7 Jewish Ways to Celebrate Screen-Free Week

Starting tomorrow, my family is going to take part in Screen-Free Week, a yearly celebration presented by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood that encourages children, families, schools and communities to turn off the screens and “turn on life.” For the kids, that will mean no screens at all, and for the adults it will mean no screens for entertainment. We'll actually have to talk to each other!

The concept seems to fit in well with living Jewishly, so I gave my friend Rabbi Leah Doberne-Schor a call to see what she thought. Of course, she loves the idea.

“With our eyes away from the screen, we have an opportunity to shift our focus and perspective,” she said. “This is a chance to not only to find ways to occupy ourselves and our kids without screen time but, and perhaps more importantly, make that time meaningful.”

Keeping the kids (and, let’s face it, the grownups) amused without technology sounded pretty daunting, but I discovered that the CCFC's website has plenty of great ideas on how to enjoy our screen-free time together (as well as how to keep a toddler amused and out of trouble while you take a shower.)

In addition, Leah and I thought up an idea for each day of the week based on traditional middot (Jewish virtues) and mitzvot (good deeds, commandments) that focus on connecting with one another and with the world around us—ideas that help us pay attention to what's right in front of us and what matters most. I can’t wait to get started!

1. Bikkur cholim, visiting the sick. With the TV off, it’s the perfect time for families to make cards together or even cook a meal or some treats to bring someone who is ill, in the hospital or who has just had a baby. Don't know anyone like that? Find out if your local nursing home would like visitors, or if the local hospital could use donations of books, kids’ artwork or some homemade cards.

2. Feeding the hungry. Find out if a local food pantry could use your help organizing or getting donations. If your kids are little, getting a shopping list from a pantry and then shopping together for those items is a great way to teach kids about tzedakah.

3. Enjoying nature. The beauty that God created is all around us. In the story of creation, God repeatedly calls things in nature “good” for a reason! To get started, take a walk in the park, look for shapes in the clouds or pick up a field guide at the library and look around to discover what kinds of plants and animals live in your area.

4. Living with simcha, joy! Look for and find moments of joy by appreciating the simple things— a dish of ice cream, a game of cards or a shared story. Create simcha by putting on some music to dance, painting a picture or blowing bubbles. The idea is to show gratitude for the blessings we enjoy by living with joy.

5. Hachnasat orchim, welcoming guests. It’s a mitzvah to be hospitable, especially to someone who is new to town. Look around—is there a new kid at school, or a new family at your synagogue? Invite them for dinner or ask if they’d like to meet for a play date. You’ll not only do them a favor by making them feel welcome—you could end up with some great new friends.

6. Getting ready for Shabbat. Getting ready for the Sabbath is a mitzvah in itself. There are lots of ways kids can get involved. For example, you can teach them to make challah, set the table together, make paper flowers to decorate the house and even dress up in nice clothes to make Shabbat dinner extra-special.

7. Resting on, and enjoying, the Sabbath. It’s the original screen-free day, and one that many non-Orthodox Jews are reclaiming to put down their iPhones, log off Facebook and step away from the TV. It’s a great time to go to synagogue (yours or any, for that matter) and meet other Jews in your community. Then take this day specifically to relax and do something enjoyable as a family.

Screen-Free Week is April 30 to May 6!

I love TV, and so does my four-year-old. He watches Sid the Science Kid every morning while I take a shower and get his sister ready to head out the door. He begs for his favorite movies in the afternoons, and sometimes I feel good about what he’s watching (Sesame Street videos from the library, Backyardigans) and sometimes I don’t (Cars 2).

Does plopping my son on the couch while I check my email, clean the house or bathe his little sister make me a horrible parent? I sure hope not. But, as with any choice we make, there is “opportunity cost.” What are we missing out on when he’s tuned in to the TV and not to the world and the people around him?

To find out, next week we're going to take part in Screen-Free Week, a yearly celebration presented by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood that encourages children, families, schools and communities to turn off the screens and “turn on life.”

Come back on Sunday, when my friend (a rabbi and a wonderful mommy) Leah Doberne-Schor and I will share some of our own ideas for Jewish ways to celebrate a week without screens.

Happy Birthday, Israel!

I was 16 the first time I visited Israel, about to turn 17. It was a NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth) trip, and there were about 40 teenagers in our group. The first night there, in Jerusalem, was also the first time some of us tried hummus. "What is that stuff? I'm not eating that," I heard someone say, but I ripped off a piece of pita dived right in. Funny to think of how much hummus we've all eaten since then.

What's your favorite Israel memory?

Judaica Deal!

In honor of Israel's upcoming Independence Day, Emanuel Judaica is currently offering $20 off your order. Designer Yair Emanuel makes some really beautiful Judaica. (The seder plate I got my brother and his wife as a wedding gift is one of his.)

To get the discount, enter Israel64 at checkout.

How Do We Tell Our Children About the Holocaust?

Today is Yom HaShoah and this weekend my congregation will hold special events to teach about and commemorate the Holocaust. It got me thinking, "How will I tell my kids about this?"

Do you have a story about how you told your children? How old were they? How did you tell them?

Let's Remember Munich

A new petition by the JCC of Rockland County and Ankie Spitzer is circulating which asks the International Olympic Committee to observe a minute of silence  at the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympics in memory of the eleven Israeli athletes, coaches and referees murdered at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. In fact, the families of those murdered that day have been asking for this for 40 years, and not a single moment of silence has ever been granted.

Why? Is it because they were Israeli? Because they were Jewish? Because the committee was embarrassed that such an act of terrorism was permitted to occur at those games in the first place? Let's not sweep this piece of history under the rug. Take a moment to find out more at www.munich11.org.

How to Make Matzo Taste Better

When I was growing up in Leawood, Kansas, Passover was pretty much the only time when I consistently brown-bagged it to school. Some of the kids would make fun of my crumbly sandwiches, but very often my friends would want to try the strange pocked crackers I ate.

"Mmm, yum," they'd say, washing down a crunchy mouthful with slurps from a juice box. It wasn't until I met my high school friend John that someone finally admitted the truth. "So," he said, "cardboard is kosher?"

Now, almost a week into eating said cardboard (or potatoes) at every meal, I'm pretty ready for a real  piece of pizza. But it isn't all bad. Several years ago, while reading The Gefilte Variations, I learned that wetting matzo with a spritz of water or a touch of olive oil and then re-baking it in the oven at least makes it taste fresh, which is a vast improvement. Below are a couple of my own "re-baked" matzo creations:

Cinnamon-Sugar Crisps

Spread matzo with softened butter or margarine; sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Bake on baking sheet at 350 degrees F until crisp, about 8 minutes. Serve warm.

Matzo Garlic Toasts

Brush extra-virgin olive oil over matzo. Cut a piece of garlic in half and rub the cut side all over the matzo. Sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt. Bake on baking sheet at 350 degrees F until crisp, about 8 minutes. Serve warm.

Two Seders Later ...

Happy Passover! We had a great time with the Lieberman family this weekend. On the first night, with Grandpa Stu and Grandma Helene at our house, both the kids and the adults loved the coloring book haggadahs I bought from Kar-Ben Publishing.

Evelyn loved clapping along with "Dayenu"

Shot glass chocolate pot de cremes

 My shot glass desserts were a huge hit the next night at my sister-in-law's seder. Thanks, Jayme and Scott, for squeezing over 20 of us into your NYC apartment and feeding us a great dinner!





How are you celebrating Pesach?

Shot Glass Passover Desserts

While browsing ThreeManyCooks.com*, I came across a recipe for Lemon Cooler Shot Glass Desserts. Don't those just look awesome? It got me thinking about what kinds of shot glass desserts I could make for Passover. And then it hit me--shot glass chocolate custards, topped with whipped cream and maybe some chocolate shavings.

I'm going to make the  Pots de Creme au Chocolat from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts, one of my favorite cookbooks ever. It's the perfect custard for a shot glass recipe because the custard cooks completely on the stove, so I don't have to worry about putting them in the oven. (Custards are great for Pesach because, unlike puddings, the thickener is eggs instead of flour or cornstarch.)

What kinds of Passover dessert would you put in a shot glass?

*I met Three Many Cooks bloggers Pam Anderson, Maggy Keet and Sharon Damelio at a conference for the International Association of Culinary Professionals this weekend. Not only do they publish a fantastic blog, they are fantastic people! The three of them spent several hours over the weekend helping me improve this blog out of the goodness of their hearts. I can't thank them enough for their encouragement and advice. Stick around to see what I do with all of their great suggestions!

Why We Should Care About Trayvon

A few days ago, while we dropped our children at preschool, another mom whispered to me, “I probably shouldn’t say this, but do you think our kids safe going to a Jewish school?”

She was referring to the recent murder of three children and a rabbi in front of their Jewish day school in Toulouse, France. I admitted that I experienced that same feeling of dread, even though it happened so far away and the terrorist who killed them is now dead. It reminded me of an incident many years ago when a gunman opened fire on at a Jewish Community Center injuring five people, including three children.

When we hear of something terrible happening to kids who resemble our own, it opens a door in our hearts that leads to a dark and frightening place. I imagine that if you’re African-American or your children are, the Trayvon Martin case opens that same door for you. There’s a voice inside of us that says, “That could have been my kid.” That’s what President Obama meant when he said that if he had a son, he’d probably look a lot like Trayvon.

It doesn’t matter if it’s in France or L.A. or Florida or Scotch Plains, New Jersey. We all love our children and we feel an intense sense of empathy for others who we consider to be our brothers and sisters around the globe. Let's not forget how that feels when tragedy strikes a community other than our own.

Now, as we prepare to celebrate our freedom from slavery in Egypt this Passover, let’s renew our promise to help heal the world, and let’s pray for a day when no parents will feel fear for their children because of who they are or how they look.