Welcome to the 613+ Shabbat Project blog! We are eager to share with you the reflections, responses and recipes of your fellow members here. Feel free to check back, week after week, to watch the progress of our effort to reach 613+ Shabbat dinners by Rosh Hashanah 5773 (2012)!
613+ Shabbat Dinners
Beth Am is taking “feels like home” to new heights in the year 5772 with the introduction of The Year of 613+ Shabbat Dinners, an exciting new initiative to connect our members to one another around the Shabbat table. Members will be asked to host or invited to participate in Shabbat dinners throughout the year, with our goal to reach 613 (or more) and engage each and every Beth Am family by Rosh Hashanah 5773.
Did you host a 613+ shabbat dinner? Tell us about it.
From the Shabbat dinner table of the Spokes Family
February 21st, 2012
Dinner date: 17 February 2012
Guests: Lynne and Stan Lamberg
Stories: Lynne and Stan entertained the Spokes family with their tales of travel and adventure. Stan, an avid cyclist, told some amazing stories of cycling through India.
From the Shabbat dinner table of Alyson Bonavoglia & George Wittenberg & family
February 2nd, 2012
Dinner date: 20 January 2012
Guests: Carol Berkower, Tom Loveland, Laura & Micah Loveland
Analogy: Shabbat is like a pillow because it’s a good time to rest.
Recipe: Butternut Squash & Kale Torte
Story: We discovered that friends and neighbors of Alyson & George are also friends of Carol’s.
From the Shabbat dinner table of Susie & Allen Coven
February 1st, 2012
Dinner date 27 January 2012
Guests: Jonathan and Jennifer Weiner; and George and Betsy Hess.
Story: An absolutely wonderful way to build the community of the Congregation. To make immediate and valuable friends was priceless. As a vehicle to strengthen the sense of Congregation it was extraordinary. We spoke of Beth Am, each’s history at Beth Am, likes and criticisms (only a few, of course), and reasons to be active and participate. There was,naturally, some sports, some politics, and Jewish geography.
Kudos to David Lunken and Miriam Burg for initiating and organizing this most worthwhile effort. We look forward to doing another Shabbat Dinner is the near future.
From the Shabbat dinner table of the Lunken Family
January 30th, 2012
Dinner date: 27 January 2012
Guests: The Gludt Family
Analogy: We played a game called, “What do you like about Shabbat?” The overwhelming response was being with family and friends. Nadya liked lighting the shabbat candles.
Recipe: Quiche
From the Shabbat dinner table of Ellen & Howard Feldman
January 30th, 2012
Dinner date: 27 January 2012
Guests: Cy Smith, Adina Amith and Leah Smith
Story: It was a wonderful evening and the families had a great time getting to know each other better. The brownies Howard made were outrageous!
From the Shabbat dinner table of Ann Starer & Ken Gross
January 30th, 2012
Dinner date: 23 December 2011
Guests: Howard, Ellen, Marissa and Anneliese Feldman, and Neil, Margot, Ellie Kahn and Jennifer Berk.
Story: The 3 families have an annual tradition of having dinner on Christmas Eve, but in 2011 we had it on the Friday before Christmas eve and made it a Shabbat dinner.
From the Shabbat dinner table of Lisa & Don Akchin
January 29th, 2012
Dinner date: 27 January 2012
Guests: Our cousins and Beth Am congregants Betsy Ringel and Kirk Kolodner
Analogy: Shabbat dinner and Beth Am both create community, There are many different communities within Beth Am and different parts of synagogue life where each of us feels at home. We agreed it will be interesting to see what effect the 613 Shabbats project has on Beth Am as more and more congregants get to know one another.
From the Shabbat dinnner table of Dina Billian & The Kroiz/Siedel Family
January 28th, 2012
Dinner date: 6 January 2012
Guests: Alan Billian, Dina Billian, Eddie Seidel, Shaina Kroiz, and children Isaac, Galia, Ethan, and Sam. And the dog.
Analogy: The consensus was that Beth Am was a lovely community and we wish we had more opportunities to have dinners like this.
Recipe: Shaina and Eddie cooked a fabulous meal, from start to finish. We’ll make the deli roll again, surely. The homemade challah was a treat.
Story: We just enjoyed each other’s company and said we must do this again.
From the Shabbat dinner table of Gail & Jonathan Fishman
January 28th, 2012
Dinner date: 20 January 2012
Guests: Betsy Ringel and Kirk Kolodner, Becky and Perry Bridger and family
Analogy: It’s a non-structured way to engage in a Jewish activity with Jewish friends (as opposed to attending services).
Recipe: Chicken with apricots and currants, Israeli inspired salad
Story: The children got along and seemed to have a good time
From the Shabbat dinner table of Robin & Jason Katcoff
January 24th, 2012
Dinner date: 20 January 2012
Guests: Eitan Kimchi and Rabbi Michelle Stern, Al Honick, Victoria Dorf, Julie and Bill Frein, and our girls
Analogy: Shabbat is like a fellowship because we all get together to celebrate.
Beth Am is different, it is an ecclectic mix of people.
Recipe: chunky chicken barley soup
Story: We did have some trouble lighting the shabbat candles. How many people
does it take to light shabbat candles…?