May Rebbe's Table: Jodi Kantor

This month's Rebbe's Table at City Winery was a Mother's Day delight!  We were joined by Jodi Kantor, New York Times correspondent and author of the best selling biography The Obamas, and our own Rabbi Dan Ain for a discussion about the role that faith has played in the public and private life of the first family.  It was a wonderful way to spend our Sunday morning. 


Check out these pictures from the event!

Blintzes with a Twist for Shavuot this Weekend!

Even though Shavuot commemorates the huge milestone occasion when the Israelites received the Torah at Mount Sinai, people often remember this holiday because of one tradition: eating dairy treats! 


Check out this recipe for a modern, sweet twist on the classic blintz--strawberry rhubarb, borrowed from our friends over at Kveller.com. 


And of course, don't miss The New Shul's Shavuout celebration on Tuesday evening, May 29th, at 7 PM in the Westbeth Community Room (55 Bethune St.).  Using traditional text and YouTube, Rabbi Zach will lead us as we seek out the wisdom we need for the coming year.  Click here for all the details.  Don't forget to bring your own favorite dairy dessert or beverage!

Hava Nagila, hava minute?

This September, our friends over at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City will premier a festive, new exhibition entitled Hava Nagila: A Song for the People. The exhibition will explore the history and meanings of the song over the past hundred years, and will bring insight into its evolution and place in Jewish-American identity and celebration. The Museum is actively seeking photographs and digital images of people dancing, performing, or listening to the song "Hava Nagila," for possible inclusion.  We encourage you to send us your images as part of our survey, for possible use for the project and in related items.

Upload your photos through Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/mjhnews/hava-minute-pin-in/) or Tumblr (www.havanagilamjh.tumblr.com) or e-mail Alice Rubin at arubin@mjhnyc.org to submit directly by e-mail.

Cucumber Basil Martini Cocktail

Created by mixologist Stephen Fried

Per drink:

3 oz of Cucumber –Basil Lime Syrup

2 oz of Cucumber Vodka

Syrup Recipe:

·         2 Seedless Cucumbers , peeled and pureed

·         1.5 cups of water

·         1 cups of sugar

·         4 limes zested(thick zest with a peeler, not a grater) & juiced

·         5 leaves of basil

Puree basil and cucumbers. Boil water and sugar with lime zest.  Cool down and then add lime juice.  Add pureed cucumber mixture to syrup.  Take 3 oz of the mixture to 2 oz of vodka. Shake with ice and add a dash of salt to the glass.  Enjoy!

Gimlet 613 Cocktail

Created by mixologist Mark Philips

Gimlet 613

4 parts gin

2 parts FRESH squeezed lime juice

1 part triple sec

1 part pomegranate juice

combine in shaker with plenty of ice

shake vigorously

serve straight up in chilled martini glass

Mazel Tov Cocktail

Created by mixologist Andy Cohen




Ingredients:

Tequila Reposado
Sortilège — a Canadian maple liqueur
Orange bitters

Mix it three ways, depending on taste:

With a kick: one part tequila, half a part Sortilege, dash of bitters.

Sweeter: one part Sortilege, few dashs of bitters, dash of tequila

For non tequila drinkers: one part Sortilege, few dashes of bitters

The New Mule Cocktail

Created by mixologist Karen Loew

A West Village cousin of the Moscow Mule.

1 oz. bourbon
4 dashes ginger bitters
healthy squeeze of lime
1/2 oz. Champagne
small squeeze of orange with rind

Shake the bourbon, bitters and lime with ice.

Then add the Champagne and orange. Shake once or twice lightly, just to mix.

Pour into a martini glass or tumbler. Makes one drink.

The New Shul's Signature Mocktail - The Rockin’ Rozberry Shuly Temple

Since we're an intergenerational community we need a drink that everyone can enjoy. The winner of the mocktail division is Jeremy, Bellamy, and Molly Richardson with their drink The Rockin’ Rozberry Shuly Temple.

Jeremy and Bellamy take a break from pouring shots to pose for a picture.

The Rockin’ Rozberry Shuly Temple Recipe

In equal parts: (i) pomegranate limeade; (ii) pineapple juice; (iii) ginger ale; and (iv) one raspberry.  Note that you may need to add extra ginger ale depending on how fizzy you want the mocktail.

L'chaiim.

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We're 13!

Thank you to all those that helped make Saturday night's B'Mitzvah a huge success. Here are a few pictures of the evening.

Mazel Tov, Lori! We're going to miss you.

 

Thank you, Debby Lee. The face  and arm paintings were gorgeous.

 

And a very special thank you to our chair of the evening, Marisa Cohen.

The New Shul's Signature Cocktail - Torahtini

Our mixologists took the job very seriously.

This past weekend at our B'Mitvah party in honor of our 13th year, eight mixologists, all memebers of The New Shul, competed to find our signature cocktail. The winner of the cocktail division is Martha Spector with her very own Torahtini.

Mixologist Martha at work.

 

The Torahtini Recipe

Combine infused tanqueray gin and a healthy amount of cilantro. 

Let set for 1-3 days.

Remove cilantro.

Gin will be a bright green.

Combine:

3 parts gin

1 part simple syrup

1 part fresh lime juice

dash of triple sec

Then shake with ice and strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with cilantro leaf.

L'chaiim.

Happy Birthday to us! We're celebrating 13 years this weekend. Thank you to member/Chef Laurie Wessely for this very impressive (and celebratory) challah. It's not to late to buy tickets. Click here or purchase tickets at the door to our B'Mitzvah Benefit on Saturday, May 5th from 4-7pm at VCS. Can't attend? No problem, you can still make a donation online or send a contribution in the mail. Thank you to ALL of you. We did it. Here's to 13 more years.