You will need: Popping corn; pencil; empty juice can (with only 2 holes at the top that were used for pouring; cardboard; scissors; colored felt; household cement; glue.

Put a handful of popping corn into the can through the 2 holes. Trace the base of the can onto the cardboard. Cut the cardboard and trim the circle so it fits snugly onto the side of the can with the holes.

Trace the base onto the large piece of felt and cut each circle so that it is about 1 inch larger all the way around. You’ll need darts in the felt to stretch it over the ends, so cut them every 2 inches to the correct size of the circle. Glue the felt over each end using household cement Wrap the rest of the can with more felt, trim, and glue it to the can.

Decorate the gragger using glue and other colors of felt. Shake and use.

Make Your Own Purim Mask

Wearing masks and costumes is a Purim tradition. Here’s one way to make your own mask.

You will need: Balloon; glue; water; newspaper; paints and paint brush; construction paper; aluminum foil; glitter; cotton balls; and yarn.

Blow up a balloon so that it is a little larger than the head of whomever will be wearing the mask. In a bowl, combine 1 part glue to about 4 parts warm water and mix thoroughly. Cut strips of newspaper about 1 inch wide and soak them one at a time in the glue mixture and wrap them around the balloon. Cover the balloon completely with two layers of newspaper. Let it dry overnight.

When the balloon is dry, cut it in half lengthwise. Now cut two holes in one of the halves for eyes.  Paint the outer side of the mask and allow it to dry before decoration with paper, paint, or any other materials. Make holes on either side of the mask to attach pieces of yarn for ties around the head.

Make Shalach Manot Bags

To make your own bags for shalach manot, you will need: piece of cloth, 15 x 40 ies; needle and thread; iron; safety pin; 20 inch piece of rope; piece of cardboard 9 ½   5 ½ inches.

Fold down 2 inches of the 15-inch edge of the cloth. Make sure the wrong side is down and iron a crease. Do the same for the other side. Sew a loose hem one inch away from the edge using a back stitch.

Fold the cloth in half lengthwise 15 x 20 inches with wrong-side out. Using back stich again, sew the sides together from the fold to the bottom of the hem you’ve made at the top. Don’t sew the top shut.

The bag you’ve created is inside-out. Turn it to the right side. Attach the safety pin to an end of the rope and work it through the hole created by the seams at the top of the bag. Continue all the way around. Tie the ends of the rope together in a tight knot and pull the rope upward at both openings in the hem.

Before packing the sack with goodies, put the piece of cardboard on the bottom to help it stand better.

Hamantaschen are delicious cookies that symbolize the three-cornered hat worn by Haman, the arch villain of the Purim story.

You will need:

• ½ lb margarine;
• 8 tsp sugar;
• 3 ¼  cup flour;
• 2 tsp baking powder;
• ¼ tsp salt;
• 3 tsp orange juice;
• 2 eggs;
• 2 tsp vanilla.

Filling:

• 1 jar favorite jam or poppy seed filling;
• ¼ chopped nuts;
• sugar and
• cinnamon.

Directions: Cream the margarine and sugar. Sift the dry ingredients and add to margarine and sugar mixture. Mix well. Add the eggs, orange juice and vanilla. Knead until dough forms and divide into 6 sections. Refrigerate until chilled.

Roll out sections on a floured board. Use a glass as a cutter for forming circles for the hamentashen shape. Place a tsp of filling into each circle and fold into a triangle by pinching the edges together. Bake in 325 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Besides Haman, there are two important villains in the Purim story who are sometimes overlooked. They are critical players, because without them, Mordechai could not have risen to prominence and Esther would not have been able to use her influence with King Achasverous to save her people.

Their names were Bigthan and Teresh, and they have since been compared to Shakespeare’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two characters from “Hamlet,” who help move along the story.

Bigthan and Teresh were courtiers to King Achasverous who Mordechai caught conspiring to kill him.  When Mordechai overheard their plot he reported it to Queen Esther. Esther told the King and the two would-be assassins were killed.

Mordechai’s role in unraveling the conspiracy was written down in the royal logs and the incident passed, for the time being, as if forgotten. However, Mordechai’s intervention was critical to Haman’s eventual downfall.

One night, after some time had passed, the King’s sleep was restless. To fall asleep, the King asked a servant to read from the Book of Chronicles, the royal logs that recorded daily events.

It just so happened that the entry read to him was about Mordechai’s loyalty to the King. When the King was told that Mordechai was never rewarded, Achasverous honored Mordechai with a royal procession, complete with royal robes and the King’s own horse. Haman, to his horror, was made to lead Mordechai through the streets of Shushan, the capitol.

Over the next couple of days, Esther finally revealed her Jewish identity and exposed Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews. The King gave permission for the Jews to defend themselves and ordered Haman and his sons hanged.

Mordechai & Queen Esther: The story of Queen Esther, her bravery and beauty, has been the stuff of legends for centuries. Ask any little girl what she wants to be on Purim, and the answer almost always is Queen Esther. Her story reads like a fairy tale. A Jewish orphan girl grows up and by a chance of fate, is plucked from obscurity to become Queen of Persia.

But it wasn’t just fate, and if you take a closer look, it wasn’t much of a fairy tale.

Esther, or in Hebrew, Hadassah, found herself and her people in grave, mortal danger. Esther is a heroine for all time because she summoned the courage to act in a way that threatened her personal security and comfort. With the help of her uncle Mordechai, she overcame her fear, set a clever trap for Haman, and when the time was right, revealed her religion and in so doing, saved her entire people. “For who knows, if not for this purpose alone were you placed in the King’s palace,” Mordechai told her.

Nothing happens by sheer coincidence. Even Mordechai realized that it wasn’t just chance that placed Esther in a position to save her people. He must also have realized that it wasn’t just luck that caused him to overhear Bigthan and Teresh’s assassination plot against the King.

The war of world’s in Persia was in essence a continuation of the ancient hatred of the Amalekite kingdom against the Israelites. This time it was Haman, a direct descendent of King Agag verses Mordechai and Esther, descendants of King Saul, whose cosmic error in judgment spared the life of king Agag, otherwise the last survivor of the evil Amalekites.

And in a final twist of irony, it was Esther’s own grandson, King Cyrus, who allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the second holy temple, thus completing the cycle of persecution to redemption.

Shabbat Shekalim is honored with the reading of an additional Torah portion dedicated to tzedakah, giving charity, a mitzvah associated with Esther.  This special Torah reading is taken from Exodus 30:11-16, which describes the giving of a half-shekel in support of the Temple’s sacrificial offerings.

A special haftorah, a selection from the prophets read immediately following the Torah portion, is also read on Shabbat Shekalim.  It is taken from Kings II 11:17-12:17, in which King Jehoash collects money for repairing the Temple.

Shabbat Zachor: The Sabbath immediately preceding Purim is called Shabbat Zachor, the Sabbath of Remembrance. On this Sabbath, the Torah portion recalls the Jews’ exodus from Egypt when Amalek, son of Eliphaz, and grandson of Jacob’s brother Esau, tried to destroy the Jews at their most vulnerable moment. The Torah reading describes how Amalek and his nation attacked the Jews just as they escaped slavery, and a pursuing Egyptian army, immediately after they crossed the parted Red Sea.

It is a special mitzvah for both Jewish men and women to hear this Torah portion read.  The Torah commands:

Remember what Amalek did to you on the road as you came out of Egypt- how he met you on the road and with no reverence for G-d, attacked all your stragglers in the rear, those who were famished and weary. Therefore, when the Lord our G-d grants you safety from your enemies, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. Do Not Forget! (Deuteronomy 25:17-19; Exodus 17:8-16)

The Haftorah read on Shabbat Zachor is taken from Samuel I 15:1-34, which describes how King Saul had the chance to destroy all of Amalek, but instead, took pity on King Agag, and spared his life. The Prophet Samuel severely chastised King Saul for his misguided pity and killed the Amalek king himself, but not before the king had the opportunity to return home and father a child. Haman was a direct descendant of Agag.

It is fascinating to note that it was Mordechai, son of Yair, son of Shimi, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who helped destroy Haman the Amalekite.  Mordechai, a descendant of King Saul, carried out generations later what his ancestor failed to accomplish.

Amalek: In a history with so many enemies, why was Amalek’s crime considered so heinous that Jews are specifically commanded to literally stamp out his name?

The reason, our rabbis say, is because Amalek preyed on the weak and sought the Jews destruction. Haman, like his Amalekite ancestors, also wanted the Jew’s physical destruction.

So, the Shabbat preceding Purim, before we can let ourselves go and enjoy the carnival-like atmosphere of Purim, we, as Jews, are reminded of the kind of evil that is out there, the kind that wants nothing more than the total extermination of the Jewish people.

Fast of Esther: On the thirteenth of Adar, the day before Purim, Jews observe a fast day in memory of Esther who asked the Jews of Shushan to fast and pray for three days before she risked approaching King Ahashveurosh to rescind Haman’s evil decree.

It was in response to Mordecai’s urging that Esther asked the King for a special audience. This was done at great personal risk, since no one was allowed to enter the King’s court without being called. If they did, and the King’ scepter was not outstretched, they were put to death.

Like all Jewish fast days, eating, drinking, wearing leather shoes, washing and engaging in sexual activity is prohibited.

Megillah Readings: The Book of Esther, which is one single scroll, is read out loud. It is first read on the eve of Purim, at the conclusion of the fast. The Megillah is chanted with its own melody before the entire congregations at the synagogue. If you are unable to attend Megillah reading at the synagogue, it is permissible to have the Megillah read to you at home.

As with all sacred scrolls, the Megillah reading is preceded  by three blessings:

The First Blessing: Baruch ata Adonai eloheynu melech ha-olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav, vitzivanu al mikra megillah.

Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, ruler of the universe, who has made us holy with your commandments and has commanded us about reading the Megillah

The Second Blessing: Baruch atah Adonai eloheynu melech ha-olam sheh-assah nissim l’avoteynu ba-yamin ha-hem bazman hazeh

Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, ruler of the universe, who performed miracles for our fathers in these days at this time of year.

The Third Blessing: Baruch ata Adonai eloheynu melech ha-olam sheh-hechianu v’ki;manu v’higianu lazman hazeh.

Blessed are You Lord our G-d ruler of the universe who has given us life, lifted us up and brought us to this moment.

At the conclusion of the Megillah, a final blessing is recited:

Blessed are you Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has contended for us and defeated our cause, avenging us by bringing retribution on all our mortal enemies and delivering us from our adversaries. Blessed are You, Lord, who delivers His people from all their adversaries- G-d who saves.

Special Passages:  In the synagogue the Megillah is chanted in a tune passed down through our oral tradition.  As the reader comes to the following four passages he stops and waits for the congregation to first read them out load and in unison.  Once said, the passages are chanted by the reader.

• There was a Jew in Shushan….” (2:4)
• And Mordechai left the King’s presence in royal robes…” (8:15)
• For the Jews there was light and joy, gladness and honor…” (8:16) For Mordechai the Jew ranked next to Achasveurosh…” (10:3)
• The passage beginning, “That night, sleep deserted the King…” (6:1), is chanted with a different melody, signifying a major plot change, specifically, the turning of the tide in favor of the Jews

Purim Day: On Purim morning the Megillah is again read.  It is a mitzvah for both men and women to hear every word of the Megillah. Therefore, you will find very little talking during Megillah readings in most synagogues, except, of course, when the name Haman is recited.

Costumes: It is a custom to arrive to shul in costume. This is true of adults as well as children, but mostly children. The dress up aspect of Purim adds to its carnival nature. Children and adults sometimes spend weeks planning costumes. Most people dress up as the lead characters of the Purim story, but it has also become acceptable to dress up as contemporary political and historical figures. Costumes may be purchased or home made.

Children love to dress in costume and, after the Megillah reading, many synagogues hold Purim parades or Purim shpiels, small plays will lots of silly jokes, with judges and prizes for the best costume. This also helps ensure good behavior during the lengthy reading of the Megillah.

Graggers: Gragger is Yiddish for a noisemaker. In Hebrew they are called Ra’ashanim which means to make a lot of noise. Graggers come in many shapes and sizes. Any kind of noisemaker, such as horns or party favors, will do.  What is important is that you use them every time the name Haman is read out loud. Haman’s name first appears in chapter 3.

Mishloach Manot: It is a special mitzvah to send food packages or baskets to friends and relatives on Purim. This custom finds its origins in the Megillah when Mordecai declared the holiday of Purim as a time “of feasting and gladness and of sending food to one another, as well as gifts to the poor.”

The only requirement is that the food baskets, or in Yiddish, shalach-manot, contain at least two different foods that require two separate blessings, and that you send them to at least two different people.

Baskets may be simple or elaborate. There are religious organizations that put packages together for a fee, or you can put the baskets together yourself. The  food baskets must be hand delivered through a shaliach or representative, which is usually a small child. Shalach-manot are usually delivered the day of Purim.

Matanot L’evyonim: Gifts to the poor was the second requirement Mordechai made for Purim. Today, it is customary to make donations to charitable organizations, often in lieu of sending dozens of elaborate food packages. Often, people send a couple of shalach-manot to fulfill the mitzvah, and for the rest, send out donation cards indicating that a donation was made to such and such charity in lieu of shalach-manot.

Hamantashen: Hamentashen is the traditional food eaten on Purim. These are small, three-cornered cakes filled with fruit jams or poppy seeds. Hamantashen is Yiddish for Haman’s pockets, or in Hebrew, Oznei Haman, which means Haman’s ears. The three-cornered shape is supposed to look like the hat that Haman was said to have worn. (See, Recipes)

Purim Seudah: In the late afternoon, it is customary for family and friends to gather for a festive meal, or Purim seudah. There are no specific rituals for the seudah.  Just have fun being together.

Shushan Purim: Because it took the Jews of Shushan, a walled city, an extra day to fight their enemies, they did not rest until the 15^th of Adar. For this reason, the rabbis said that all walled cities should observe Purim on the 15^th day of Adar instead of the 14^th .  Today, this only applies to the Jews of Jerusalem, also a walled city, who observe Purim on the 15^th, while friends or family members in cities like Tel Aviv, celebrate a day earlier.

Purim Katan: During the Jewish Leap Year, there is a second month of Adar, which is called Adar Sheni. When this happens, a “small Purim” is observed on the 14^th of the first Adar, and the big Purim celebration takes place on the 14^th of the second Adar.

Mishe nichnas Adar, marbim be’simcha. With the beginning of Adar rejoicing is increased. (Taanit 29a).

The hilarity of Purim has always been a welcome respite from the grind of daily life in exile. It is almost as if G-d was telling past and future generations to stop what you are doing and remember, even if it is not readily apparent, “I am watching over you. Be happy!”

Purim and Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement and the holiday of Purim would seem to be the two most unlikely holidays to have anything in common. Yom Kippur is a day of sanctity and solemnity. Purim is a day of unrestrained revelry and irreverence. Yet, both holidays represent times of fateful decision making: Yom Kippur, where an individual’s fate is decided, and Purim, where the fate of an entire nation was decided. They even share the same root: Pur, the Hebrew word for lots.

Hester Panim: Curiously, the name of G-d never appears in the book of Esther. G-d’s presence, usually so obvious, seems to be hidden. But, as the Purim story unfolds, it becomes very clear that G-d is very much a part of the story.  It is G-d Himself who very carefully manages the events, ensuring the survival of His people. In Hebrew, this is called hester panim, the hidden face of G-d. Purim stresses the message that although human beings appear to be in charge of their destiny, G-d actually pulls the strings from heaven changing the fate of individuals and nations.

But if G-d pulls the strings than why didn’t He simply foil Haman’s evil plan? Why was it necessary for the Jews to bear arms and fight for their very survival?  It must be that G-d had a purpose for the events to unfold as they did.  In the story of Purim, the Jews chose to assimilate and embrace a foreign culture at the very time they should have been preparing to return to the Land of Israel. So, we believe, G-d created events to nudge our people back on His desired course.

Special Purims: Purim is not the only time Jews were saved from imminent destruction. Since then, unfortunately, Jews all over the world have experienced small Purims. In Hebrew this is called Purim Katan.

One famous Purim Katan involved the community of Frankfurt-am-Main, known as the Wintz Purim. In 1614, Jews were driven from the city by an angry mob led by a Wintz Fettmilch. The emperor intervened and Fettmilch was executed. The Jews returned to the city.

Another Purim Katan revolves around the Heller family of Prague who, to this day, gather on the first of Adar to remember how Yom Tov Heller, rabbi of Prague, was saved from death in 1629.

Each Purim Jews everywhere remember the dangers we face in exile and celebrate the miracle of our very existence.

Did you ever hear a situation being described as A Purim Story? It means a crazy, mixed up series of events that do not seem to make sense, but in the end, all work out.

That is Purim in a nut shell– an ancient story of court intrigue, deception,  miscommunication, drunken parties, assassination plots, a foolish king, a delinquent queen, villains, a strong hero and one beautiful heroine.

For one little holiday, Purim certainly has it all. It is a one-day, carnival-like celebration in Adar, which occurs in late February or early March in the secular calendar.

Purim commemorates events that took place 2,500 years ago just after King Achashverosh consolidated his rule over the Persian empire. According to Megilat Esther, which is Hebrew for the Scroll of Esther, Achashverosh’s empire stretched from Hodu ad Kush, which on today’s map, would mean from Ethiopia to India.

To celebrate the expansion of his empire, King Achashveyrosh and his court feasted for six months. It was during one of these feasts, and after a lot of food and wine, that Achashveyrosh called for his wife, the proud Queen Vashti, to appear. However, Vashti, who did not appreciate being summoned on demand, refused.

The Midrash, which is a series of  biblical commentaries, says that Vashti refused out of modesty, because she was summoned in order to dance naked in front of the King and his friends. Another version is that Vashti refused to appear out of vanity, because she had a blemish on her face.

Whatever Vashti’s reason, when she did not appear, the King became very angry. His advisers, fearing their own wives would take courage from Vashti and become similarly disobedient, told the king to have her killed.

With Vashti gone, the foolish King is advised to stage a beauty contest to pick a new wife. A beautiful Jewish orphan named Esther is chosen as the new queen. Esther, whose Hebrew name is Hadassah, was raised by her uncle Mordechai, an important Jewish religious leader. Mordechai, sensing a divine plan, tells Esther not to reveal that she is Jewish.

Soon after Esther becomes queen, Mordechai overhears an assassination plot against the King. He reports the conversation to the palace, and the two perpetrators, Bigthan and Theresh, are apprehended and killed.  The incident is recorded in the king’s chronicles, and, although Mordechai saved the kings life, his efforts go unrewarded and are quickly forgotten.

Meanwhile, a power-hungry courtier named Haman is appointed as the King’s new Prime Minister. Haman quickly passes an edict that all must bow before him. Mordechai incurs the wrath of Haman by refusing to bow. After complaining to his wicked wife, Zeresh, Haman decides to take revenge on Mordechai by convincing King Achashverosh to decree that all Jews be executed. Lots are cast and a day is chosen for the annihilation of the Jews. That day, of course, was the 14^th of Adar, the day we celebrate Purim.

Mordechai tells Esther that it is because of Hamans evil plan that she, a Jewish woman, has become queen and that she must plead with the king to save her people. After some initial reluctance, Esther agrees, and in preparation, she and her people fast and pray for three days requesting Divine assistance.

When she is finished, she has a plan. Esther decides to visit the king uninvited, an act punishable by death, and invite the king and Haman to a special banquet. At the banquet she eludes Achashverosh’s questions and invites the king and Haman to a second banquet.

Haman is elated that he is so honored, and hurries home to tell his wife. On his way, he bumps into Mordechai. Haman can’t wait for the day of the planned massacre, and at the advice of his wife, he erects huge gallows in his yard. He rushes back to request the king’s permission to hang Mordechai the next morning.

That night, King Achashveyrosh had trouble sleeping. To pass the time, he asks that his book of chronicles be read out loud. The chapter read to him is about  the time Mordechai revealed an assassination plot against him. He is told that Mordechai was never rewarded. Haman, who just happened to be in the palace, overheard the king wondering how to reward such a man.

Haman, who assumed the King wanted to honor him, advises the king that the lucky one should be adorned in the king’s robes and crown, paraded through the streets on the king’s horse, and proclaimed as the king’s honored subject.

The king likes Haman suggestion so much, he informs him that he is to lead  Mordechai through the streets of Shushan, the capital. Haman, is stunned, but has no choice but to fulfill the King’s orders.

After this humiliation, Haman attends Esther’s second banquet. It is there that Esther reveals that she is Jewish and exposes Haman as the evil plotter against her people. The king is so angry that he orders Haman killed. However, the king is unable to rescind Haman’s decree against his Jewish subjects since it already bears the king’s seal. Instead, he allows the Jews to arm themselves and fight.

So, on the thirteenth of Adar, the Jews defeat their enemies in the provinces, and on the thirteenth and fourteenth of Adar, the Jews defeat their enemies in Shushan and in the cities.

The day turned from grief and mourning to one of joy for the Jewish people when Haman and his 10 sons were killed on the very gallows erected to kill Mordechai and the Jews.  In fact, the joy of Purim is so great, we are told, that even in Messianic times, unlike other holidays, Purim will be celebrated.

It is important to note that there are secular scholars who question the literal truth of Esther’s story. Some say it is a version of another genocide attempt during the reign of Xerxes II (485-465 B.C.E.) or Ataxerxes II (403-358 B.C.E.), both of whom have been identified as Achashverosh.

Our sages have their own theories about Esther’s story, which they discuss openly in the Talmud. An entire tractate of the Talmud called Megillah discusses various issues regarding the book of Esther. It is here that the rabbis explain that Achashveyrosh’s reign coincided with an earlier prophecy made by the prophet Jeremiah. The prophet said that after a period of seventy years following the destruction of the first temple, the Jews would return to Israel to build a second temple.

The rabbis say that the third year of King Achashveyrosh’s reign was the date he mistakenly calculated to be the end of the seventy-year-old prophecy. When the king saw that the Jews of his realm were not leaving, he celebrated with six months of feasting.   The rabbis said that when the Jews actively participated in the six-month-long series of parties, they were actually celebrating their own exile from the land of Israel. The rabbis concluded, that by abandoning their belief in G-d, and assimilating rapidly, the Jews forgot the need to be wary of those who would persecute them, in this case, Haman.

The story of Purim presents the eternal story of the Jew threatened in a strange land. For this reason we are commanded to read the Book of Esther. Still in exile, Purim is a reminder that we, as Jews, must resist becoming too complacent in our lives.

The impact of this miraculous rescue from certain death was so great that its commemoration became an integral part of Jewish tradition. The text that we read to this day was edited and canonized between the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.E. by the Men of the Great Assembly, or in Hebrew, the Ansei Knesset Ha’Gdolah, the governing Jewish body of which Mordechai was a member.  In fact, it is believed that the Megillah, as we read it today, is based on letters written by Mordechai and Esther, documenting the events they witnessed.

By the end of the second century, the Megillah was being read publicly Purim morning. The rituals associated with the holiday were formally established during the following century. Throughout the Middle Ages, the foods and entertainment that we take for granted today were established.

The joy was so great that ever since, Purim, which stood for victory in exile, has been celebrated with community and family parties, masquerades, parodies, (called Purim Shpeils), plays, food baskets, and festive meals.

A third century Babylonian teacher named Rava said that on Purim one should drink enough wine until one does not know the difference between arur Haman and baruch Mordechai, ‘blessed Mordacai and cursed Haman. 

The Hebrew phrase, Ad-de-lo-yada, until one doesn’t know, was quickly adopted as an important Purim theme, and was the motto for the first official Purim carnival held in 1912 in downtown Tel Aviv. Since then, carnivals and costume parades take place each Purim in cities around the world.

I stopped by one quiet afternoon while my kids were in Ulpan. Eti was inside ladling freshly whipped cream into a customer’s pot of velvety brown hot chocolate.  I had some time, so I began to look around.  First up are tasty and gorgeous ruffles and ganaches and tarts and mouse cakes, triple layered, single layered, as well as cakes of sizes and creams of all colors. As customers were leaving,  Eti and I began talking, and I was extremely surprised and moved by what she revealed. What I subsequently learned gave new meaning to bittersweet.

Eti used to be a grief counselor for soldiers while she served in the Israeli Army. A recent terrorist attack near her shop brought her out of her kitchen and back into her former line of work. You wouldn’t know it, but the previous week, an Arab construction worker used a small bulldozer to raize half a street on his way toward the King David Hotel.

Shaken from the drama but committed to staying put, Eti did what she does best: talk and feed people.  Things were quieter and back to business when I met Eti. The damage to the street across from the King David Hotel was cleaned and cleared and her patrons were stopping by as usual. These are the kinds of stories that wake you up from your own thoughts and worries. I came back several times to talk to Eti and sample her chocolate creations.  She and her  shop continue to thrive on this coveted stretch of pavement and her desserts and homemade crepes continue to sweeten the day.

Nona Chocolate 28 King David Street  02-624-4129

Today, this ancient birthplace of the Maccabees is about to become Israel’s fourth largest city. Once famous for its Hasmonean roots, modern day Modi’in has more than 150,000 residents and is Israel’s first planned city. Mentioned in the Talmud as a day’s walk from Jerusalem, Modi’in was an important stop on a pilgrim’s route to sacrifice in the Temple.

As modern Modi’in welcomes about 8,000 residents a year, almost every building excavation reveals layers upon layers of archeological proof of the town’s infamous past. Just discovered in the area known as Um El Umdan, the road between Modi’in and the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway may be exactly where the the Hasmoneans lived. Looking onto busy Route 443 today, it’s hard to imagine Matityahu, the Hasmonean priest and father of the famous Maccabees, fleeing Jerusalem to avoid the harsh anti-Jewish decrees of Antiochus, the Greek-Syrian leader, who outlawed keeping Shabbat, studying Torah and performing circumcisions.

Matityahu and his five sons, known as the Maccabees, led a guerrilla war against the Greek armies. They had the advantage of knowing the area and the narrow passes around the hills and villages, and although they couldn’t take on the whole army, they successfully lured enemy soldiers into treacherous narrow passes and killed them one or two at a time. The small number of Jews were victorious over the vast Greek army and the Temple was rededicated and restored to Jewish hands.

A few years ago, when route 443 was being widened, work stopped when machines unearthed a cave on the side of the road. The cave revealed a Jewish Hasmonean burial site with more than twenty ossuaries, burial boxes that held the bones of the dead. Archeologists are still searching for the exact whereabouts of the Maccabean graves even though a sign just opposite the modern town of Modi’in points out the Maccabean graves. The most reliable description of the real tombs is from Jew turned Roman historian Josephus Flavius. He described them as seven tombs in the shapes of pyramids deep inside a large building visible from the sea. Archeologists discovered signs of a large building of some sort with seven burial niches, and found a two-meter square slab of stone typical of burial sites during the Hasmonean era. The archeologists believe this is the actual burial site of the Hasmonean family’s graves.

Not surprisingly, Hanukkah is a very auspicious holiday for this time honored town. The week is an official municipal holiday with torch-lit processions, games, plays, lives play and performances, quizzes and seminars. Modern Modi’in revels in its heroic past as it celebrates its bright future.

Enjoy some of our favorite videos about the history and political significance of ancient Modi’in as well as some videos of modern day celebrations and observances of Hanukkah’s customs and traditions in and around Modi’in.

Following in the Footsteps of the Maccabim Part 1 and 2

 The Making of Sufganiyot

The Maccabeats – Miracle – Matisyahu – Hanukkah

What will we eat? Will there be enough? Will the kids like it? Will I have to cook it??

Luckily, there’s no need to worry when you’re in Jerusalem. If you are staying in an apartment or house and you are not in a hotel or on someone’s meal plan, Marvad Haksamim is a great choice for affordable and delicious meals for Shabbat. The name of this restaurant and caterer means magic carpet, and looking at the vast array of food offered every Friday morning, definitely feels like a magical carpet ride.

The entrance to Marvad Haksamim is located on King George St. next to the Great Synagogue on the bottom level of Hachal Shlomo just minutes away from busy Ben Yehuda. Just look for the big sign (see the picture) outside its door and follow your nose down the stairs and into the banquet hall. If you can’t spot their sign, look for throngs of people walking nearby holding nameless, light brown plastic bags – at least four to six bags per hand. You will not believe what is going on beneath your feet. Large banquet tables form an enormous U around this spacious room, and polite, helpful teenagers wait behind the tables in front of walls lined with hundreds of foil pans and lids in every shape and size.

You don’t have to speak any Hebrew to navigate around this buffet, but you will need your elbows to out maneuver the people to the right and left of you. If you belong to any large synagogue, you already know how to do this. Believe me, if you can point and nod your head yes or no, the teenagers behind the tables will put your food into the foil pan of your choice and start a basket for you.

Your helper will stay with you and follow you around the room filling foil pans with the most amazing Jewish delicacies. Just work your way around the room and pay the cashier who weighs your food at the final station. I was shocked at how affordable the food is, but bring cash; they don’t take credit cards.

The first time I saw this Friday morning ritual, I was overwhelmed by the sheer variety of food and numbers of people. I can still hear the roar of excited liberated men and women placing their orders. Come early because Jerusalem’s best kept Friday morning secret is not so secret. Try not to go if you’re hungry because you will definitely over buy. I lost count of the varieties of rice dishes, stuffed peppers, zucchinis, onions, artichokes, and mushrooms. If they can stuff it, you can eat it. There are schnitzels, roasts, kugels, fish of every shape and color and variety, potatoes, and even a Chinese food section.  If you desire Yemenite or Middle Eastern food, try their Moroccan cigars, kubeh, and pastels. There are  also soups, fresh pitas, challot, juices, sodas, and refrigerated cases of desserts, chumus and tehinas. There’s even a small living room area with couches for tired shoppers to sit and take it all in.

My husband loves to come with me on Friday morning to pick food for Shabbat. He will roam the tables, point out what he wants and leave the rest to me. Then he goes directly to the black couches, pours himself a cup of cola and watches the controlled chaos in amazement.  After I pay, I hand him the bags and off we go.

I advise bringing an extra set of hands, but you don’t need to bring a lot of money. Shabbat meals for a family of five can cost anywhere between $50 – $70 with plenty of left overs that last until mid week. Just don’t succumb to every temptation in front of you.

The food is easy to reheat  in your oven or on a plata, which is Hebrew for a traditional hot plate used on Shabbat. The tins are also easy to take on a picnic or to the beach or pool.

Marvad Haksamim is the place to go for consistent affordable and delicious food for Shabbat. You can also rent their space for private parties. I hope knowing this tip will take the worry out of  your week.

Marvad Haksamim. 42 King George St. 02-622-3312 Opens 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. every Friday morning. Middle Eastern and Yemenite food to go.

A mom I met at my neighborhood pool told me about volunteering at Carmei Ha’Ir and about what a lasting impression it made on her children. I called immediately and was given a date and time to show up. When we arrived, volunteers were busy shelling peas, peeling potatoes, slicing pita, sorting through sacks of chick peas and scrubbing pots. My children were given aprons and peelers and they went upstairs to work. Finally, it was time for lunch. The restaurant filled up quickly and my older boys became waiters. They greeted customers, seated them and took orders. My daughter stood on a stool in the kitchen and learned how to rinse and store glasses and scrape plates. I watched her from a similar stool somewhat bemused. Would these new found skills translate to their home in Chicago, I wondered. Definitely not, but that’s another story.

Carmei Ha’ir serves dinner and dignity. Founders Yehuda Azrad, Itzik Levitan, Momi Ben Zruel, Harel Horowitz and David Germiza dreamed of a soup kitchen “where everyone who enters would receive honor, not just food.”

To support Carmei Hai’Ir, send your tax exempt contribution to POB 3016 Givat Zeev, 90917.

To volunteer please call Carmei Ha’ir: 02-500-4222