Temple Beth El Blog

On February 2, more than 40 members of Temple Beth El joined in what we hope is the first of many “Racial Justice Big Reads.” The group gathered to reflect on Isabel Wilkerson’s extraordinary book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent. The book grew out of the author’s research into three major caste systems in India, Nazi Germany, and America.

We began by watching a 7-minute video of Trevor Noah interviewing the author, which you can watch on YouTube. After the video, we split into Zoom chat rooms of seven or eight people with five group facilitators: Charles Cohen, Mary Fulton, David Seligman, Beth Kaplan, and Jim Youngerman. Group members shared their own reactions to the book and then responded to questions prepared by the book’s publisher. We discussed the different metaphors Wilkerson uses to explain the caste system imposed on African Americans, and explored the distinctions the author draws between “caste” and “race.”

Wilkerson offers an interesting take on the “construction of whiteness,” describing the way immigrants have gone from being Irish or Polish to “white”—a political designation that only had meaning after those groups came to America and were contrasted with those who were “not white,” revealing a lot about the validity of racial designations and the structure of caste.

One of the topics provoking the most discussion was Wilkerson’s research into how the Nazis systematically created a caste system. She learned that the Nazis actually sent teams to study America’s segregation practices and Jim Crow laws and used those as a basis for creating the Nuremberg laws. These shameful facts underscore the breadth and depth of the American caste system. 

Each group ended by discussing what steps we can take, as individuals and as a Temple community, toward dismantling the caste system. As Wilkerson quoted: “Evil asks little of the dominant caste other than to sit back and do nothing.”

Every year we retell the story of Passover at our seder tables, saying we were once slaves in Egypt, but now we are free. This year, when we relive the story of our own liberation, we can also think of the millions of people around the world who are still enslaved by poverty, violence, discrimination, and many other afflictions. They are women, girls, and LGBTQIA+ people fighting for rights and equality, indigenous people protecting their land and struggling to survive the ravages of climate change, activists speaking out against injustice, and so many more. At this year’s seder, we can challenge ourselves to take a more active and meaningful role in hastening their freedom.

The exodus story and the holiday of Passover are perfect occasions for bringing our social justice values to our celebrations. The Union for Reform Judaism provides many Passover resources.

We also invite you to use the following resources to enrich your celebration of Passover. Most are free a few are available for purchase.

Jump to the section that interests you:

Against Bullying

• BBYO Passover Seder Supplement
  Created by BBYO, a pluralistic teen movement, this one page reinterprets parts of the seder plate as symbols for standing up against bullying and injustice, showing respect, and committing to community.

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Against Sexual Assault

• Hillel International’s “How Do We Free One Another” 
  This seder supplement, focusing on ending sexual assault, was produced in partnership with the It’s On Us campaign.
• Passover, #MeToo, and a Mirror on Your Seder Plate
  Thirty years ago, feminists added Miriam and the midwives to our seders. But now, to address the #metoo movement and our societal need for deep reckoning around gender, sexuality, and power, it is time to take a step further by adding mirrors to our seder plates.

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Antisemitism

• Four Questions About Anti-Semitism To be inserted in the Haggadah and recited in unison after reciting the Ten Plagues.
• Jewish Foundation for the Righteous Haggadah Supplement
  Each year since 1999, this organization has released a seder supplement that tells the story of a non-Jew who saved Jews during the Holocaust. The 2021 supplement and all the past ones can be downloaded here.
• CCAR Passover Haggadah Supplement: Prayers, Poems, Songs, and Meditations in Response to October 7
  Haggadah supplement focused on the war in Israel

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Coronavirus

• The Four Children and COVID-19
  As we grapple with a global pandemic, the struggle to find freedom from illness weighs heavily on our hearts and minds. How do we engage with our children when they ask about this crisis? Jewish facilitator Jordan Namerow shares thoughtful questions to spur timely conversations.
• Hope Amidst the Tears: A reflection on karpas during the time of COVID-19
• Passover Prayer in the Age of Coronavirus
• Haggadah Insert: Four Questions for Making a Difference from a Distance
  In this time of global pandemic, our lives have been disrupted in significant ways, and we find ourselves asking questions we may not otherwise have ever thought to ask.
• A Prayer of Hope During This Pandemic by Rabbi Naomi Levy
• A Special Prayer for Healing at Our Passover Tables
• Honoring this Moment COVID-19 Haggadah Supplement
• Approaching Our Second COVID Seder

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Disability Justice

• Next Year in Freedom Disability Justice Haggadah Supplement

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Environment and Climate Change

• Ice Block on the Seder Table for Climate Change frm Adamah
  The ice block represents the rapidly melting ice caps and sheets throughout the world caused by human activity. As the ice block shvitzes on our Seder table, we are reminded that time is running out for action. It becomes a physical prompt to ask questions, much like the other Seder table objects prompt questions.
• Earth Justice Seder
  A Passover Haggadah for environmental justice.
• The Promise of the Land Passover Haggadah
  An ecologically oriented Haggadah.
• Passover: Dipping Parsley into Water of Tears: The Earth Cries Out to Us
  An environmental reading written by Rabbi Warren Stone for the karpas, dipping a green veggie in salt water.
• Plastover: An Exodus from Plastic Waste
  Every Passover, Jews around the world give up leavened bread—chametz. It’s a sacrifice we make willingly, to recall our ancestors’ journey from slavery to freedom. But what if we could make another kind of sacrifice—one that would have an immediate impact on the world? What if we chose to mindfully free ourselves from the plague of plastic waste?
• Green Your Passover A three-part series from Repair the World. Part 1: Preparing for the Holiday; Part 2: The Seders; Part 3: Cleaning Up
• The Four Children of Climate Change
  Guide for discussions about our Jewish obligation to “till and tend” the earth and varying beliefs on climate change.

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Food Justice

• Food Justice Seder Additions
  Four Questions and Four Children through the lens of food justice.
• Ha Lachma Anya: Food and Justice Haggadah Supplement
  The Uri L’Tzedek Food and Justice Haggadah Supplement features essays, insights, and action to unite food, social justice, and ethical consumption.
• Sustainable Passover Resources from Hazon
  Supplements, recipes, ideas, and more.
• A Haggadah for a Socially Responsible Chocolate Seder
  On the Chocolate Trail: A Delicious Adventure Connecting Jews, Religions, History, Travel, Rituals and Recipes to the Magic of Cacao.
• Vegan Passover Tips and Recipes from Shamayim: Jewish Animal Advocacy
  To recognize the forms of oppression that still exist toward animals, workers in the food system, and the environment today, it fits to eat vegan during this holiday. Read on for tips and recipes that will guide you toward a fulfilling, plant-powered Passover. Also check out their Passover Guide.

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General or Multiple-Topic Justice Related

• Agents of Hope bring the power of the Jewish mother to your Seder!
• Beyond the Four Questions: A Discussion Guide for Passover - (URJ) 
  35 questions that will help spur lively discussion and reflection among young and old alike at your seder.
• Passover Social Action Guide from the Religious Action Center (RAC)
• 8 Modern Additions to the Seder Plate
  Each represents another way to bring social justice issues to your seder experience.
• American Jewish World Service Passover Resources
  Includes seder resources, family activities, text studies, commentaries by well-known people, and more.
• A Fifth Cup for Justice
• Ve’ahavta’s Creating Tables of Justice Seder Supplement
  Incorporates emerging ideas on freedom and a guide to social activism including the four social activists (instead of the four sons), an alternative seder plate, a fifth question, and readings such as "Maror: The Bitter Reality of Human Trafficking."
• The 10 Plagues: Suffering and Affliction
  As we read the 10 plagues, we spill drops of wine from our cups, mourning the suffering the Egyptians endured so that we could be free. This year, as these drops spread across our plates, let us turn our hearts toward the millions of people around the world suffering today’s plagues of hatred, prejudice, baseless violence, and war.
• Ten Plagues of Inequality
  On Passover, we remember the ten plagues that were put upon the Egyptian people. Thousands of years later, modern-day plagues of inequality should ignite contemporary responses to combat these injustices.
• This Passover, Think of the Modern Plagues
• The Seder Plate (RAC)
  Learn about items to add to your seder plate that will help spark discussion on social justice issues.
• Putting Social Justice on the Table 
  PJTC Haggadah supplement in order to amplify and deepen the Jewish connections to social justice and to underscore their application to the world we live in today.
• A Modern Dayenu
  This song, found in the seder, thanks God for the myriad miracles that took place at the time of the Exodus. "Dayenu" can also allow us to express our gratitude for all that has taken place in recent times. When we celebrate the successes of the past, we remember the ongoing need to help those who are oppressed in other communities.
• Four Cups of Wine: Social Justice Readings for Your Seder
• A Haggadah for Justice
  This Haggadah includes pieces from various sources on a variety of social justice issues.
• René Cassin, the Jewish voice for human rights: Women's Seder
  This seder celebrates the women of the exodus, their untold stories, and the individuals who inspire us today.
• Social Justice Haggadah Companion
• Resisting Tyrants Since Pharaoh: A Seder Supplement
  A short text and discussion prompts for your seder, as you retell the story of our slavery in Egypt.
• A justice guide for each night of Passover
• Bring Moving Traditions to Your Passover Seder Table
  Multiple activities and seder supplements around a few issues from the #metoo movement and women's rights to our own well-being.
• Gateways Haggadah
  Designed for children with special needs; with an updated companion guide.
• Passover resources for a more accessible seder
• Areyvut Questions for Seder and Beyond
  300 hundred questions organized by topic to spur discussion at your seder and throughout the year.

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Global Jews

• JDC Entwine‘s ReOrdered
  Dive into the global and interconnected Jewish world through the timeless themes of freedom and storytelling.
• Ukraine Conflict
  Two supplements from JDC
• Bukharian Passover Traditions and Recipes
• A Variety of Passover Resources Celebrating Jewish Diversity from Be’chol Lashon
• Trivia Place Cards
  Welcome your guests to their seats with these trivia place cards, created in partnership with Be’chol Lashon, and celebrate Passover rituals from diverse Jewish communities around the world (can be done as a game virtually).
• Abayudaya Jews of Uganda Passover Resources 

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Human Rights

• The Other Side of the River, the Other Side of the Sea: A Human Rights Haggadah
  This Haggadah by T'ruah the rabbinic call for human rights helps transform the seder into a conversation about immigration, racism, workers’ rights, and forced labor. Filled with insightful comments and thought-provoking questions, reflections from activists in the field, and full-color artwork done by detained immigrant children and forced labor survivors, the haggadah can serve as the full text of a social justice seder, a section-by-section companion for the traditional haggadah, or a source for the occasional insertion. Songs referenced in the haggadah are available here.
• A Tomato on the Seder Plate
  Standing with farmworkers to prevent modern-day slavery and expand human rights in the fields.

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Hunger

• Mazon's Fifth Question
  This Haggadah insert bring a new reflection about hunger to your seder table. "How will we retell the story of this past year, and all it has wrought?"
• Mazon's Hunger Seder Haggadah
  Centers the seder experience around hunger.
• All of Mazon's Passover resources

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Indigenous People

• An Acorn on the Seder Plate

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LGBTQ

• Keshet’s Passover Resources
• Ma Mishtana – A Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Questioning Ally Haggadah
  Follows the traditional structure of the Passover seder but contains readings and discussion questions pertaining to LGBT identity and life.
• The Four Children of LGBTQ Inclusion
  Rabbi Dara Lithwick offers model for teaching about LGBTQ inclusion in an effort to make our seder tables—and our communities—ever more welcoming and free.
• Keshet’s LGBTQ: Four Questions Four Allies Haggadah Insert
• JQ International GLBT Haggadah
• PRIDE Freedom Seder Haggadah
• Different from All Other Nights: A Queer Passover Haggadah
  This Haggadah comprises songs, blessings, and readings culled from several sources—from the Rabbinic Passover seder to contemporary queer Haggadot produced by LGBTQ organizations and synagogues. It is a seder for all of us.

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Mental Health

• Passover and Mental Health Resources from The Blue Dove Foundation
  Readings, Haggadot, and activities to add meaning or a different perspective to your Passover.
• The Anonymous Haggadah
  A synthesis of the Passover ritual and liturgy with the twelve steps of recovery.
• At The Well’s Holistic Passover Detox

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Post October 7, 2023

• A Lemon on the Seder Plate
• All of Israel is Responsible for One Another
  A Fifth Question to stimulate conversation about Israel from Joel Chasnoff.
• Seder Interrupted: A Post-October 7 Hagaddah Supplement
• Supplement that includes Ways to include October 7 in your Seder
• Bringing Hostages to Your Seder
• New Israel Fund Australia Haggadah Supplement 2024
• Haggadah Supplement for a Post-October 7th Feminist Passover Seder 2024

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Racial Justice

• Haggadah Insert: The Four People
  This insert reimagines the text of the four sons as the four people on different parts of their racial justice journey and is a conversation starter to contextualize what it means to pursue equity in today's world.
• The Four Children of Racial Justice
  Spark conversation about the importance of racial justice and the Reform Jewish commitment to equality.
• Religious Action Center’s “The Story of Modern Day Slavery: A Social Justice Haggadah”and Seder Supplement
  These resources infuse the entire seder with a global focus on freedom and justice.
• Tzedek Seder: Black Lives Matter
• The African American Seder Plate for Passover by Michael Twitty
• Living Our Commitment: Jewish Voices for Liberation by Jews for Racial Economic Justice
  Seder supplement with a Black Lives Matter focus. It's from a few years ago, so we recommend updating some of the references when using this.
• Mixed Multitudes: Nobody’s Free ’til Everybody’s Free (A Racial Justice Haggadah)
  Created for the 2016 Racial Justice Seder at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in Manhattan, this Haggadah offers a vision for collective liberation blended with Jewish tradition and grounding.
• Jewish Resistance at the Seder Table
• Crying Out Against Mass Incarceration Haggadah Supplement
  This five-page supplement, created by the Jewish Working Group to End Mass Incarceration, offers readings, rituals, and songs for your seder. Our ancient story of liberation is bound up in the liberation of all people today from the chains of mass incarceration.
• Passover Pyramid Cutout
  Four Jewish racial justice leaders answer "What makes this night different from all other nights?"

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Refugees, Immigrants, Freedom, and Liberation

• There are No Strangers: A Passover Seder Supplement Affirming Our Support for Immigrants and Refugees - Religious Action Center (RAC) 2025
  We gather at Passover to retell the foundational story of the Jewish People; a story of an oppressed people fleeing a life of hardship for freedom and safety in a new land. 
  Thirty-six times, the Torah, Judaism’s holiest text, references that freedom journey as a reminder that we are called not only to have empathy for the ger (stranger, sojourner, refugee, asylee, immigrant, or migrant), but also to take action to ensure that person is cared for in our communities. We are explicitly commanded, “You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt (Exodus 23:9).” We know the heart of the stranger because we were once strangers, too. The Jewish people’s origin story is heard in the universal story of the refugee, and we are committed to keep this memory alive through welcoming and protecting those who come to our communities. 
• Sharing the Bread of Libration - Reading from HIAS
  Explores the way matzah, called “the bread of our oppression” in the Haggadah, also becomes the “bread of liberation” — and how that transformation can apply to the challenges that forcibly displaced people face today.​​​​​
• Come and Learn: A Modern Immigration Midrash
  An immigration-related resource from T’ruah. An alternative to the midrash on “My Father Was A Wandering Aramean” during Magid.
• HIAS Passover Resources
  The HIAS Haggadah connects our story as displaced people, the Passover story, to today's refugees and the global refugee crisis in an interactive way. They also have other seder supplements to highlight the refugee crisis and action to take.
• Immigration Seder Companion
  Created by the social justice group Rabbis Organizing Rabbis, this brief insert on immigration reform helps relate the themes of Passover to this crucial and pertinent social justice issue.
• Enter the Water
  A special resource for recognizing and supporting our immigrant communities in your seder. “Enter the Water” adapts the ritual of hand-washing to encourage ourselves to each do our part to advocate for the dignity and safety of immigrants here in our neighborhoods, across the US, and around the world.
• “The Zookeeper’s Wife”–Inspired Haggadah by the International Rescue Committee
  A refugee-inspired seder supplement with a twist: The International Rescue Committee’s seder supplement (created with the help of HIAS) is inspired by the movie “The Zookeeper’s Wife.” The film (and the Haggadah) is based on a real-life Holocaust heroine, Antonina Zabinska (played by Jessica Chastain), who together with her husband saved 300 Jews by hiding them at the Warsaw Zoo, which the couple ran.
• Jewish World Watch‘s A Second Seder Plate
  An interactive Passover companion that brings focus to the issues that affect victims and survivors of genocide. With over 65 million people having fled their homes due to human atrocities, this aims to keep the plight of today's refugees at the forefront of our minds as we retell the biblical Exodus story.
• We Were Strangers Too: A Seder Supplement on Immigration
• Seder Supplement on Avadim Hayinu “We Were Slaves” by Repair the World in Partnership with Be’Chol Lashon
  Focusing on questions of modern-day liberation.
• Four Cups of Wine
  These four cups are derived from four expressions of redemption found in Exodus 6:6–7: "I will bring you out;" "I will deliver you;" "I will redeem you;" and "I will take you." Due to the positive, redemptive focus on each phrase, each cup could come to represent current groups that need to be "brought out, delivered, redeemed, or taken out." A short teaching can take place before each cup is blessed.
• American Jewish World Service Haggadah
  Extends the journey of Passover further into the 21st century and around the globe; leaving us inspired to act in the year ahead. Use the AJWS Global Justice Haggadah to spark meaningful conversations at your seder and connect our shared story of liberation with people fighting for freedom around the world today.
• Original Freedom Seder
  This Haggadah from 1969 inspired many other social justice Haggadot.
• Refugee Seder Supplement
  Readings and ritual to bring the voices of African asylum seekers to your seder table.
• Jewish World Watch Seder Plate additions
  For refugees and victims of mass genocide.

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Reproductive Justice

• From Oppression to Liberation: For the Pursuit of Reproductive Justice in this Generation Haggadah Insert
  The readings in this resource packet, designed to inspire your commitment to reproductive justice, are designed to be read before you drink each of the four cups of wine.

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TBE saw an especially generous response to the High Holy Day Food Drive at the start of 5781, spurred along by a generous matching grant from an anonymous donor. The Social Action Committee decided on an initial donation of $12,500 to the Second Harvest Foodbank, $500 to the Mount Zion Baptist Church Food Pantry, and $1,000 to the Catholic Multicultural Center Food Pantry.

We have now allocated the remainder of the funds by donating $656 each to Porchlight Men’s Emergency Shelter, for groceries not provided by the county; Centro Hispano, to buy grocery cards for clients in need; and Food for Thought / Thea's Table, providing weekend food for the families of Madison schoolchildren experiencing homelessness or crisis.

A huge thank you to our very generous congregants. Let's hope, pray, and work for a more just time ahead.

The Torah teaches that humankind was created on Earth, in part, to care for and protect God’s creation (Genesis 2:15). The Talmudic concept of bal tashchit (“do not destroy”) was developed by the rabbis as an assertion of God’s holy ownership of the land.

If you are interested in taking an active role in shaping Temple’s actions to combat the causes and effects of environmental degradation and climate change, we invite you to join our team. We will work together to develop a plan in partnership with the community and the congregation. All ages are welcome.

Contact Marta Karlov or Aleeza Hoffert with questions and/or interest. Get in on the ground floor of this important work!

Finally, here is something we can all do right now: Tell Congress to prioritize climate action and environmental justice by following this link.

Can easily be made Gluten-free

Ingredients:

See below for frosting ingredients.

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons Matzah Cake Meal (or Gluten-free Matzah Cake Meal)
• 1 cup cocoa
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

• Beat eggs and add sugar gradually.
• Add melted butter and beat well.
• Stir dry ingredients and add to mixture.
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Pour into greased 9x13 pan.
• Bake 375° for 20-25 minutes.

Frosting:

• Melt 4 Tablespoons butter and 2-4 ounces chocolate chips
• Stir until smooth
• Pour over warm brownies and chill until set.

• Add the following to a shaker and shake: 
  • 1 oz Vodak
  • 1 oz Grenadine 
  • Ice
• Pour into a martini glass 
• Top with 1 oz of Pink Moscato Champaign 
• Drop in a cherry.

It is a girl-power, pink drink that is fun and bubbly like the parties Queen Vashti throws at the beginning of the story; and strong like Queen Vashti when she sticks up for her morals and virtues.

Ilu finu malei shirah kayam—“Even if our mouths were as full of song as the sea”—we couldn’t express enough thanks for those who made such thoughtful contributions to the Music Fund in honor of Cantor Jacob Niemi’s installation. These funds will be used in a variety of ways to enhance the musical life of the TBE community, including assistance with musical programming beyond our normal worship needs, such as concerts and artist-in-residence programs, and support for music in our Religious School and youth programs. Many thanks to all those who have helped to support this sacred work! Together you donated $2,300 for the Music Fund.

Our new Temple Community Contribution program has been in place for several months and has been successful on many levels. We are especially gratified to observe these benchmarks in our membership renewals for 2021:

• We received 17% more renewals by December 31, 2020, than we did by December 31, 2019.
• Net membership contributions from those who renewed by December 31 increased 15% over the previous year.
• Donations to the three funds listed on the membership renewal cards increased over last year. 
  
• The positive feedback we received about the Temple Community Contribution program included many comments that the program reflects our values and our goals. Longtime member and TBE musician Mike Ross wrote: “TBE’s new Temple Community Contribution program is a welcome change. It is transparent and inclusive. It clearly demonstrates TBE’s need for funding and honors our shared values. My family, for one, responded by increasing our membership contribution, and we hope others will consider doing the same.”

The Temple Community Contribution program, introduced in 2020, encourages TBE members to reflect on our shared values when determining your annual membership contribution. To help guide decisions on giving, we shared clear and accessible information about TBE’s programs and finances, and we remain committed to transparency. If you have any questions about the Temple Community Contribution program or Temple’s finances, please feel free to contact Stefanie Kushner.

Since late March when COVID-19 struck, men supported by the Porchlight shelter program have been sleeping at the Warner Park Community Recreation Center on the North Side. Before then, Porchlight guests were sheltered in three church basements downtown, where TBE volunteers provided evening meals for many years. Now the city has opened a new temporary shelter at the city's former Fleet Services Building at 200 N. 1st Street. The new space has a much larger capacity, which will be important as the pandemic drags on. You can read more about it this article from the Wisconsin State Journal. 

Meals are currently being provided by the city through a contract with local restaurants. When a permanent location is selected, Potchlight will let us know if our famous chicken rice casserole will still be required. In the meantime, we are using that same recipe in smaller batches to feed families at the Catholic Multicultural Center. Sign up here is you would like to cook it again ( or for the first time)!

During the Trump administration, over 400 changes in immigration and refugee policy were implemented. A few examples include a ban on travel from Muslim countries, family separations at the border, increased ICE enforcement, the rescission of DACA, the requirement for asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while awaiting hearings, and the reduction of the refugee admission ceiling from 85,000 in 2016 to 18,000 last year. There was also a tremendous increase in civil immigration detention and countless documented violations against those in detention.

On Sunday, February 21, 7:00–8:30 pm, Professor Erin Barbato, director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the UW Law School, will talk with us about her work providing legal representation to people facing deportation or seeking asylum. She will address the major changes affecting immigrants and refugees implemented during the Trump administration and the policy reforms promised by President Biden.

Following a question-and-answer session, we will brainstorm possible next steps for congregational education and advocacy, including suggestions from the Dane Sanctuary Coalition. With the election behind us, we hope to refocus our attention on immigration and refugee reform. We need your input as we decide how to hold the Biden-Harris administration accountable and how best to support urgently needed changes. We’re looking forward to an informative and inspiring program and hope you’ll join us. Sign up here to receive the Zoom link.

This year, instead of the annual retreat, Temple Beth El continued its focus on racial justice with a series of weekend events dedicated to the memory and message of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On Friday night, January 15, the Shabbat service was steeped in history, reflection, and prayer. Cantor Jacob Niemi opened the service with “Take My Hand, Precious Lord,” the beautiful song by Mahalia Jackson sung at Dr. King’s funeral. Les Goldsmith led us in touching songs and prayers including the important message of the old-time favorite “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Rabbi Jonathan Biatch spoke about how Dr. King never gave up hope of achieving equality and unarmed truth and looked to God to ask for strength to continue to lead. His message was that only light can drive out darkness and only love can drive out hate. We were reminded that the majority of Americans are diverse and tolerant, and systemic racism will only be stopped through the tireless efforts and work of good people, a need that calls us to action as a Temple Beth El community.

On Saturday, January 16, 25 congregants listened to a sermon by Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl entitled “We Are Family: Rethinking Race in the Jewish Community.” Many of us were surprised to learn that among American Jews, 12% to 15% are people of color. Although the idea that Jews are a race or a tribe is sometimes a source of Jewish identity, it has also been used as a way of excluding and endangering Jews, from the times of Pharaoh to the events in Charlottesville and beyond. Rabbi Buchdahl challenged us to think of ourselves as a family, to identify our common ground as Jews in a rapidly changing world. After the sermon, we broke into three groups to talk about the different kinds of people who may have a sense of “otherness” at TBE and what we might do to make our synagogue more welcoming to Jews of color.

On Sunday morning, January 17, a family educational program focused on Jewish participation in the civil rights movement and the role of music in building solidarity. Cantor Niemi and TBE song leader Les Goldsmith explored how protest songs crossed racial and religious boundaries to build community. The cantor noted that freedom songs were the soul of the civil rights movement, helping to internalize the values and ideals of racial justice, dissipate fear, and promote social cohesion and unity of purpose. Although meaningful, the songs were intentionally simple and easy to adapt to our own verses and circumstances. Members of the choir sang a moving rendition of “We Shall Overcome.”  Erica Serlin led a discussion of our reaction as Jews to a letter from a Jewish freedom fighter and how it feels to be involved in racial justice advocacy.

Over the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, the Temple Beth El community engaged in an enormous outpouring of generosity as members contributed to a supply drive organized by Nehemiah on behalf of the Allied Wellness Center. We provided supplies for babies and toddlers, including diapers, wipes, formula, and baby food. We answered a called for personal wellness supplies for teens, including body wash, shampoo, deodorant and lotion. TBE members helped collect, deliver and stock the shelves of the Allied Wellness Center. Members also made monetary gifts of over $2,000, which we used to purchase bus tickets and gas and grocery cards. Allied Wellness Center chaplain Gloria Farr said that these items were desperately needed, and we were thrilled to be able to respond. Nehemiah and the Allied Wellness Center have ongoing needs and ongoing volunteer opportunities. Contacts Betsy Abramson at betsyabramson@gmail.com or 608-332-7867 for more information. 

Traditional

• 1 Cake – 2 layers (Can use cupcakes and split in half) Freeze after baking
• 1 layer ice cream (2 pints) Freeze in shape of cake pan
• 12 oz. jam (strawberry or raspberry)
• Meringue (recipe and directions below)
• 2-3 Tablespoons cognac

Meringue

• 8 egg whites
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar

Meringue directions

1. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy.
2. Beat in brown sugar by tablespoonful.
3. Beat until stiff peaks and glossy.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees
2. Take cake layer and ice cream out of freezer.
3. On a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper, place I layer of cake.
4. Spread jam over the layer.
5. Place ice cream on the cake layer.
6. Spread more jam on the ice cream.
7. Place top layer of cake on the ice cream layer.
8. Cover cake with meringue and seal the edges of the parchment paper or foil.
9. Freeze until ready to bake/flame/serve.
10. Bake on lowest rack at 500 degrees for 2--5 minutes until light brown.
11. Heat cognac in small pan on stovetop.
12. Light pan with cognac (with match or flame from gas stove) and pour over meringue on cake and flame!
13. Use a sturdy long knife to cut Baked Alaska in slices. ENJOY!!
14. Store remaining Baked Alaska in freezer.

A NY Times recipe by Melissa Clark

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 pounds boneless,
• skinless chicken thighs (4 to
• 5 thighs)
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher
• salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed and
• peeled
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 anchovy fillets
• 2 tablespoons drained
• capers, patted dry
• 1 large pinch chile flakes
• 1 lemon, halved
• Fresh chopped parsley, for
• serving

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and let rest while you prepare the anchovy-garlic oil. Mince one of the garlic cloves and set it aside for later. In a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the 5 smashed whole garlic cloves, the anchovies, capers and chile. Let cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the anchovies, until the garlic browns around the edges and the anchovies dissolve, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add the chicken thighs and cook until nicely browned on one side, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip the thighs, place the pan in the oven and cook another 5 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
3. When chicken is done, transfer thighs to a plate (be careful, as the pan handle will be hot). Place skillet back on the heat and add minced garlic and the juice of one lemon half. Cook for about 30 seconds, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.Return chicken to the pan and cook it in the sauce for another 15 to 30 seconds.
4. Transfer everything to a serving platter. Squeeze the remaining lemon half over the chicken and garnish with chopped parsley.
5. Serve.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups/250 g green or brown lentils
• 4 medium onions 
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• about 1 cup/250 ml sunflower oil
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 1 cup/200 g basmati rice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cups/350 ml water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Place the lentils in a small saucepan, cover with plenty of water, bring to a boil, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the lentils have softened but still have a little bite. Drain and set aside.
2. Peel the onions and slice thinly. Place on a large flat plate, sprinkle with the flour and 1 teaspoon salt, and mix well with your hands. Heat the sunflower oil in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan placed over high heat. Make sure the oil is hot by throwing in a small piece of onion; it should sizzle vigorously. Reduce the heat to medium-high and carefully (it may spit!) add one-third of the sliced onion. Fry for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon, until the onion takes on a nice golden brown color and turns crispy (adjust the temperature so the onion doesn’t fry too quickly and burn). Use the spoon to transfer the onion to a colander lined with paper towels and sprinkle with a little more salt. Do the same with the other two batches of onion; add a little extra oil if needed.
3. Wipe the saucepan in which you fried the onion clean and put in the cumin and coriander seeds. Place over medium heat and toast the seeds for a minute or two. Add the rice, olive oil, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and plenty of black pepper. Stir to coat the rice with the oil and then add the cooked lentils and the water. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and simmer over very low heat for 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat, lift off the lid, and quickly cover the pan with a clean tea towel. Seal tightly with the lid and set aside for 10 minutes.
5. Finally, add half the fried onion to the rice and lentils and stir gently with a fork. Pile the mixture in a shallow serving bowl and top with the rest of the onion.