ObservingYom Kippur

Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, begins at nightfall Tuesday, October 4, and ends Wednesday at sundown. Yom Kippur is celebrated eight days after Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish New Year.

It is the only fast day decreed in the Torah. Jewish people refrain from eating and drinking, while the day is devoted to prayer and communal repentance for sins committed over the course of the previous year.

The holy day is ushered in at the synagogue with an ancient prayer followed by an evening service. The next day, a morning service and an afternoon service are held before the day closes with the Neilah service, during which one imagines the gates of heaven closing at the end of the High Holiday period. Neilah ends with a long blast of the shofar or ram’s horn, signifying God’s redemptive answer to repentance.

Barry and Seena Stevens shared insights about the upcoming holy day. The Sun City couple will start the holiday at home with a festive meal. Matzo ball soup with chicken and gefilte fish will be served along with a sirloin and broccoli kugel. Seena has ordered her “round like a crown” loaf of challah bread from H-E-B.

Barry and Seena will then light the electric candles that belonged to Seena’s mother when she was in assisted living.

“They are the last candles she used,” Seena said. “We gave them to her because traditional candles weren’t allowed.”

Barry and Seena will alternate reciting a series of prayers. The final one is said together. They then fast and attend services. When Yom Kippur draws to a close with the blowing of the shofar, they will celebrate the assurance of a good year. BarryandSeenaare hosting four couples to break the fast. The evening meal will include bagels and cream cheese, smoked fish, cheeses, tuna salad, egg salad and apple pie for dessert.

“I love Yom Kippur,” Seena said. “Growing up it was celebrated with family. Now friends become family.”

Seena grew up in New Jersey. “I had a really nice life centered on Judaism,” she said.

Three generations lived in her house growing up and holidays were observed in an orthodox manner. Seena went to Hebrew school every day, but at that time they didn’t do bat mitzvahs, the female coming of age ceremony.

“I did mine about 15 years ago with a group of women. We studied for a year with a rabbi,” she said.

Barry was raised in a conservative Jewish household in New Jersey. Relatives lived nearby.

“Our families were so nuclear,” he said. “We did everything together.”

Barry recalled being attracted to Seena the first day of classes at Rutgers University. They are now coming up on their 50th year of marriage.

Barry’s job involved relocating several times. Each move was contingent on having a Jewish community nearby. Before moving to Georgetown, they attended a local havarah prayer service in Sun City.

“We felt very welcomed. Everyone was so friendly,” Seena remembers.

During my visit, we enjoyed Seena’s delicious mandel bread. The Jewish treat was made from her grandmother’s recipe. Seena shared the following recipe along with her comments. To those celebrating Yom Kippur I wish you a happy holiday!

Mandel Bread

Make the batter the night before and leave covered in the refrigerator until the morning.

Ingredients:

3 eggs 1 cup of sugar 1 Tsp vanilla 2 Tsp baking powder 3 cups of flour 1 cup of oil 1 cup of chocolate chips – I use the mini ones 1 cup of chopped walnuts Cream together eggs, sugar, and vanilla.

In another bowl mix flour and baking powder together.

Alternate some of the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Mix well and then add in some oil, mix well. You can mix with the electric mixer until it gets too thick, then you will need to mix by hand with a spatula. Repeat this above procedure until all the oil is mixed with the batter, mixing well each time.

Mix in the chocolate chips and/ or chopped walnuts. I use both, almost a cup of each.Then push it together into one big blob and cover it.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Best practice is to make the dough at night and bake in the morning.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Wet hands and shape the dough into 4 loaves. (the size of 4 big hot dogs) Put parchment paper on the cookie sheet.

Bake until light brown, either 25-30 minutes for a softer bake or 30-35 minutes for a fuller back that burns the bottom a little.

Take out of the oven and slice immediately.

Optional, put the Mandel Bread back in the oven for 3-5 min. Keep your eye on it so it is a nice shade of brown but does not burn.

dwyer@wilco.sun