among those killed in the fire that raged here in Israel was David Navon. David was a warm, gentle man from Nes Tziona who leaves behind his wife of 25 years and two children. David was the bus driver transporting the prison service workers to evacuate 500 inmates from the prison located in the path of the fire. Reports say that gusts of wind helped the massive flames travel over 1,500 meters in less than 3 minutes. There was no escape on the tiny road from Atlit to Beit Oren. David was one of our regular drivers at IsraelExperts and had touched the lives of countless visitors to Israel. May his memory be a blessing.

The horrible disaster in the Carmel Forest and Haifa area has taken a tremendous toll with more than 40 dead; hundreds of homes burnt; some 25,000 people evacuated from 15 different communities; over 12,000 acres of land scorched; an estimated 5 million trees destroyed. The young, vibrant artist community of Ein Hod, Kibbutz Beit Oren, the Druze village of Isfiya, the Arab village of Ein Hud, the Yemin Orde Youth Village, the Hai-Bar Nature Reserve — all devastated by the fire. The dead include Arabs and Jews, men and women, and new immigrants from Ethiopia and the Former Soviet Union.

As they have done so many times since the 1930s in a wide-variety of very different circumstances, individuals and communities from across the county have opened their homes to provide food, clothing, shelter, warmth and comfort to those who have been evacuated. It’s been a blessing that, at times the children are able to forget for a bit, and enjoy the vacation-like feeling of living on a kibbutz, in a hotel, in someone’s home or in a community center. For the parents, it’s more complicated as they worry about what they will and will not find waiting for them when they return to their homes.

It seems like the topic of the Holocaust has been extensively covered by books and movies from every possible angle. The voluminous amount of information may have some people saying enough already. To refute that notion Israeli female filmmaker Yael Hersonski brings something both old and new to the table with "A Film Unfinished," a powerful documentary that exposes the false perception of reality conveyed by a Nazi propaganda film of life for the Jews trapped inside the walls of the Warsaw Ghetto in May 1942. It opens today for a limited engagement exclusively at the Glenwood Arts.

Renewing and refreshing old memories

Almost six months ago, we began the Circle for Yiddish Learning with the goal of learning more about the language as well as the culture of those ancestors who lived and laughed and cried in the Middle and Eastern parts of Europe. I am proud to report that for those who have frequently joined us for lunch and a bit of learning, it has been a great and wonderful experience. We all have become a bit more familiar with the language and, almost more importantly, we all have a greater understanding of the people themselves, heightening the joy we have experienced.

I cannot speak for anyone but myself ; all of our co-attendees must do that for themselves. But let me tell you of the experience I have had. I lost my mother over 55 years ago and I lost my father over 46 year ago. Prior to June 1, when our Circle was born, the memories of both of them had grown dim. It had even become difficult to reach back and pull up some of those wonderful memories I had grown up with through my first 18 years of life.

I moved east from Denver almost 40 years ago and have been to visit their graves only a very few times, so even those have grown very dim in my memory and the ease of speech of that wonderful language that had been the byproduct of that generation of ancestors.

I am so grateful to Congregation Beth Torah for providing the space for this Circle of ours and for all of the new friends who have joined me from so many different walks of life as we all have awakened our collective memories of our ancestors, now long ago Blessed Memories. We all welcome any and all of you to join us each Friday at noon for a bit of lunch and a bit of study as we re-awaken all of those memories that have made us all who we are.

I simply cannot tell you how much this Circle has changed me and how my new friends have enriched me as I remember.

Call me at (314) 477-4309 so we have lunch waiting for you.

Ray Davidson

Overland Park, Kan.

JERUSALEM — The other day Barbara Bayer, Kansas City Jewish Chronicle editor, picked up her home phone, dialed a 913 number and we connected.

That’s because we have a plan that allows others to call us as if we were in the same country. When we came to Israel, my daughter, Elissa, who had made aliyah in 2004, told us to order a Vonnage box and sign up. You have to bring it in with you. When we moved into our apartment, it was connected through our computer and we installed a phone in my office. For a set fee each month, we can call the States as often as we like and talk as long as we like and enjoy business and family relationships.

Those abroad can also call us (just remember we are eight hours later!). We’ve had our share of early morning calls, like the time our accountant called at 2:30 a.m. My husband, Barry, answered, good morning. He answered, oh, isn’t it afternoon there? Somehow he thought we were eight hours earlier.

But, as Barbara said, what a different it is than when you wrote for The Chronicle 30 years ago.

Milton Firestone (z"l) would either call me long distance or send me an air-mail letter if he had an assignment. If it was urgent, he would send a telex to the Government Press Office which would place it in my mail box.

After completing the assignment, I would type it up on an electric typewriter with two carbon copies, keep a carbon for myself, take a bus to town to the Government Press Office where I would show the original and leave a copy with the censor, then walk to the Main Post Office where I would either send it by telex or mail it special delivery.

Of course photographs had to be sent by mail and I recall Milton’s major complaint was when the story arrived on time but the photographs came too late.

Now we have the Vonnage phone for overseas calls, a land phone for local calls, two cell phones (Barry and I each have one), two computers (one for each of us), two printers (one for each of us) and a fax machine.

Amazing how easy it is now to communicate and to send out stories!

"Quick & Kosher: Meals in Minutes" by Jamie Geller (Feldheim Publishers, $34.99 hardcover, December 2010)

In 2007, "Quick & Kosher: From the Bride Who Knew Nothing" by Jamie Geller was published.

Now, five years after her marriage and four children later, she offers us 217 recipes based on her past five years’ experiences and her current position as chief marketing officer of Kosher.com and a New York City TV producer.

The triple-tested recipes have very clever chapter headings — If You’ve Got 20 Minutes, If You’ve Got 40 Minutes, and If You’ve Got 60 minutes. Among recipes in the "20 minutes" category are: Beef and Green Bean Stir Fry, Fines Herbes Goat Cheese Omelet and Mozarella Mushroom Burgers.

In the "40 minutes" chapter are: Aromatic baked Flounder over Capellini, Chicken Marsala and Honey-Glazed Skewered Beef.

If you’ve got 60 minutes, you can really expand your talents with Beef Bourguignon with noodles, Smoked Salmon Crepes and more.

Subsequent chapters include: Holiday Meals, What’s New in Kosher, Become an Expert Wine Taster in 10 Minutes Flat, Kosher.Com, Cheese and more.

Each recipe is preceded by a full-color photograph and after the recipe is a recommended wine and comments relating the wine to the recipe. Many recipe pages have the primary recipe paired with an accompanying recipe. Blueberry Cheese Quesadillas is accompanied by Sweet Potato Leek Soup; Loaded Baked Potato is accompanied by Chopped Salad; Vegetarian Chili is accompanied by Homemade Corn Bread.

Personally, as a busy woman who cooks practically every day and entertains a lot, I found the book extremely useful on a practical level with many old ideas as well as new, creative dishes to try.

Don’t neglect to read the glossary with clever definitions.

Give this book as a gift to any kosher cook and she’ll love you for it!

Here are some recipes from the book for Chanukah and a motse Shabbat after New Year’s Eve evening.

Jumbo Potato Pancake

Makes 6 wedges

3 potatoes

1 t. rosemary

2 t. salt

1 t. black pepper

1 lightly beaten egg

3 T. melted pareve margarine

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Peel and shred potatoes on large hole of grater or in food processor.

3. Toss potatoes, rosemary, salt, pepper, egg and 1 T. margarine in a bowl.

4. Heat 2 T. margarine in 6-inch non-stick ovenproof skillet. Spread potato mixture over bottom of skillet to make one large pancake. Cook for 10 minutes.

5. Place in preheated 375 degree oven and bake 30 minutes more. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Cut into 6 wedges.

Samosa Latkes

6 servings

3 shredded potatoes

1 finely chopped medium onion

½ cup thawed frozen peas

¼ cup matzoh meal

2 large beaten eggs

¼ t. curry powder

1 t. salt

1 cup canola oil

sour cream

1 10-ounce jar chutney

1. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels.

2. Mix together potatoes, onion, peas, matzoh meal, eggs, curry powder and salt in a bowl.

3. In a large nonstick sauté pan, heat ¼ cup oil for l minute. Ladle ¼ cup batter per latke, spreading to form a 3-inch round. Make three latkes at a time. Reduce heat and cook 4 minutes one each side until golden. Place on paper towels to drain.

4. Continue making three latkes at a time until all batter is used.

Serve with sour cream and chutney.