What to Do When You're Dating a Jew: Everything You Need to Know from Matza Balls to Marriage - Couverture souple

Weiss, Vikki; Block, Jennifer A.

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0609806394 ISBN 13 : 9780609806395

Editeur : Crown Pub, 2000

Synopsis

Book by Weiss Vikki Block Jennifer A

A propos du livre

Extrait

Let's begin at the beginning.

When I was a young bride, standing under the chuppah (the Jewish bridal canopy, symbolizing, among other things, the future home the couple will build), the rabbi (oh, come on, you know what a rabbi is) exhorted me to be a good Jewish wife: to light candles on the Sabbath, to observe the holy days, and to bring up my children in the Jewish faith. All of which I did.

Yet in spite of the fact that I followed all of the rules --or perhaps because of it--my children (including one of the authors of this book) have presented me with a succession of non-Jewish in-laws . . . and they're still coming. Over the years, my children's spouses became my children as well. By the way, the rabbi who literally put the fear of God into me on that long-ago wedding day wasn't spared the changing times either. He lived long enough to welcome an African-American in-law into his own family.

I still keep a Jewish home, to the occasional bemusement of my non-Jewish children-in-law. They have had to learn to eat latkes (potato pancakes) on Hanukkah and participate in the Passover seder. It hasn't always been easy, but to our credit, we all keep trying. If they ever get around to giving me grandchildren, I'm sure the complications will multiply. And I'm just as sure that we will deal with them.

In the old days, in the Eastern European shtetls (think Fiddler on the Roof) to which most American Jews can trace their roots, life was easier. All you had to worry about was scratching out a living and running away from the cossacks. Assimilation was out of the question.

When my great-grandmother Judith--my bubbe--came to this country, she brought with her little besides her heavy brass Sabbath candlesticks and some five thousand years of tradition. My grandmother passed these along to me, along with the family recipe for chicken soup and some nice shares of AT&T--before it started splitting.

I sold the stock but I still have the candlesticks, which I hope one of my daughters will inherit and use. Plus I have the recipe, practically guaranteed to cure everything from mild depression to menstrual cramps to the common cold, which I will share with you. What else can a Jewish mother do?

Mom's Chicken Soup

1 stewing hen, cleaned and quartered

Several teaspoons salt (keep tasting, I never seem to add enough)

4-6 carrots, peeled

4-6 large stalks of celery, cut up

2 large onions, peeled and halved

Small bunch of parsley
In a stock pot, cover chicken with water, add salt, and bring to a boil. With slotted spoon, skim off the film that forms at top of the pot (use a clean paper towel to clean the rim). Reduce heat and cover. Peel and cut up the vegetables and add to the pot after skimming again, if necessary. It is not a bad idea to add more salt at this point as well. Simmer for three hours. Cool and strain. (Strip chicken from bones to use in chicken salad or casseroles; slice carrots to float in soup if desired, but store separately.) Refrigerate liquid until fat forms a solid crust at the top of the container. It can easily be lifted off at this point and discarded. Reheat soup and serve with wide egg noodles or matzah balls and plenty of love.

Présentation de l'éditeur

Learn everything you need to know about the holidays, traditions, beliefs, and culture of the Jew you love . . . and his or her family. From what to order in a Kosher deli to what to wear to a Purim party, this book answers all the questions you'll face as the love interest of a nice Jewish boy or girl.

What to Do When You're Dating a Jew will:
give you a quick overview of the basics of Judaism
prepare you for meeting your significant other's Jewish family
brief you on Jewish holidays, ceremonies, and rituals
alert you to potentially embarrassing situations and show you how to avert them
entertain you with "It happened to me" stories from interfaith couples

Peppered with definitions of Yiddish terms, historical facts, jokes, quotes, and even recipes, this is essential reading for any woman or man involved with a Jew, whether looking for a deeper understanding of the Jewish faith or simply looking to survive a first seder at Bubbe's house.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Crown Pub
• Date d'édition: 2000
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0609806394
• ISBN 13: 9780609806395
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 144
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible