BREAKING FAST
Mintz, Alan L
BREAKING FAST AlanLMintz Breaking the fast after Yom Kip-pur deserves to be a happy and reassuring occasion. It is not a time for outright celebration, for the solemnity of the day persists and in...
...As to the meal itself, the general opinion is that it should be light and it should be dairy...
...The scene we found in the streets, however, had the opposite effect...
...Indeed, some synagogues have small cups of orange juice ready for the congregants as they leave the service...
...beginning of a new life for the spirit, breaking the fast signals the same renewal for the body...
...During the afternoon break we drifted outside to breathe and move around a bit and to get some release from the tension of the service...
...Rinse and set aside...
...Split the stalks lengthwise in quarters and cut into 1 '/i inch-long pieces...
...Mix everything together and smooth the mixture down to a level surface...
...Bagels, fish salads, lox and other smoked fish are reported by one teacher who grew up in the Mattapan section of Boston, and similar fare seems to be popular elsewhere...
...He is spending the year in Jerusalem as a post-doctoral fellow in Hebrew literature...
...frozen V4 cup milk 7 oz...
...Haim Eliachar of Weston, Massachusetts, a scion of one of the oldest and most illustrious Sephardic families of Jerusalem, reports that it is customary in his family to break the fast on one of two drinks: papitada, made from crushed melon seeds mixed with sugar and rose water, or almendada, made from ground almonds and similarly mixed...
...Broccoli Casserole_ This simple casserole is a favorite of mine...
...Sephardim, of course, have their own ways...
...otherwise, grate cheese and distribute evenly...
...After onion soup garnished with the tiny soup nuts so popular in Israel, we were served a stunning fish casserole which featured a whole bakala (an Israeli sweet-water fish) cut into sections, flanked by vegetables and simmered in a piquant tomato broth...
...people were gathered in knots on the corners in feverish conversation, the streets of Jerusalem— ordinarily deserted on that day—were alive with trucks and private vehicles, and from time to time a long siren would sound...
...In Central European communities it seems that pickled fish is first eaten to restock the body with salt...
...It's no use, I was told over and over again, to fill the body with heavy foods as if you were trying to make up for lost time—you'll only pay for it in the end...
...The meal is eaten nevertheless not only with a sense of release but also with a feeling of solidarity, for although the day's ordeal is necessarily private—each Jew standing alone before God—the meal signals the reunion of the family or community as if to say: we have come through, together...
...So if the conclusion of Yom Kippur means the Alan L. Mintz has written for COMMENTARY, RESPONSE, and other journals...
...There was no real information to be had, only rumors and pieces of rumors — TV and radio broadcasts would not resume until after sundown — and so we returned to shul to complete the remaining liturgy as best we could...
...cheese (American or Cheddar) 1 large tomato 1. Put a half teaspoon of salt in a large kettle of water and bring it to a rapid boil...
...2. Cut off the bottom % inch of the broccoli stalks and remove any loose leaves...
...4. If using sliced cheese, spread slices over the entire surface...
...I lb...
...Kathy, his wife, says that she sips her juice from the sidelines and looks on with horror...
...Drain the tuna and add it together with the almonds or the chopped water chestnuts, the mustard and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce...
...and many oriental groups eat sesame (sumsum) cakelets...
...Slice tomato into six or seven slices and distribute in rows...
...Our consensus is not unchallenged by dissenting voices, however...
...The family next eats bits of Jaffa orange marmalade, glazed'apricots, or quince halvah with ice water, and then moistens zaatar (a mixture of sumac and thyme) with a little olive oil, and eats it with bread...
...I spent the day with friends at the services of a yeshiva, crowded among young men who prayed with an earnestness and fervor quite different from the characteristic comfort and sociability of American congregational worship...
...Such a meal was worth savoring, but as soon as we had put the fast squarely behind us, we were at the TV, eyes fixed on maps and diagrammatic arrows and trying vainly, in the face of a virtual news blackout, to infer what was really taking place from what was left unsaid...
...The meal, like the fast, is a sign of Judaism's insistence on the inseparability of the body and spirit...
...A young economist whose father is a Pennsylvania rabbi told me that the piece de resistance at her mother's table is a lime gelatin mold enclosing an exquisite mixture of crushed pineapple, sour cream, and almonds...
...Cantaloupe is also mentioned often...
...He was the head of one of Jerusalem's religious hospitals and she was a renowned hostess...
...Toss in the noodles and stir so that none will stick to the bottom...
...3. Place the noodles and the broccoli in a medium-size casserole dish and pour in the mushroom soup and the milk...
...After the meal is finished, we retire to the back yard or to the roof or terrace of the house, and drive the first nail in the sukkah...
...Casseroles, especially those made with tuna and creamed soups (see recipe), are frequently mentioned, as are sweet noodle kugels, often topped with sour cream and strawberries...
...A half hour later, a meal of soup, fish, and chicken in tomato sauce is served...
...The hardest thing about that Yom Kippur was that it didn't end...
...Toss in the broccoli and remove to a colander after 5 minutes (broccoli should still be crunchy...
...French mustard Worcestershire sauce 8 oz...
...Upon returning home after the fast the next night, quickly reheat the dish while sitting down to juice and appetizers...
...flat egg noodles (16-inch wide) I can cream of mushroom soup 1 bunch fresh broccoli, or 2 pkgs...
...The Encyclopedia Judaica tells us that Iraqi Jews eat chadjoobadah (cardamon cakes) as well as Bamya (okra) in tomato sauce...
...can tuna fish (optional) 1 small can water chestnuts OR several ounces of slivered almonds 1 tsp...
...it marks a new beginning...
...The October War had begun...
...That night, after the final shofar blast, I was the guest of an American doctor and his wife who lived in part of an exquisite old Arab house, replete with arched doorway and blue tiles...
...There are as many different traditions regarding what Jews actually eat at the meal as there are Jewish communities and Jewish families...
...Place in a colander, rinse with cold water, and set aside...
...It is not a time for outright celebration, for the solemnity of the day persists and in point of fact, according to tradition, our fate is not ultimately sealed until Hoshanah Rabbah a few days later...
...It can be put together in a few minutes on the eve of Yom Kippur when most of your attention is being given to the pre-fast meal...
...Finally: According to the tradition, Yom Kippur is not an end...
...Italians serve dolce Rebecca (spice mocha cake...
...A day of solemn prayers for release from sin is matched by a day-long purging of the body, a kind of voiding of its old contents...
...5. Bake at 375° for forty minutes...
...There was one Yom Kippur, however, when, finding myself away from home, I needed more assurance than usual—and there was little to be had...
...like waking from a bad dream into a worse reality, breaking the fast signalled no release from the pain and uncertainty of the day...
...Boil for not longer than 3 to 5 minutes, making sure that the noodles are somewhat underdone and still chewy...
...Theodore Bikel reports that he first looks for a piece of challah with honey, and Lois Shenker of Portland, Oregon says that she makes use of the apples which have been around the house from Rosh Hashanah for the occasion...
...Set a kettle of salted water on a high flame, and while it is coming to a boil rinse the broccoli under cold water...
...In this vein, Art Green of the University of Pennsylvania reports that he breaks the fast on schnapps and herring and then an hour later sits down to a complete chicken dinner...
...Serves six._ As for me, until I left home for college, and many times after that, I spent Yom Kippur with my parents and broke the fast at their table, and no matter how awesome the ordeal of the Day of Judgment had been, the joy of the family meal at its end assured me that life went on and that my particular niche in the universe had not been forfeited altogether...
...I was in Jerusalem in 1973 at the beginning of what was to be a year of study and research at the University...
...An informal survey recently turned up the following information: There is a general agreement that the fast should be broken initially on fruit or fruit juice and cake...
Vol. 1 • September 1975 • No. 3
