Here’s autumn! Time to consider what we want to do in the upcoming Jewish year of 5777. Here are all the workshops and classes scheduled from Building Jewish Bridges. I hope you’ll find something you like. As always, feel free to email me (dawn@buildingjewishbridges.org) if you have a topic that you’d like to see offered….
Read More »Chanukah
Some Light in the Darkness
Rabbi Rebecca Gutterman sent out this hopeful message to her congregation, B’nai Tikvah in Walnut Creek. It made me think of my Jewish – Muslim couples who are going through tough times now with all the brutal, prejudice words flying around. I will us all peace and sanity. It is a hallmark of Jewish experience…
Read More »Hanukkah Accessories

A big part of the fun of holidays — like Christmas — is the decorations, the spiffy seasonal accessories. GET CREATIVE! Hanukkah can come up pretty short in this regard and that’s natural since this minor Jewish holiday has nowhere near the glamour of Christmas. But there are still things you can do to decorate…
Read More »Channukah & Thanksgiving: It’s Complicated
I found this email from Rabbi Menachem Creditor of Netivot Shalom in Berkeley to be powerful and well said. I want to share it with you. Much has been made of the overlap of Channukah and Thanksgiving this year, a convergence that will not occur again for over 79,000 years. On the one hand, the…
Read More »Who doesn’t LOVE Doughnuts!
I love doughnuts and I love a good jelly – but not together. So for Hanukkah I prefer good old plain doughnuts. Powdered or Glaze! Doughnuts 2 eggs 1 cup sugar 1 cup milk 5 Tbsp. melted butter 4 c. flour 4 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. salt Canola oil Beat eggs;…
Read More »Bimuelos (Sephardic doughnuts)

(Photo credit: Israel Jewish News blog) When Ramadan fell over Hanukkah we had some Muslim friends over. They made a fried honey cookie and I made Bimuelos! Bimuelos 2 packages yeast 1 1/3 cups warm water 1 egg ½ tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla 1 Tbsp melted butter or margarine 3 c….
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