27 Mar
Latest, Lighter fare

Recipes from a Quarantined Cook | Asparagus Frittata

Welcome to “A Momentary Kitchen”—a moment of something (Jewish and foody) to do with your loved ones in these uncertain times. Come in, grab a stool and some tea, kibitz and cook. Each recipe has been chosen for children 10 and over (under 10, please cook with a grownup!) and each will offer variations for dietary needs and palette. Every recipe will take less than 30 minutes to prepare and less than three hours to cook. Spring is here for some, and many of them are opening their windows to milder breezes. In my city of Ann Arbor, however, it snowed yesterday (two boys made snowmen standing six feet apart). In other cities, cherry blossoms are in bloom, and folks are thinking gardens and lawns. Cooks are dreaming about ramps and fiddleheads, morels, and soon enough, spears...

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26 Mar
Dan Levin

Dan Levin (FL): ‘People Can Die from More than a Virus’

Daniel Levin (50), a Democrat from Boca Raton, FL, is a past president of the southeast region of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and served as a member of the Reform Movement’s Think Tank, a group focused on planning the movement’s future. He has also served on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. We are providing the unfiltered opinions of voters interviewed for this project. Those views are based on their understanding and perception of facts and information from a range of sources. In some cases, that information may be misleading or incorrect. What do you think about the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic? The federal response has lacked clarity, direction and responsiveness. It is terribly frustrating to know that the administration ignored the early warnings of...

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26 Mar
Lou Weiss

Lou Weiss (PA): ‘Anthony Fauci for President!’

Lou Weiss (63), a Republican from Pittsburgh, PA, grew up a Reform Jew in a “McGovern liberal family” in Pittsburgh. His conservative political views took hold in a college freshman political science class. Today, he belongs to four synagogues. He was president of Congregation Or L’Simcha, the synagogue that merged in 2010 with the Tree of Life congregation. He occasionally writes op-eds for The Wall Street Journal. We are providing the unfiltered opinions of voters interviewed for this project. Those views are based on their understanding and perception of facts and information from a range of sources. In some cases, that information may be misleading or incorrect. What do you think about the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic? Trump steps on the message of any good things that he does. The lack of gloves and masks is a fiasco. It’s...

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Screenshot of an Israeli comedy show
23 Mar
Israel, Latest, Lighter fare

Israeli Humor in the Time of Coronavirus

Like most first-world people stuck in their homes, Israelis are using traditional and social media to connect with others and distract themselves. And like everyone else, they are sharing humor to pass the time. We have the run of English-language humor, from Jimmy Fallon to Broadway spoofs to memes to pithy one-liners.  We have our Hebrew one-liners, too: As the world became aware of the crisis in Wuhan, Israelis, who are among the world’s biggest buyers on cheap sites in China, quipped that the virus would never make it here because the mail from China takes so long. As people were told to self-quarantine, we warned each other that the Messiah won’t come, because he’s in quarantine. And while throughout the world people are singing from their balconies, Israelis are using their balconies to play matkot (a bizarre form of...

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