Community Eat-for-Heat Pancake Feast – Jul 29
Yes, yes, I know – this is a long way off. But who doesn't like a pancake breakfast? The JCC will again be raising money for the FACETS Hypothermia project with a pancake breakfast. There will also be arts and crafts for the kids. I'm not sure if there will be any donations of products/goods collected, but I'll update if that is the case.
It's from 8:30-11 am and the cost is $6 per adult and $4 per child, with kids less than 2 free.
Register at the JCC and mention code #3390.
Is the Israel Street Festival on your calendar?
June 3 from noon to 5 at Fairfax Corner
There – now you've entered it, right? Seriously, it is a great deal of fun. I say this even though I spent two years ago being 9+ months pregnant at the Festival and last year I nursed my younger son for most of the (hot) afternoon. It is a great opportunity to taste some Israeli food, learn more about Israel, connect with the local Jewish community… My kids absolutely love it and we always enjoy ourselves, too. See you there!
Shalom Baby Playdate – May 20
Enjoy a safe environment and company at a Shalom Baby playdate this coming Sunday, 10-11:30am. Kids three years and younger with their parents are welcome. Come to the JCCNV Romper Room (downstairs). No food, drinks, or shoes are allowed in the Romper Room. No need to RSVP, but if you let Brittanie Werbel know you're coming, she'll look out for you.
Celebrate Israel – May 6
Registration for the Growing Jewish Families Celebrate Israel Event has been extended for an extra day. In case you've forgotten:
Date: Sunday May 6
Time: 10-11:30 am
Location: JCCNV
Cost per family: $5 (mishpacha) or $7 (chaverim)
Activites: reading a book about Israel, creating a craft project, and singing and dancing!
You can contact Brittanie Werbel to register by phone (703-537-3019) or to ask questions, and the registration form is available online.
See you there!
Shalom Baby playdate – Apr 22
Enjoy a safe environment and company at a Shalom Baby playdate this coming Sunday, 10-11:30am. Kids three years and younger with their parents are welcome. Come to the JCCNV Romper Room (downstairs). No food, drinks, or shoes are allowed in the Romper Room. No need to RSVP, but if you let Brittanie Werbel know you're coming, she'll look out for you.
Israel Street Festival – Jun 3
It's not too early to mark your calendars for the Annual Israel Street Festival at Fairfax Corner. From noon to 5, enjoy a myriad of activities and meet people from all over Northern Virginia. Buy kosher food and Israeli snacks, connect with all sorts of local organizations, and just generally have a wonderful time. We've attended the past 2 years and have enjoyed every minute of it. (Well, actually two years ago I was 39 weeks pregnant and one can only enjoy anything so much at that point!)
I'll post the link to the schedule of entertainment and activities when it's available.
Commemorating Yom Hashoah – Apr 22
The Northern Virginia Yom Ha’Shoah Commemoration will take place on Sunday, April 22 at Gesher Jewish Day School (4800 Mattie Moore Court, Fairfax, VA). The theme of this year’s commemoration is “Corporate Complicity in the Holocaust Years.” Please join our community as we honor the victims of the Holocaust through a multigeneration candle-lighting ceremony, musical and poetry presentations and a special communal recitation of the Kaddish. Our Dor L’Dor survivor/youth dialogue and B’nai B’rith International’s “Unto Every Person There Is a Name” will precede the commemoration.
I'll update with more details as I can find them.
Celebrate Israel – May 6
Come to the JCCNV on Sunday May 6 from 10-11:30 to celebrate Israel with Growing Jewish Family friends. We'll read a book about Israel and create a keepsake, and of course no event would be complete without some Israeli dancing. (My 4-year-old is taking an Israeli dancing class at preschool and I can't wait to see him go!)
Cost per family: $5 members/ $7 chaverim
Please register by Tuesday, May 1.
Contact Brittanie Werbel (703.537.3019) to register or for more information.
Rocknoceros at Agudas Achim – Apr 29
On Sunday April 29, enjoy some of the area's best children's music — perhaps some of the best available nationally, in fact — at a fundraiser for the Agudas Achim Preschool. Join Rocknoceros' Coach Cotton, Williebob, and Boogie Woogie Bennie, who make wildly popular, award-winning music for the whole family. Don't hesitate to email the guys to request your children's (or your!) favorite songs. They'll always try to fit them in!
The concert starts at 4 p.m., doors open at 3:30 p.m.
Tickets are on sale now. $10 in advance, $12 at the door or to arrange for advance tickets, call 703-998-6072 or email preschool@agudasachim-va.org
Agudas Achim Preschool is located at 2908 Valley Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302.
Have a happy and kosher Passover
Why do I feel the need to eat crazy things before Passover? I'm not going to notice – really – 8 days without rice. But I really needed to eat some tonight. I suppose we all do a little bit of that.
I just saw a note on a listserv to which I subscribe asking whether toddlers are supposed to adhere to the laws of Passover. The answer is of course they are. However, I do sympathize with the poster, who was hoping that everyone would say that we bend the rules for our kids. (I do know people who have simply decided to follow Sefardi tradition instead of Ashkenazi traditions, regardless of their heritage. That seems justifiable, particularly for vegetarians. But I digress…) My kids could live on fruit and yogurt, so it's not that much of a hardship. still, I'll toss out a few ideas:
- You really can make decent Passover pancakes.
- The Passover cereals in the grocery stores aren't great but the kids might enjoy the occasional non-matzah crunchy snack. (Note that they are not enriched like non-Passover cereals.)
- I've found that little kids are much happier with the matzah crackers that are really small because they wind up with fewer sharp edges. (My older son was the only kid in his toddler class who had the tea crackers and his teachers started telling the other parents to buy some because of this observation.)
- Almond butter is a good accompaniment for a lot of things! Similarly, adding sliced or slivered almonds (assuming your kids can handle them) can make yogurt more fun.
Don't beat yourself up if the kids don't like your favorite gefilte fish. It's only 8 days and they'll survive. Ours will keep taking their vitamins (even though they are not kosher for Passover) because I think it's an important way to compensate for our family. Oh, and don't tell them, but there is new (Lego looking) silverware in store for anyone who tries everything offered at each seder!
Now I'm off to finish emptying the dishwasher so I can get the rest of the diary dishes replaced with our Passover dishes…
