Category Archives: Ram’s Horn

RABBI HOSPITALITY

Todah Robah to the following people for hosting Student Rabbi
Rebecca Reice:
Airport Pickup and lunch — Ann Grabowski
Friday dinner — Mimi Wolf
Oneg –
Saturday lunch — Stuart Lewin

WEEK END HOSPITALITY NEEDED

Rabbi Rebecca Reice will be in Great Falls next weekend, March 2-4.
Here is her schedule:
Friday, March 2: She will arrive in Great Falls at 1:57 p.m. via Alaska #2326. She will need to be picked up at the airport, and will need lunch and dinner. We will also need an Oneg host.
Saturday, March 3, after morning study at 10:00 A.M.: We will need a lunch host. Her reservation is confirmed at Motel 6.
There will be a milchig (dairy) potluck at the church at 5:30 PM Saturday evening, followed by adult discussion.
On Sunday she will need a ride to the airport.
Thanking you in advance, Helen

THE JEWISH ELBOW

A Jewish grandmother is giving directions to her grown grandson who is coming to visit with his wife.

“You come to the front door of the apartment. I am in apartment 301. There is a big panel at the front door. With your elbow , push button 301. I will buzz you in. Come inside, the elevator is on the right. Get in, and with your elbow , push 3. When you get out, I’m on the left. With your elbow hit my doorbell.”

“Grandma, that sounds easy, but, why am I hitting all these buttons with my elbow? ………

“What . . . .. .. You coming empty handed?”

GOOD SHABBOS!

If you like Simon & Garfunkel’s Sounds of Silence, you’ll love this 2-minute music video.

Aitz Chaim Spring Schedule

Happy Secular New Year!  As we turn 2011 to 2012, Aitz Chaim is preparing for an active Spring!

Student Rabbi Rebecca Reice will be coming to Great Falls two times this Spring:

  • During the weekend of March 2-4, we will be marking Purim!
  • During the weekend of May 4-6 we will hold services for parasha Acharei-Kedoshim and hold a Lag B’Omer Bonfire/BBQ!

In addition, we will again mark Pesach with a community seder on the second evening of Passover, Saturday April 7 at Clark and Lewies in downtown Great Falls!

We look forward to seeing you at these events!

A Chanukah Message

English: Hanukkah menorah, known also as Hanuk...

Image via Wikipedia

A CHANUKAH MESSAGE
from Rebecca Reice
Student Rabbi

Happy Chanukah to the Aitz Chaim Community!

As Asher and I lit the candles these first few nights, we reflected on how beautiful the light is on these, the darkest days of the year.  I count it as a blessing that in this cold and dark time, we are asked to light up our homes with the chanukiah (Chanukah menorah), reminding us of the miracles wrought by and for our ancestors.

Chanukah is a holiday celebrating the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.  At that time, the Temple in Jerusalem was the place of God’s Presence on earth.  The Temple was only able to be rededicated after the people cleaned it and prepared a place for God to dwell among them.  Today, we understand that God’s Presence can fill our world.  What part of your life would you like to rededicate for God’s Presence to dwell with you?

I wish you all a Chag Urim Sameach – A Happy Holiday of Lights!  May the light of your chanukiah pierce the dark and cold of these days and bring warmth and blessing into your homes and the whole community.

MAJCO Communities to Light Menorot Together at Capitol, 2 p.m. Thurs, Dec 22

English: Montana State Capitol

Dear Montana Jews,

For the third year, the Montana Association of Jewish Communities (MAJCO) is sponsoring a Chanukah Menorot Lighting event with Lt. Governor Bohlinger where we hope to have all nine communities of MAJCO light a Menorah (one each).  In 2009, Chabad Lubavitch of Montana handed off this annual Menorah Lighting Ceremony, which they started and sponsored at the Capitol for the first two years.
On behalf of MAJCO, I have taken on the responsibility of organizing the Annual Chanukah Menorot Lighting event.  I hope we use this opportunity to come together as Montana Jews and celebrate the light that we all share.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:  Thursday, December 22
1:00 p.m. Setup; 2:00 p.m. Lighting Ceremony with Lt. Governor Bohlinger
The State Capitol in Helena; the Rotunda Room which is below the Large Dome of the Capitol
Parking:  Park in the lot that is on the north side of the capitol or park on the streets all around the capitol. There should be plenty of parking, but please allow time to find a space and walk to the Rotunda.  1301 East 6th Avenue, Helena, MT
The nine communities of MAJCO, listed from East to West based on town/city of location, are:
  • Congregation Beth Aaron, Billings
  • Chabad Lubavitch of Montana
  • Congregation Beth Shalom, Bozeman
  • Congregation Aitz Chaim, Great Falls
  • The Jewish Community of Helena
  • Congregation B’nei Israel, Butte
  • Congregation Har Shalom, Missoula
  • Congregation Bet Harim, Kalispell
  • Synagogue of the Northern Rockies, Whitefish
At 1:00 p.m., we will meet to setup tables, tableclothes, Menorot, signs and any info you bring about your community.  Each community should bring their own Menorah and candles.  MAJCO will provide extra candles and Menorot if needed, small signs for each community, and a program that includes contact information for each community.  Beth Shalom will bring Sufganiyot to share.  Other communities are welcome to bring Chanukah foods to share.
MAJCO President, Josh Burnim, will welcome the crowd and introduce the Lt. Governor and and Rabbis.  Rabbis Barbara Block, Chaim Bruk and Ed Stafman will speak on Chanukah.  (Rabbi Allen Secher is not able to attend.)  Lt. Governor Bohlinger will address the crowd.  Then, we will all light our Menorot together and sing the blessings and Maoz Tzur.  After the ceremony, we will share Sufganiyot and other Chanukah treats.  The ceremony should only take 30 minutes, but we encourage all to spend some time before and afterwards with each other.
At 3:00 p.m., MAJCO Officers and Delegates will meet in Room 350 for a business meeting.  All are welcome to attend.
I hope many of you, and at least one representative from each MAJCO community, will make the trip to Helena to share in this statewide Jewish event, building ties with Jews from across the state.  Please share this email with other members of your Congregations and Communities.
Shalom,
Josh Burnim
MAJCO President

LATKES

You’re Doing It All Wrong — How to Make Latkes

Make latkes the right way. Leslie Jonath of Chronicle Books is an avid latke maker. Here she shows you the right way to make your favorite Hannukah food. Video by CHOW.com.

CHEESE LATKES
recipe from “Spice & Spirit, The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook of the Lubavitch Women:
Contributed by Helen Cherry

3 eggs 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk 5 Tbl sugar
1 cup drained cottage cheese 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup oil
1 tsp baking powder

Place eggs, milk, cottage cheese, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar & vanilla in bowl & mix til smooth.
Heat oil in frying pan (if using nonstick pan, use less oil). Drop batter by spoonfuls into hot oil.
Fry til brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels & continue til all batter is used. Keep warm until serving.
Serve with sour cream or applesauce.

From Joy Breslauer: One of my favorite places to look for recipes is about.com.

SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND CHANUKAH

1. Christmas is one day, same day every year: December 25. Jews also love December 25th. It’s another paid day off work. We go to movies and out for Chinese food. Chanukah is 8 days. It starts the evening of the 24th of Kislev, whenever that falls. No one is ever sure. Jews never know until a non-Jewish friend asks when Chanukah starts, forcing us to consult a calendar so we don’t look like idiots. We all have the same calendar, provided free with a donation from either the World Jewish Congress, the kosher butcher, or the local Sinai Memorial Chapel (especially in Florida) or other Jewish funeral home.

2. Christmas is a major holiday. Chanukah is a minor holiday with the same theme as most Jewish holidays: They tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat.

3. Christians get wonderful presents such as jewelry, perfume, stereos… Jews get practical presents such as underwear, socks, or the collected works of the Rambam, which looks impressive on the bookshelf.

4. There is only one way to spell Christmas. No one can decide how to spell Chanukah, Chanukah, Chanukka, Channukah, Hanukah, Hannukah.

5. Christmas is a time of great pressure for husbands and boyfriends. Their partners expect special gifts. Jewish men are relieved of that burden. No one expects a diamond ring on Chanukah.

6. Christmas brings enormous electric bills. Candles are used for Chanukah. Not only are we spared enormous electric bills, but we get to feel good about not contributing to the energy crisis.

7. Christian women have fun baking Christmas cookies. Jewish women burn their eyes and cut their hands grating potatoes and onions for latkas on Chanukah. Another reminder of our suffering through the ages.

8. The players in the Christmas story have easy to pronounce names such as Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. The players in the Chanukah story are Antiochus, Judah Maccabee, and Matta whatever. No one can spell it or pronounce it. On the plus side, we can tell our friends anything and they believe we are wonderfully versed in our history.

9. In recent years, Christmas has become more and more commercialized. The same holds true for Chanukah, even though it is a minor holiday. It makes sense. How could we market a major holiday such as Yom Kippur? Forget about celebrating. Think observing. Come to synagogue, starve yourself for 27 hours, become one with your dehydrated soul, beat your chest, confess your sins, a guaranteed good time for you and your family.

Better stick with Chanukah!

CHANUKAH SCHEDULE

* Daily Chanukiah lighting at the Civic Center, 5:30 p.m. each evening from December 20 – 27.
* Chanukiah lighting at the Montana State Capitol in Helena, Thursday afternoon,12/22, at 2:00 P.M.
* Aitz Chaim Chanukah Party, Jerry and Nadyne Weissman’s home, Friday, December 23 at 6 p.m. (following the Civic Center lighting) Many thanks to Laura and Wendy for volunteering to put this party together.

Marty will be out of town for the last several days of Chanukah. Wendy and I will also be out of town. We need a volunteer to spearhead the nightly lighting for those evenings.

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