April 2018 | Nisan-Iyar 5778 | Volume 65 Number 2 Wishing our Beth El Community INSIDE THIS EDITION: • The Lost Question of the Haggadah! a Happy and • “Let all who are hungry, come and eat.” Passover Recipes Meaningful Passover BETH EL SENIOR STAFF AND BOARD Happy Passover Senior Staff Senior Rabbi Steven P. Schwartz PASSOVER TZIMMIS Associate Rabbi Dana Saroken • 2 lb. canned sweet • 6 TBSP vegetable oil Cantor Thom D. King potatoes • 2 TBSP potato starch Executive Director Joshua Bender • 1 lb. canned carrots • ½ cup orange juice Director of Education Eyal Bor, Ph.D. • 1 cup honey Ritual Director Ben Kreshtool • ½ cup raisins • ½ cup sugar • ¼ tsp ground ginger Beth El Officers Mix all ingredients together. Bake in greased pan for 30 President Denise F. Franz minutes at 350˚. 1st Vice President Edward Mishner, M.D. 2nd Vice President Bruce Friedman Secretary Jennifer Millman PASSOVER POTATO KUGEL (DAIRY!!) • 2 lb. peeled potatoes • ¼ cup milk Treasurer Edward Goldmeier Comptroller Hal Hackerman • 1 lb. peeled yellow onion • 2 tsp salt • ¾ lb. peeled carrots • dash white pepper Board Members • 4 eggs, beaten • 1 TBSP dry parsley Benjamin Abrams Myra Katz 1 • /3 lb. melted butter Wendie Berenson Robin Kleiman Jennifer Berman Fred Kobb Run first three ingredients through grater or food processor. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Herbert Better Joseph Koff Margery Daniels Susan Kolker Bake in greased pan for 30 minutes at 350˚. *Depending on Marci Elkin Steve Kravet size (and depth) of pan, cook time may vary. Lauren Esakoff Regan La Testa Recipes taken from Monroe Zeffert, Celebrations Kosher Hedy From Howard Moffet Catering and Event Planning Kevin Fruman Ken Niman Debbie Greenberg Leslie Papel MATZO NACHOS Andy Grossman Bruce Supovitz • 2 plum tomatoes, small, • salt and pepper David Harrison Michael Uhlfelder diced • 2 pieces matzo, broken Dale Kahn Melissa West • 1 medium white onion, into large pieces diced • 2 TBSP olive oil Past Presidents • 1 jalapeño, diced *Reuben H. Levenson Elliot Merenbloom • ½ cup cheese *Melvin H. Chernoff David Yumkas • juice from ½ lime • ½ avocado diced *Samuel J. Keiser Albert M. Katz • 2 TBSP cilantro, minced • ¼ cup Greek yogurt *Dr. William Raffel Alan S. Dorenfeld *Julius Of fit John P. Abosch 1. Make pico de gallo with tomatoes, onions jalapeños, *Milton Roseman Margot Gilbert Gilison cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. *Milton Snyder Dr. Robert D. Keehn 2. Preheat oven to 400˚. Drizzle matzo pieces with olive oil, *Ira Askin Beverly S. Penn salt and pepper. Bake for 5-8 minutes until browned. Robert N. Smelkinson Richard S. Hollander 3. Add cheese, bake another 5 minutes until cheese is Charles Yumkas Michael D. Steinhardt melted. *Klaus Buchdahl Raphael Kahn 4. Top with your choice of pico de gallo, Greek yogurt, Mildred Miller Steven D. Silverman avocado and cilantro. Sidney Friedman Jerome D. Schnydman Author, Amy Kritzer, published in Jew Wanna Eat *Max Mendelsohn Michael S. Rubenstein Louis Glick *Deceased 2 The Voice of Beth El Congregation Happy Passover By Ben Kreshtool The Passover seder is without a doubt one of the most memorable ritual events of the year. If I were to ask what the most memorable part of the seder is (besides the brisket), I think most people will tell me that it’s when they ask the four questions. I would agree that the four questions are among the most known parts of the Haggadah text. What if I told you that the four questions you know were not always the four same questions? People would probably tell me how wrong I am, because right there in the Haggadah the four same questions we always ask. That part is true, in almost all modern versions of the Haggadah, there are the same four questions. Yet originally, one question did not exist. So, what was this other question and where did it come from and where did it go? To answer that, we have to look in the Mishnah, which lays out the order of the seder as we know it. Chapter 10 Mishnah 4 teaches “They poured the second cup, and here, the son asks his father. And if the son lacks intelligence, the father teaches him. What is different about this night from all other nights? As on all other nights we eat leavened bread and matzah; on this night only matzah. As on all other nights we eat different vegetables; on this night, only bitter herbs. As on all other nights we eat roasted, stewed, or cooked meat; on this night, only roasted meat. As on all other nights we dip only once; tonight, we dip twice…’’ The bolded line is the now absent original question. It refers to the meat of the Pascal lamb sacrifice and the festive Chagigah offerings, both of which were roasted exclusively. After the destruction of the Temple, there was no longer a need to ask such a question as both of these sacrifices can only be offered in the Temple in Jerusalem, so the question was removed. Then there is an issue because there would only be three questions, and the Haggadah has a theme of the number four. So, the Rambam in his Mishnah Torah adds a new question about why it is that we recline on this night, while on all other nights we can sit or recline. The Haggadah is one of the most interesting texts in all of Jewish tradition. For as much as it has evolved, it has remained largely the same text. The spirit of the Passover holiday is to tell our story, to ask questions, and to share interesting things about the holiday. This is one of my favorite things to share because it shows us how the Haggadah, like Judaism, was able to evolve without a Temple. God willing, one day, when we are all eating our sedarim in Jerusalem, we will ask this lost question once again. I wish all of you a Chag Pesach kasher v’sameach! FIVE FUN FACTS ABOUT PASSOVER 1. The world’s largest matzo ball weighed 488 pounds! 2. Ben and Jerry’s made a charoset flavored ice cream 3. The world’s largest Seder is held in Nepal 4. The TSA will hand inspect matzo upon request 5. Coca-Cola makes Kosher for Passover coke The Voice of Beth El Congregation 3 The Beth El Family In Memoriam OUR HEARTIEST MAZEL TOV TO We mourn the passing of our Bar & Bat Mitzvah members and extend sincere David and Wendy Berman on the Bar condolences to their families. SYDNEY MORGAN Mitzvah of their son, Joshua Daniel Ralene Chalew William Lowe BROOKS, daughter Berman. Grandparents are Honey of Maya and Steven George Gordon Michael David and Jeffrey Litman and Mr. and Mrs. Pintzuk Brooks, will be called Joel Berman. Esther Harris to the Torah as a Bat Robert Michael Hon. Blanche Wahl Maya and Steven Brooks on the Bat Hyman Mitzvah on Mitzvah of their daughter, Sydney April 14, 2018. Morgan Brooks. Grandparents are OUR DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO ALEXA JAYNE Gail and Michael Brooks and Orah and Moshe Mahlab. GROSSMAN, daughter Jeffrey Abarbanel on the loss of his of Jennifer and Andrew Shari and Larry Cooper on the birth of beloved mother, Irene Abarbanel. Grossman, will be their grandson, Grant Cooper. The family of the late Ralene Chalew. called to the Torah as a Beth Fisher on the Bar Mitzvah of Frida Fraiman on the loss of her beloved brother, David Finkelstain. on her son, Emory Jordan Fisher. Bat Mitzvah Dr. Louis Gordon on the loss of his April 14, 2018. Grandparents are Joan Flaks and Bonnie and Andrew Fisher. beloved father, George Gordon. EMORY JORDAN Charles Tamres and Charlotte Fred Harris and Lisa Schultz on the loss of Forman on the birth of their their beloved wife and mother, Esther Harris. FISHER, son of Beth Anita Kay Hyman and Mindy Kay on the and the late Daron grandson, Elliot Cole. loss of their beloved husband and father, Fisher, will be called Jennifer and Andrew Grossman Robert Michael Hyman. to the Torah as a on the Bat Mitzvah of their The family of the late William Lowe. Bar Mitzvah during daughter, Alexa Jayne Grossman. Eileen Offit on the loss of her beloved Havdallah services on Grandparents are Leslie Rubell, Anne sister, Marjorie Lampe. April 14, 2018. Sue and Leonard Grossman. Great Richard Pearl on the loss of his beloved Grandmother is Ann Fealkoff. mother, Elaine Pearl. SAMANTHA MORGAN Jerry and Lisa Janofsky on the birth Lisa Pintzuk on the loss of her beloved MERLO, daughter of of their granddaughter, Edith Sophie husband, Michael David Pintzuk. Ms. Jamie Merlo, will be Janofsky. Great-grandparents are Judy Schwartz on the loss of her beloved called to the Torah as a Joan and Arthur Janofsky. sister, Harriet Read. Bat Mitzvah during Rosh Lynn Meier, Mayer Schwartz and Rabbi Judy and Marc Lipchin on the Steven Schwartz on the loss of their beloved Chodesh services on marriage of their daughter, Jennifer father, brother and uncle, Milton Schwartz. April 15, 2018. to Ea Gregory. Debra Shore on the loss of her beloved Jamie Merlo on the Bat Mitzvah of father, Irwin Marvin Cohen. LINDSAY BETH her daughter, Samantha Morgan The family of the late Blanche Wahl. WACHS, daughter of Jill Merlo. Grandparents are Stanley and Linda Weinberg on the loss of her beloved and Bryan Wachs, will Carolyn Silverman. father, Abraham Weinberg. be called to the Torah as Lynne and Stephen Richmond on the Susan Zemil on the loss of her beloved a Bat Mitzvah on birth of their granddaughter, Hannah sister, Beth R. Bremner. April 21, 2018. Olivia Caplan. Great-grandmothers are Dr.