Sim Shalom Rabbi Goes to the Promised Land in Florida for Heavenly Purim Delectables
(PRWEB) March 15, 2016 -- Searching for the best hamantashen might not be in the Book of Esther or the conventional responsibility of the Rabbinate but Sim Shalom Online Synagogue and its founder Rabbi Steven Blane are hardly conventional. The second annual search for the best of this fruit filled Purim favorite goes south, as in southern Florida. Beginning March 20 Rabbi and Cantor Steven Blane will rule on questions of heavenly triangle pastry bliss at local bakeries culminating in the Best Hamentaschen award on Purim which falls on March 23 and 24.
Proceeding culinary utopia, Sim Shalom will be summoning spirits with a free virtual Purim online service celebration filled with music, a reading of the Megillah, and sounds of groggers joined by an interactive global congregation on Friday, March 18 at 7:00pm EST. Costumes are optional, but congregants donning their Queen Esther and holiday masks are welcome to post their pictures at Sim Shalom's Facebook page where video of the hamantashen contest will be shared.
The criteria for the best hamantashen is admittedly subjective. Who doesn't believe their Bubbe's was the best? Rabbi Blane will look for a holy treat that is ethereal. He expressed the criteria as, ”… a flavorful flakey dough, keeping the triangle shape and the most important creativity." The hope is to find a filling that is both innovative and traditional, a reflection of Judaism itself and Sim Shalom’s philosophy of liturgy that is traditional in content but liberal in thought.
The service and hamantashen highlights rejoicing, as it is written in the Megillah, the Book of Esther, Chapter IX:22 "And the month which had been transformed for them from one of sorrow into joy and one of mourning to festivity- to make days of feasting, rejoicing, send food portions to one another and give gifts to the poor." Giving a nod to their recent partnership with the Meatless Monday Global Initiative, Sim Shalom will honor the Purim custom of supporting the needy by donating healthy nut and fruit baskets to a local organization in need.
Worshipping (hamantashen) never got this easy.
About Sim Shalom and JSLI:
Sim Shalom is an interactive online Jewish Universalist synagogue which is liberal in thought and traditional in liturgy. Created in 2009 by Rabbi Steven Blane on Manhattan's Upper West Side, Sim Shalom offers a means of connecting the unconnected. Rabbi Blane leads accessible and short Kabbalat Shabbat services every Friday night using a virtual interface and additionally Sim Shalom provides online education programs, Jazz concerts, conversion and life-cycle ceremonies along with weeknight services at 7:00PM EST led by Rabbis and students of this online community.
Rabbi Blane is also the Founder and Dean of the Jewish Spiritual Leader's Institute, http://www.jsli.net, a rabbinical school for professionals.
Sim Shalom, a non profit 501 © (3) tax-exempt organization, nurtures a Jewish connection through its mission of innovative services, creative education and dynamic outreach to the global community. For more information visit http://www.simshalom.com or call 201-338-0165
Rabbi Steven Blane, Sim Shalom, http://www.simshalom.com, +1 201-338-0165, [email protected]
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