During the Jewish holidays, our families look to us to lead them through. Some of us are looking for ideas. How do we make Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur meaningful? How do we keep things interesting without breaking tradition? Are a round Challah and some apples and honey really enough?

Join me and MamaDrama on Twitter this Thursday night at 9pm EST…the ultimate diaspora…for a special High Holiday hour. We’ll talk about our traditions, food/recipes and all things Rosh Hashanah (and if you want to throw in talk about Yom Kippur, why not?  We just haven’t thought that far ahead). We’ll swap ideas, recipes and stories.  Ring in the New Year, Twitter Style.

When: Thursday, September 13th, 9-10pm EST ( (8-9 pm CT; 7-8 pm MT; 6-7 pm PT)

Hashtag: #HighHolidayHappyHour

Moderators: @peekababy, @primetimeparent, @mommymusings001, @randomhandprints

Prizes:

*Two (2)  Manischewitz bundle of goodies, great for makin’ some fab Rosh Hashana meals

*Two copies (2) of  Get Cooking: A Jewish American Family Cookbook  &  Rockin’ Mama Doni Celebration

*Two sets of Hot Mamalah: The Ultimate Guide for Every Woman of the Tribe and Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe by Lisa Alcalay Klug

RSVP: Let MamaDrama know here if you plan on joining and please invite your friends.  The more, the merrier!

Shana Tova from all of us at MamaDrama!

We were members of the Temple, the biggest Reform shul in the city, and my sisters and I went to Sunday School and were had Bat Mitzvahs and confirmations.  We were involved members of the community, and it gave me a sense of pride.  But it was not one that I wore proudly amongst my peers at school.  How could I when I was one of five Jewish members in my classl?  Instead it made me feel different, along with my big curly hair and oddly shaped nose.

I went to a Jewish school until I was in kindergarten age and then I moved into the public school system, and one of my most vivid Hanukkah memories is from that year.  It’s not the kind of memory you want lingering in your mind forever.  There was a big Christmas tree in the back of the room.  The teacher had just left the room for a few minutes. Several of the kids in my class got up and started dancing around the tree, making fun of me and the other few Jews in the class for not joining in the celebration of the holiday (which we actually did, there was not much choice).  Then they started chanting songs about us.  I don’t remember the words but I know they had negative connotations.  When the teacher returned, they stopped and pretended like nothing had happened, but it was too late.  In the midst of their chanting and stomping around the tree, they had tipped it over.  The experience was alienating.

Life in Atlanta continued very much that way.  I was one of a few children to take off for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  Most of the kids were jealous that they didn’t get the days off, but no one was ever jealous or wanted to observe the holidays with me.  No one ever asked the story about how either holiday came to be.  My mother continued all the traditions and we continued to practice the Jewish faith at home and I attended Hebrew School.  When I was 15, I heard about a high school program in Israel, and I wanted to attend immediately.  My grandfather, a fervent Zionist, paid for the trip and I was off.  Off to a land where I could stand up proudly for being a Jew.  I had never experienced that kind of pride before, and that pride has stayed with me ever since.   I certainly needed it when I headed off to the University of Georgia after spending a year in Israel and encountered a room mate wearing a swastika (but perhaps that story is for another blog post).  Well, not really, but she may as well have .  She had boys make prank calls to me, asking how much money my parents earn and other making other stereotypical comments.

Fast forward to today. I moved to NY almost right out of college (after spending time abroad) and I’ve never felt that kind of shame about being Jewish since.  When I lived on the Upper West Side, I’d walk down West End Avenue saying “Shabbat Shalom” as often as possible because I could, and for no other reason.  We moved to the suburbs after the kids were born, and they both wear their Judaism on their sleeve. It makes it easier that the entire school gets off for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

I am no longer a fish out of water, rather I fit right in.  My big curly brown hair is quite accepted in NYC and when Hanukkah rolls around, we are not the only ones celebrating.  Rather we are joined by others to do so.  All of their friends want to not only know the story of Hanukkah, but they want to come over and light the candles with us, whether Jewish or non-Jewish.  We have gathered with friends and family to light the menorah, and last night, we took our annual pilgrimage into the city on Christmas Eve to see the great big menorah in front of the Plaza Hotel.  You wouldn’t get that where I came from.

As I celebrate Hanukkah Hooplah with my fellow bloggers, I am reminded of the uniqueness of the blogging community.  We have been brought together from all over the country to celebrate a holiday where some of us have more people to celebrate it with others.  Oh, if I had this feeling of support when I was growing up!

A group of sixteen bloggers, led by Renee A. Schuls-Jacobson, are blogging the eight nights of Hanukkah, Please check out the other Hoopla posts here.

I would like to thank Streit’s and Doni Zasloff Thomas a.k.a. Mama Doni, the lead singer-songwriter of The Mama Doni Band for providing each of the sixteen of us with cyber-swag. Their cross-promotional alliance is designed to celebrate Jewish culture with the young generation, a mission of both Mama Doni and Streit’s.

To win this awesome swag, leave me a comment letting me know that you’re interested. A winner will be randomly selected on December 29th.

And check out this great video by Mama Doni herself “Chanukah Fever”:

 Disclosure: I am not being compensated for participating in this campaign.

Photo Source: Mother Nature Network

Back by popular demand, I bring you my delicious Rosh Hashanah Fesenjan Persian Chicken with Pomegranate Walnut Sauce recipe.  I’m also adding a linky so we can all share our favorite recipes with each other.  Leave your recipes in the comment section below and I’ll coordinate another post with all the links!

A good friend introduced me to this chicken a few years ago, and it’s been a New Year staple of mine ever since.  To say that it tastes divine is an understatement.  As a matter of fact, my book club has me to bring it to our annual holiday party every year.  They think that I’m an outstanding cook.  Little do they know that this is one of the only dishes I make really well.

You don’t use real pomegranates in the recipe, rather you use pomegranate molasses.  This ingredient  isn’t as hard to find as it sounds. You might find it at your local Kosher shop.  I choose to drive to a wonderful Middle Eastern shop in White Plans called Yaranush (322 Central Avenue) so I can pick up other goodies like Israeli spices, tea, rice and other delicacies that I can’t get anywhere else.  I always look forward to the trip and do it every year.  Everything else in the recipe is straight forward and it’s very easy to make.

I always serve a special holiday salad with candied pecans and Persian rice.  It’s a sweet meal to bring in the New Year, and everyone should (hopefully) love it.  After you read this, please provide links to your favorite holiday recipes to share with everyone.

The recipe feeds about 6-8 people.  I usually double it and freeze what we don’t eat.  It’s good to have on hand for other occasions.

P.S. Be exact.  Don’t experiment with quantities of anything, especially the molasses.  You’ll thank me later.

All you need is:

2-1/2 cups of walnuts

2 large onions minced

1/4 cup oil

5 lbs. of chicken pieces

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. fresh black pepper

2 tsp. salt

1/2 can of tomato sauce (2-3 tbs.)

2 tbs. fresh lemon juice

4 tbs. sugar

2-1/2 cups of water

1/3 cup pomegranate molasses/paste.

Directions:

• Skin and bake the chicken pieces for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
• To make the sauce (which can be made the day before or the day of), grind the walnuts in a cuisinart until very fine.  Then roast them in an iron skillet, stirring constantly.  After the nuts turn brown and give off a nice smell, dump them in a bowl.
• Cut the onions very fine.  Saute them in oil over medium heat until they are clear (not brown).  Use a large, heavy pot.
• When the onions are cooked, add everything else to the pot, except the chicken.
• Cook this for an hour or so over low heat.
• Then add the chicken and cook it until you serve it (can’t be cooked too long).  Stir in occasionally so that it doesn’t burn.

Serve with Persian rice.  (If you want the recipe for this, just leave me a note.)

You don’t use real pomegranates in the recipe, rather you use pomegranate molasses.  This isn’t as hard to find as it sounds. You might find it at your local Kosher shop.  I choose to drive to a wonderful Middle Eastern shop in White Plans called Yaranush (322 Central Avenue) so I can pick up other goodies like Israeli spices, tea, rice and other delicacies that I can’t get anywhere else.  I always look forward to the trip.  Everything else in the recipe is straight forward and it’s very easy to make.

The recipe feeds about 6-8 people.  I usually double it and freeze what we don’t eat.  It’s good to have on hand for other occasions.

All you need is:

2-1/2 cups of walnuts

2 large onions minced

1/4 cup oil

5 lbs. of chicken pieces

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. fresh black pepper

2 tsp. salt

1/2 can of tomato sauce (2-3 tbs.)

2 tbs. fresh lemon juice

4 tbs. sugar

2-1/2 cups of water

1/3 cup pomegranate molasses/paste.

Directions:

Skin and bake the chicken pieces for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

To make the sauce (which can be made the day before or the day of), grind the walnuts in a cuisinart until very fine.  Then roast them in an iron skillet, stirring constantly.  When the nuts turn brown and give off a nice smell, dump them in a bowl.

Cut the onions very fine.  Saute them in oil over medium heat until they are clear (not brown).  Use a large, heavy pot.

When the onions are cooked, add everything else to the pot, except the chicken.

Cook this for an hour or so over low heat.

Then add the chicken and cook it until you serve it (can’t be cooked too long).  Stir in occasionally so that it doesn’t burn.

Serve with Persian rice.