Tu B’shvat is a joyous Jewish holiday that celebrates trees and nature. It brings us back to our roots, literally. Learn how to celebrate this nature-loving holiday with naturalist and former park ranger Deborah Newbrun. What will you do to celebrate the birthday of the trees?
Celebrate Tu B’shvat by hosting or attending a seder. When we typically think of a seder, we think Passover and matzo ball soup. But actually, seder is just a Jewish term to describe a special meal that commemorates a certain holiday or story. The Tu B’shvat seder celebrates trees and its fruit. This little Shaboom mini-episode will teach you the basics about how to plan your own party.
Have you ever looked up at a redwood tree and wondered how old it is? Tu B’shvat is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the birthday of the trees.
But exactly how many candles do we put on a birthday cake for a tree when we don’t know how old it is? Deborah Newbrun, a naturalist and former park ranger, shows us how we can guess the age of any tree.
Learn the rules of dreidel in 15 seconds, including credits. So, 13 seconds. Enjoy.
Have you ever wondered how bakeries make jelly donuts? Well, we went over to Frena Bakery, one of the few kosher bakeries in the San Francisco Bay Area, to see how its made.
The Hebrew word for jelly donut is sufganiyah (sufganiyot is the plural form). Sufganiyot are originally from Israel. Sufaniyot roughly translates to “sponge.” Like most other donuts they are deep-fried but these sweet sponges are often filled with jelly or custard. They are also typically eaten during the Jewish holiday, Chanukah.
Jewish Indian chef Raj Abassi teaches us how to make pakoras for Chanukah! Pakoras are fried snacks, from India, typically made with different vegetables like eggplant, potato and spinach. It’s not a potato latke, but it’s all about the oil.
Raj’s Pakora Recipe
Ingredients
4-5 medium onions roughly chopped
2 medium potatoes peeled, cut into thin strips cut one inch long
10 Tbs garam/chickpea flour (besan)
2 Tbs rice flour 1 tsp red chili powder (optional according to your taste)
¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
½ tsp cumin powder (jeera)
½ tsp carom seed (ajwain)
½ tsp chat masala (will also need a few pinches for sprinkling at the end)
1 Tbs chopped fresh coriander
1Tbs chopped fresh mint
1 Tbs oil Salt to taste 5-6 cups of oil (for the deep fry)
Method
Peel and cut the onions and potatoes. Mix everything in a bowl (not the frying oil). Add sufficient water to make a thick mixture. Add little by little. Begin to heat the oil in a wok (kadai) or other deep pan suitable for deep frying. Dampen your hands and divide mixture into 2 inch balls. Deep fry balls in batches so that there is only a single layer in the wok at a time. Remove when half done. (This is an art, and takes some experience to know what a half-done pakora looks like. Try 2-3 minutes.) Drain and cool onto a plate covered with absorbent paper towels. Turn down the heat. Flatten balls one by one between your hands also covered with absorbent paper towels. Reheat the oil and deep fry the flattened pakoras till crisp and golden. (5-6 pakoras at a time). Drain again on absorbent paper. Transfer pakoras to serving platter. Sprinkle with chat masala on top. Serve hot with mango, mint/yogurt or tamarind chutney.
It’s a Lego® Sukkot stop motion animation and we couldn’t be more geeked out about it! Learn the basics of the Jewish holiday called Sukkot, including festival huts, lulavs, etrogs, foods, prayers and the spiritual meaning of all the unique rituals. This stop motion animation is a great intro to the holiday for Jews and non Jews alike – make it part of your holiday emails and party invitations, or show it to your kids to get them inspired about building their own sukkahs this year!
This piece was written and narrated by Evan Wolkenstein, a beloved BimBam contributor and teacher of Tanach. For more Sukkot learning, check out:
Yes! We have a teachers’ guide available for this video. It’s a rich, creative set of LEGO® building activities that have media production components baked in as well. While you don’t need technology to do these activities, you do need LEGO bricks – enough for your students to build some Sukkot themed objects together. If your school doesn’t have these already in storage somewhere, you will want to hit some thrift shops, or, you’ll need to be creative about working with other building materials like paint and popsicle sticks, beads, or even vegetables.
This guide will help you prepare either a one hour special session, or three hour session (or series of 1 hour sessions) for a group of students. We recommend working with children in 3rd grade and up on these activities, but your mileage will vary.
Another great way to use this video is in your family’s celebration – check out this Sukkot @Home Parent Guide from Jewish LearningWorks in San Francisco. Check it out here.
Do note that LEGO®is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site.
The Day of Atonement is the most holy day of the Jewish year and it is full of spiritual opportunity if you open yourself up to its customs, prayers and melodies. This short video is a basic primer on what Yom Kippur is, for everyone. It explains what the holiday is about, where it comes from, what to expect at a service and how to break the fast! A great intro for Jews and non-Jews alike – share with your curious coworker or family member.
A basic primer on what Rosh Hashanah is, for everyone. This video explains what the holiday is about, how different communities celebrate it, what the special foods and traditions are, and the spiritual connection. A great intro for Jews and non-Jews alike – share with your curious coworker or family member.
Written by Rabbi Mark Melamut of Congregation B’nai Emunah in San Francisco, and shared by the irrepressible Jason Mesches, actor, musician and nice Jewish boy.
Shana tova! Happy New Year! Have a beautiful, inspiring Rosh Hashana!
Shavuot is the most important Jewish Holiday most people have never heard of. From all night study sessions to mountains of cheese, Shavuot finds incredible ways to celebrate receiving the Torah.
