Bret Stephens’ “Four Questions About American Greatness“ OK, so it’s barely Chanukah, let alone Passover (falls early this year, at the end of March). And, the four questions** at the center of the festive meal (“seder”) are supposed to be religious, not secular. But, it’s hard to read Bret Stephens’ piece in last week’s New...Read More
Getting Ready for 8 Days of Matzoh “They tried to kill us . . . they failed . . . let’s eat!” –old joke about what all Jewish holidays have in common. The catch with the Jewish holiday of Passover — which starts tonight and lasts 8 days — is that no leavened bread is...Read More
A Little Passover Irony, or “Wait a Second! Isn’t ‘Exodus’ Associated with Getting OUT??” I’ve made my peace with paying close to $10 for a movie ticket. However, $4 for a smallish candy bar or a box of M&M’s is another thing. So — full confession — we Kaplan’s have been known to smuggle a...Read More
“Motzza” vs. “Matzoh” If you’re Jewish and about to observe Passover rather than Easter, “lotsa matzoh” is what you’re faced with eating, instead of bread, the next 8 days. By contrast, “Lotzza Motzza” is a brand of frozen pizza that apparently features a lot of mozzarella cheese topping. Just clarifying . . . P.S.: Whichever holiday...Read More
Jewish Lent If you’ve ever been curious about traditional Jewish food like borscht (beet soup), matzo (unleavened bread), or gefilte fish (fish meatballs), now is the time to stock up: with Passover ending tonight, all those foods and more are on sale at local Twin Cities grocery stores. My personal favorite: chocolate macaroons. I actually...Read More
The Many Guises of Loyalty Q: How many Jewish grandmothers does it take to change a light bulb?A: None. They’d rather sit in the dark. So, I finally found out why I was passed over (thematic pun, anyone?) for a listing recently (doesn’t happen to me that often, but no one bats 1,000%). Years ago,...Read More