Itamar News Updates Feb 6th 2015
This week we were so happy to have another great and useful clothing g’mach .Please enjoy the blog written by an anonymous recipient dedicated to Jessica Katz, Karen Thaler and all of those many people responsible for this amazing mitzvah project. 
I am so blessed to have a personal shopper. I feel so wealthy. My shopper may live in New Jersey. Or she may live in the Five Towns. She may have shopped in the winter during a snow storm or she may have shopped on a hot sunny day in the summer. She may have shopped in a good mood or in a bad mood. She may have shopped with her girlfriends or with her daughters or alone. She may have stopped to buy a coffee or she may have gotten herself a healthy smoothy. She probably filled her arms with beautiful garments and she went into a dressing room and she tried on her skirts and tops and twirled around in the mirror, or not twirled at all but just stared back at her reflection oddly. She may have felt slim and attractive. She may have felt overweight and depressed. She may have sent an instagram image to her girlfriend and asked for her approval or she may have made an independent decision and chose what she felt suited her best at that moment. What I do know is that she loves to shop. She shops and shops and shops.
Then one day her closet is too full. She has no more space to hang up all her beautiful clothes. She decides to narrow down her collection. She spends a day at home and sifts through the many shades, shapes and sizes. It is difficult to decide what she keeps and what she gives away. She may need a day or two to make her final decision. She may grab something out of the heafty bag or she may add another item into the bag. Eventually she drives her bag to it’s next destination. She takes it to a donation center where the clothing will wait to be sorted and boxed and then shipped in containers to Israel. The containers will then travel by boat or by plane until they reach the port of Asdod. From Asdod they will be released from customs and transported by trucks to different comunities all over Israel. By fate the boxes have been seperated and sorted and divided and sent.
There will be women like myself waiting eagerly for the goods to arrive. Women who have spent their years raising children on miracles. Barely having money to pay their bills. Women who are proud. Women who work hard at any job they can to contribute to their household. Women who have sacrificed a life of luxury to a life of building a home in a young community where the nearest shopping mall may be two hours away. Women who desrve a personal shopper. Women who may not be up on the latest styles or the latest colors.
Every good Jewish woman desrves a persoanl stylist; a personal shopper. I feel blessed when I arrive to the clothing Gemach on Yishuv Itamar. I feel the clothes were hand chosen for me. I feel like a Jewish Princess living in the Land of Milk and Honey. I leave with my hands full. I have scored. I have found the most beautiful skirts and the most beautiful tops in my perfect size 8 and I want to thank my personal shopper for buying me the most beautiful items. Once again she chose wisely. Her purchases were not in vain. I will wear these clothes until they tear and shred. They will become part of the Holy land. They will be part of a bigger picture. Sending out love and appriciation to my personal shopper. I couldn’t have done it without you.
A very special contest in lieu of Master Chef happened here on Itamar this week as 40 men participated in “who can make the tastiest chulent”, each bringing his specific chulent stew inspired by his own personal masoret (tradition) based on two thousand years of closely guarded culinary secrets- bringing together recipes that have survived our travels abroad.. Mazal Tov to Elyakim Gross on coming in first place. What a nice way to spend a winter evening! – Leah’s chulent recipe- 8 large potatoes- bones and/or meat/chicken – 1 onion-a little honey- 1/2 cup large kidney beans (soaked in hot water overnight) 1/2 cup pearl barley – a few sweet potatoes- 1/2 cup red beans (soaked overnight) crushed tomatoes – home made kishka- 1 grated carrot- 1 grated onion- a little oil- an egg – a pinch of black pepper- a little onion soup mix 1/3 cup whole wheat flour- mix into a ball. How to make the chulent- soak beans in boiling water overnight. I like to peel my potatoes the night before too and soak in cold water to be ready to use the next day! In a nice pot or crock pot- place some chopped onions, place on top of the onions in a little kanola oil, bones or whatever meat you want- you don’t have to even use meat- this chulent can be parve too! Then on that a little honey, black pepper, paprika, chicken or mushroom soup mix or onion soup mix- pour your beans now and on top of that the crushed tomatoes, more seasoning, the potatoes, on top of that, the kishka and top it off with a light coating of turmeric- enough boiling water and let simmer all night! This is a dish that dates way back to the Middle Ages! Delicious!Shabbat Shalom!
We were also blessed with the inauguration of the new Children’s Club and Play center in our old synagogue that was renovated for just that purpose. There are hundreds of children that live here and take classes in art, dance, tai kuondo, glass mosaics, music lessons and the list is long- as well as a place for toddlers to play with their parents in a cozy and professional environment.
A Special Mazal Tov to the Cohen and Meydani families on the marriage of their children Yosef Chay and Hodayah this week. Yosef Chay and Hodayah both were not only born on Itamar but they decided that they want to follow in their parent’s footsteps and build their home here. The Cohen and Meydani families are part of the founding families of the Itamar community.
Mazal Tov to the Melet family on the engagement of their son Tal.
Shabbat starts on Itamar at 4:50 and ends at 5:55
Watch Rabbi Goldsmith’s new lesson for the week.
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