Two Rabbis and a Pastor Pass Judgement on the Best Hamentaschen in South Florida
LAKE WORTH, Fla. (PRWEB) February 28, 2018 -- Sim Shalom Online Synagogue and Rabbi Steve Blane headed out on a search for the best Hamentaschen in South Florida this week. The Hamentaschen tasting contest is in its 3rd year in South Florida and is part of the online synagogue's celebration of the Jewish holiday of Purim.
Purim celebrates the Jewish victory over the plot to annihilate Jews by a villain Haman in ancient Persia as written in the Book of Esther. Hamantashen, literally "Hamen's hat," are a type of pastry that symbolizes the three-sided hat worn by by Haman. They are eaten at Purim when Jews also dress up and have a raucous good time using groggers or noisemakers to drown out the evil of Hamen's name each time it is read.
The Scrolls of the Book of Esther are read in full - no summarizing - and are called the Megillah. The "whole Megillah" is an expression that notes how you must complete reading aloud the entire book of Esther on Purim. Making Hamentaschen at Purim gives Jews the motivation to use up all the flour in their homes in preparation for the celebration of Passover a few weeks later.
Sim Shalom has visited a dozen delis and bakeries in South Florida in search of the best Hamentaschen. Rabbi Karen Becker-Marcelo, another UJUC Rabbi, will join in the hunt again for the second year. View the excitement as videos of the search and of the decision can be found throughout the week on the Sim Shalom Facebook page. Rabbis Blane and Becker-Marcelo are joined by a special guest, Pastor Bob Brashear, who has never tasted Hamentaschen but is a world traveler and knows good food when he finds it. "I'm not sure what a Hamentaschen is but I'll know which is the best when I taste it!"
ABOUT SIM SHALOM
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 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 director of the Jewish Spiritual Leader's Institute,
http://www.jsli.net, the online professional rabbinical program.
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.
Carole Kivett, Sim Shalom Online Synagogue, http://www.simshalom.com, +1 201-338-0165, [email protected]
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