Activities & Learning
PJCC GUIDING PRINCIPLES INSTALLATION
Read about our Guiding Principles as seen on our pillar installation as well as the 5-foot Mezuzzah art piece.
PASSOVER FAMILY
FOOD FAIR
March 21 • 3:00 - 5:00 pm
Bring the whole family for an afternoon of cooking, eating, games and arts and crafts! Make and taste charoset from around the world, take the 'Floaters vs. Sinkers' matza ball challenge, make your own grape juice and enjoy some delicious Passover desserts.
HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT PASSOVER?
March 22 • 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Stop by the lobby where Rabbi Tamar Malino will be available to answer any questions you have about the holiday.
Chicken/Matzah Ball Soup Recipe
From epicurean.com
Rich Matzah Balls
3 egg yolks
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp margarine
1 tbsp parsley,
finely chopped
1 1/4 cup matzah meal
3 egg whites
Spring Chicken Soup
1 small chicken, cut up
1 small red pepper, seeded
2 carrots
1 onion
1 small celery root
with leaves
1 small leek
1 sprig of parsley
1 sprig of dill
salt and pepper
8 cups water
To Prepare Rich Matzah Balls
Beat the egg yolks and mix them with the
water, salt, margarine and parsley. Add the
matzah meal gradually. Beat the egg whites
until stiff and fold into the mixture. Refrigerate
for two hours. Form ball with wet hands and
cook them in boiling chicken soup.
To Prepare Chicken Soup
Trim all fat from the chicken. Peel and slice the vegetables and put all the ingredients in a large soup pot. Cover with water, about 8 cups, bring to a boil, cover and cook for
1 hour on low heat. Serve with matzah balls. Put the matzah balls in the soup the last 10-15 minutes of cooking the soup. Serves 8
Contact Information
For more information, please contact:
Jewish Programs
- jewishlife@pjcc.org
- Phone: 650.378.2762
Jewish Holidays
If you are living life according to the Jewish calendar, there's always another holiday around the corner. Sometimes somber, usually festive, Jewish holidays are a wonderful way to mark the seasons and the passage of time. And here at the PJCC we do it in style. Here you can read about why we celebrate different holidays, find holiday activities or maybe get related recipes.
Shabbat in the Lobby
Fridays at 3:00 pm
Join us every Friday to celebrate Shabbat in the PJCC lobby!
Jewish Holidays Explained
Do you ever wonder why the Jewish holidays are early or late, but never on time? If you don’t know your matzah from your menorah check this out. Jewish holidays explained at last.
Upcoming Jewish Programs & Events
Check out all the great classes, events and activities happening at the PJCC!
Feature Article
PASSOVER
Why Do We Celebrate?
Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew (PEH-sach), is a commemoration of the ancient Hebrews’ exodus from slavery in Egypt focusing especially on the night when God “passed over” the houses of the Hebrews during the tenth plague—and the following day, when the Israelites had to leave Egypt hurriedly. Centered on the family or communal celebration of the Seder (ritual meal, pronounced SAY-der), Passover is one of the most beloved of all Jewish holidays.
At Home
In anticipation of Pesach, it is traditional to engage in a thorough spring cleaning. During the entire 8-day holiday, special dietary customs enable us to vicariously relive the ancient Hebrews redemption from slavery. Because the ancient Hebrews had no time to let their bread rise during their escape from Egypt, Jewish law forbids eating (or even possessing) any food that might contain leaven. Leaven is food that contains any grain product (wheat, barley, oats, spelt and rye) that has been allowed to ferment in water.
Seder
The central ritual of Pesach is the Seder, a carefully choreographed ritual meal that takes place either in the home or in the community. A number of symbolic foods are laid out on the table, of which the most important are the Matzah (MAH-tzah), the unleavened “bread of affliction,” and the Zeroa(Zah-ROH-ah) shank bone, which commemorates
the Pesach sacrifice in the ancient Temple. TheSeder follows a script laid out in the Haggadah(hah-GAHD-ah), a book that tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt.
Theology and Themes
The overarching themes of Passover are redemption and freedom. The divine redemption of the Israelites becomes part of the blueprint for the Jewish understanding of morality and ethics, which can be seen in Jewish participation at the forefront of movements for social justice.
Adapted from MyJewishLearning.com
