Our Family’s Haroset

My cousin Sarita (Hasson Fields) is a great cook! She has learned our traditional family recipes and often adds a new and novel twist to update a dish and make it her own. She just finished making Haroset for our family Seder……a gathering of about 35+ at our cousin Leon’s home this year. 

I always enjoy cooking with Sarita. On occasion, we’ve cooked with my mom and pass the time telling family stories of days gone by, reflecting, remembering and laughing. At times, she and I have cooked and try adapting recipes…..sometimes more successfully than others! Always a good time together. I wish we lived closer…especially when she was cooking today, so I could have filmed and photographed her making the Haroset.

Here is her recipe for Rhodesli Haroset, as made by her mom, Belina Beton Hasson (z’l) {*similar to the recipe in the Atlanta Sephardic Sisterhood Cookbook)…..for 35 people (with leftovers, for the many who like to take some home, and spread it on matzah for a treat!!) You can cut it in half ( or quarter), depending on the size of your crowd.

50 – 60 oz pitted dates
10 large red apples peeled and chopped
5 – 6 C finely chopped nuts (pecans and walnuts)
1 1/2 C sweet red wine
1/2 C white vinegar

Place apples and dates in a pot and cover with water. Cook until soft. Drain and let cool a bit. Place apple/date mixture in food processor and puree, a batch at a time. Add wine to mixture. Add chopped nuts. Add vinegar.
(Sarita’s note…..mixture should not be watery. If it is, add more nuts; if it seems too hard, add more wine.)

It is definitely delicious. Give it a try…..and let us know what you think! “Bendichas Manos”!

Getting Ready for Pesah…..Ashuplados!

(parve and gluten-free, year round)

Meringue clouds…..a divine confection of the Gods! A special occasion delicacy passed down by our grandmothers !

A perfect dessert to make for Passover.

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Growing up, we knew it was a very special occasion when Grandma made Ashuplados……meringue clouds! Sweet….light as a feather, a light shell on the outside. Texture, sweetness……simply….divine!!!

They look beautiful on a sweet table, and delight young and more mature and sophisticated palettes alike!

These are one of my mom’s signature delicacies.

Give them a try! And let us know how they turn out!!

Kaye (Hasson) Israel’s Ashuplados

Ingredients:

1 ¾ Cup sugar

6 eggs – (you will use the whites ONLY)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Separate eggs. Use whites ONLY. Place in a COMPLETELY dry mixing bowl. (moisture will adversely affect the creating of the meringue)

Using an electric stand mixer, begin mixing the egg whites and gradually add the sugar. Continuing beating on high for approximately 20 minutes. Mixing will be done when the mixture stands in very stiff peaks

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. ( there was a time when brown paper bags were cut and used to line these pans to ensure a very dry surface. However, parchment seems a more sanitary alternative available these days!!)

Spoon mounds of the meringue onto the lined cookie sheets. Ashuplados can be made as large or small as you wish. My mom used heaping tablespoons to create these clouds.

We sprinkle nonpareils on top for a festive look.

Before putting them in the oven, TURN HEAT DOWN to 225 degrees. Bake for one hour.

Ashuplados can be made one day before serving. They are best enjoyed for a day or two after preparation. By the third or fourth day they become dry and are not as good as when first prepared.  (* however, we have learned over the past few years that ashuplados freeze beautifully!  Package delicately and freeze within the first day they are made).

Yield: approximately 48 ashuplados

Moustachudos (nut confection) A favorite for Pesah – or a good parve dessert year round

A favorite for Pesah – or a good parve dessert year round

In our home, we have always used a variety of nuts in baking……almonds and walnuts, in particular.  Moustachudos make a good Pesah dessert. The cloves give them a special “kick”.  These treats can be made in advance and freeze well.

Ingredients for Moustachudos:

1 1/2 C pecans or walnuts, coarsely ground

1 1/2 C almonds, coarsely ground

3/4 C sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 egg

water – 1/2 eggshell full

Coarsely grind all nuts.

Add other ingredients including 1/2 eggshell filled with water.  (folks, that’s how it’s done!!)https://video.wordpress.com/embed/K3o9O2op?hd=0&autoPlay=0&permalink=1&loop=0&preloadContent=metadata&muted=0&playsinline=0&controls=1&cover=1

Shape into triangle or ball shapes about 1″ in diameter.

Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 5 or 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven until lightly brown.

Allow to cool and harden before removing from pan.  Sprinkle with confectioners’ (powered) sugar.

Marochinos (almond macaroons – a Pesah favorite)

A favorite for Pesah….delightful as a pareve dessert during the year!

Ingredients:

2 C blanched almonds

1 C sugar

2 eggs…whites only

Grind blanched almonds to near a fine consistency.

Blanched Almonds Marochinos Seph Shabbat Jan 2018
Ground Almonds Marichinos Seph Shabbat Jan 2018

Mix in a bowl with sugar.

Add egg whites to almonds and sugar.  Mix by hand until biscuit-dough consistency. Using a tablespoon or metal scoop, drop 1″ apart on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 10 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.

Marichinos out of Oven Seph Shabbat Jan 2018

Allow to cool completely before handling. Will harden as they cool.

A favorite during Pesah and a great parve dessert during the year.

Enjoy!

~Bendichas Manos

“Mos Abastava” – the Ladino version of ‘Daiyenu’

A few year back, my friend Murray Weiss and I were leaving a meeting and talking about the upcoming Passover holiday. Recalling our shared Sephardic backgrounds we started talking (rather singing to each other!) the various Ladino songs our families sing for this holiday.
We knew the same top choices from the Sephardic Hit Parade. Then Murray asked about “Mos Abastava”… Mos what??? Murray told me it was the Ladino version of Daiyenu. Something brand new to me!

I saw my folks later and mentioned “Mos Abastava” which they both recalled with delight, saying that it was sung at their family Seders in their youth. We have included the words in our family Haggadah for this year, hoping it will become part of our collective tradition.

Bits and pieces of our tradition….sometime hidden for a awhile, only to be uncovered, recalled, reclaimed and shared again.

Here are the words of “Mos Abastava”, from the Passover Agada ; according to the Seattle Sephardic Tradition, 1995:

Ladino Version

Kuantos grados buenos a el Kriador sovre nos:

Si mos kitava de Ayifto, i non aziya en eyos justicias, mos abastava

Si aziya en eyos justicias, i non aziya en sus dioses, mos abastava

Si aziya en sus dioses, i non matava a sus mayores, mos abastava

Si matava a sus mayors, i non dava a nos a sus aciendas, mos abastava

Si dava a nos a sus aciendas, i non rasgava a nos a la mar, mos abastava

Si rasgava a nos a la mar, i non mos aziya pasar entre eya por lo seco, mos abastava

Si mos aziya pasar entre eya por lo seco, i non afinkava muestros angustiadores entre el, mos abastava

Si afinkava muetros angustiadores entre el, i non abastesia maestro menester en el dizierto cuarenta anyos, mos abastava

Si abastecia muestro menester en el dizierto cuarenta anyos, i non mos aziya comer a la magna, mos abastava

Si mos aziya comer a la magna, i non dava a nos a el Shabbath, mos abastava

Si dava a nos a el Shabbath, i non mos ayegava delantre monte de Sinai, mos abastava

Si mos ayegava delantre monte de Sinai, i non dava a nos a la ley, mos abastava

Si dava a nos a la ley, i non mos aziya entrar en tierra de Yisrael, mos abastava

Si mos aziya entrara en tierra de Yisrael, i non fraguava a nos a cas de el Santuvario, mos abastava

***

Sharing traditions…making memories!

Pesah Alegre ~ Moadim L’Simha!!

~Bendichas Manos

Sevollas Reinados (Stuffed Onions) for Pesah *(UPDATED)

One of our family favorites is Sevollas Reinados, stuffed onions.  Savory and delicious, with a simple substitution, it can be Pesah friendly, and always appreciated as part of a holiday meal.   These are made with ground beef (although I prepare it with ground chicken which makes it a bit lighter, and my family prefers the taste.)  Another item that can be made ahead and frozen.  Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Approx 12 smaller sized onions

1 C matzah meal

1 lb ground beef

1 egg

S & P to taste

‘Handful’ of chopped parsley – I recommend 3/4 C (you can substitute or mix in cilantro for a punch)

1 beat egg  and 1 C Matzah meal or Matzah Cake Flour to use to coat top of each before browning

Sauce:

I C tomato sauce

1 C water

1 tsp sugar

Cut onions in half lengthwise.

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Separate outer layers in double thickness.  (Save inner  pieces)

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Combine ground beef, egg, parsley,  and chopped onion (from inner core saved when separating sections.)  (You knew we’d use them sonewhere!).  Add matzah meal.

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Fill onion shells with this mixture

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Dip meat side into the matzah meal or Pesah cake flour then into beaten egg before placing into frying pan with heated oil to brown.

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After browning, place meat side up in casserole pan in which bottom has been covered with remaining sliced and chopped onions.

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Cover with sauce made of tomato sauce, water and a tsp of sugar.  Cover casserole and bake in oven at 300 degrees for 1 hour.

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This is one of many stuffed vegetable dishes we frequently prepare – stuffing tomatoes, zucchinis, small eggplants, bell peppers, cabbage leaves.  During the year, instead of matzah meal we often add bread crumbs or softened slices of bread for a binder – some use potato flakes (I like to use Panko).  Often, a ‘grainiko’  (a small grain – a handful) of rice is added to the meat mixture.    { I would make a heartier sauce – tomato sauce, lemon juice, water, garlic, S & P – and simmer it while I prepare my vegetables.  Then pour it over the vegetables.  That would make much more ‘caldo’ (sauce) when the stuffed vegetables are served with rice and the sauce spooned over the rice – but that’s for another time during the year!}

So many dishes to prepare for the week!   My mom has already started!  There is megina (Meat and matzah quajado),  Keftes de prassa (Leek patties), Bamya (okra), my cousin Sarita will make our family’s Haroset – then there’s the desserts – marochinos (almond macaroons),  mustachudos (nut confections), ashuplados (meringue clouds)…… wow!

Some of the best memories are made while preparing and cooking for the holidays.  Spend time with your families.  Remember and reflect on holidays past – tell stories; remember relatives. L’dor v’dor.  This is how we keep traditions fresh – how we keep memories alive.

Which reminds me – watch the movie ‘Coco,’ the Pixar/Disney film.  Beautiful lessons on family, traditions, memory.   Nice to share other’s cultural traditions – nice to know the similarities we share – the importance of family and memory.  Beautiful film.  Perfect season to share it.

Busy time in the kitchen. We’ll share more in the days to come.  Looking forward to hearing of your menus, your traditions and your memories.

May your hands always be blessed!

~Bandichas Manos

Getting Ready for Pesah….Megina Recipe

As we begin to prepare for Pesah, it’s time to pull out the favorite family recipes, those familiar dishes that bind generations together, remind us of our connectedness…..brings us back to the familiar.  One of the staples of our seder meal is a megina, sometmes refered to as ‘mina,’ or a ‘meat quajado.’

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My mom megina is made with crumbled matzah mixed in giving it a meat casserole- like consistency once cooked and able to be cut into and served in squares. The ‘mina’ version is often made with layers of soaked and softened matzahs and constructed more like a meat lasagna. I am sharing the recipe as my mom makes it for our family and as she has taught it in community cooking classes. This is one of those dishes you can customize to your liking, adding different spices for a differnt flair ( think cumin or ‘ras el hanut,’ diced peppers or even cilantro instead of parsley, to name a few).  This version is made with ground beef, although ground turkey or ground chicken could be substituted. Let us know what you think!

My Mom’s (Kaye Israel) Recipe for Passover ‘Megina’ (meat casserole) {sometimes called Quajado de Carne or Mina}

As one of my friends points out, anytime you start with sautéed onions and meat……how can you go wrong?

2 C chopped onions
2 lbs ground meat
2 tblsp oil
1/2 tsp pepper (to taste)
1 tblsp salt
1/4 c parsley, chopped
8 – 10 eggs
1 C farfel (soaked in warm water, and squeezed dry) or 4 sheets matzah (soaked in warm water, squeezed dry and crumbled)
touch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Brown onions in oil.

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Add meat and continue to brown.

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Transfer to bowl and allow to cool. Add salt, pepper, parsley and farfel (or matzah). Add 2 beaten eggs at a time until eggs are mixed in.

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Grease 9 x 13 inch pan (pyrex type) and heat in oven for 2 – 3 minutes. Pour mixture into pan.

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Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool. Cut into squares and serve. Delish!!!!

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We serve this as part of our holiday meal.  It’s also a staple during the week.  Easy to cut a square for lunch and serve with a light salad for lunch or easy dinner.   Easy to transport for those who need to take a lunch to work or school. (I have one cousin who looks forward to megina each year with cranberry sauce on the side. I know, they didn’t have cranberries in Rhodes. That’s how we create new traditions!) Enjoy it!   Make it your own!

~Bendichas Manos

Keftes di Prassa – Leek Patties (Green Latkes) for Pesah

My Mom has gone shopping for fresh, beautiful leeks and is preparing leek patties for Passover evening. She knows they are a favorite for so many in our family and she wanted to make sure she had them made and ready for the family to enjoy!!

We serve Prassa (leeks) at Pesah as they are a spring vegetable.  We also serve them at Rosh Hashanah as part of the ‘yehi ratzonis’ – the Rosh Hashanah Seder.

In our family, there are vegetarians – (other families make them with ground meat.)
This is my mom’s method for Keftes de Prassa.

Ingredients:

1 large onion – chopped

8 medium stalks of leek

3 eggs

2 tblsp matzah meal

1 C mashed potato or 1 C mashed potato flakes

pepper to taste

*optional pinch of red pepper flakes

*****(One side note – for ease of preparation: Trader Joe’s has packages of pre-cut leek in the freezer section – cuts down on preparation time!  Boil the leek for about 20 − 30 minutes until soft. Rise under cool water. Squeeze water from leek. (then squeeze again – and again. Then, just one more time – it is amazing how match liquid can be removed, and so doing will help ensure the best possible results.  Separately chop and boil the onion in a pot of water. Then continue as below.)

Prepare leeks. Cut 1/4″ from top and bottom. Cut in half vertically. Soak and clean leeks throughly. (leeks, by nature, often have a good amount of fine dirt between leaves. Make sure to clean carefully) Cut into 1/2″ pieces.

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Boil cut leek and chopped onion in a pot of water ( covering mixture), until vegetables are soft and limp.

Drain ( squeeze out) all liquid. Add additional ingredients. Blend into an even leek-onion mixture. Shape into patties.

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Fry : 2/3 C oil

Fry on medium heat until both sides are slightly browned.

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Drain on a paper towel. Divine freshly made…..can be frozen, sealed tight.

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Defrost and place on a cookie sheet and warm in the oven at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until warmed throughly.

Enjoy!!!!!!

~ Bendichas Manos

Pesah : “An Only Kid,’ and ‘Who Knows One’

Pesah Lyrics….Un Kavritiko and Kien Su Piense

Every year, I like to post the lyrics to two Pesah songs from the Parade of Hits we enjoy at our Seder – the Ladino versions of ‘An Only Kid’…’Un Kavretiko’ and ‘Who Knows One’…..’Kien Su Pience.’   (click on the links next to the songs to hear Yehoram Gaon sing them).

Everyone looks forward to these songs.  They help define ‘our’ Seder.  Our folks sang these songs when they were growing up, be it here in L.A., in Seattle or Montgomery, Alabama.   And their parents before them in our beloved Rhodes. (There was always a part when my Dad, of Blessed Memory, who grew up in Seattle and my Aunt Belina, of Blessed Memory, who grew up in Montgomery, would add a line to ‘Kien Su Piense’ that both their parents’ had used…. “Eloenu shebashamayim, nos iremos a Yerushalayim, con la caravana grande.’”…..we always waited for them to chime in with that!!!).  Our kids and grandchildren have learned them, their spouses and friends as well.  L’dor v’dor.  May we keep singing them for generations to come!

I find myself playing this music, along with my other favorite Ladino albums and Middle Eastern tunes when I’m in the midst of holiday cooking.  It conjures up memories of days gone by, generations past.  That invisible chain that connects us….how I love that feeling and that bond.

Have a good week as you prepare to greet your family for a Pesah Alegre…..a good, meaningful, joyful celebration together. Moadim LeSimha!

~Bendichas Manos

AN ONLY KID – LADINO VERSION: UN KAVRETIKO

Un kavretiko ke lo merko mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim.
HAD GADYA, HAD GADYA!

Y vino el gato, y komio al kavretiko ke lo merko mi padre, por dos levanim, por dos levanim.
HAD GADYA, HAD GADYA!

Y vino el perro, y modrio al gato, ke komio el kavretiko ke lo merko mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim.
HAD GADYA, HAD GADYA!

Y vino el palo, y aharvo el perro, ke modrio al gato, ke komio al kavretiko ke lo merko mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim.
HAD GADYA, HAD GADYA!

Y vino el fuego, y kemo al palo, ke aharvo al perro, ke modrio al gato, ke komio al kavretiko ke lo merko mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim.
HAD GADYA, HAD GADYA!

Y vino la agua, y amato al fuego, ke kemo al palo, ke aharvo al perro, ke modrio al gato, ke komio al kavretiko ke lo merko mi padre por dos levanim. por dos levanim.
HAD GADYA, HAD GADYA!

Y vino el buey, y bebio a la agua, ke amato al fuego, ke kemo al palo, ke aharvo al perro, ke modrio al gato, ke komio al kavretiko ke lo merko mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim.
HAD GADYA, HAD GADYA!

Y vino el shochet, y degoyo al buey, ke bebio a la agua, ke amato al fuego, ke kemo al palo, ke aharvo al perro, ke modrio al gato, ke komio al kavretiko, ke lo merko mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim.
HAD GADYA, HAD GADYA!

Y vino el Malach Hamavet, y degoyo al shochet, ke degoyo al buey, ke bebio a la agua, ke amato al fuego, ke kemo al palo, ke aharvo al perro, ke modrio al gato, ke komio al kavretiko ke lo merko mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim.
HAD GADYA, HAD GADYA!

Y vino el Santo Bendicho, y degoyo al Malach Hamavet, ke degoyo al shochet, ke degoyo al buey, ke bebio a la agua, ke amato al fuego, ke kemo al palo, ke aharvo al perro, ke modrio al gato, ke komio al kavretiko ke lo merko mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim.
HAD GADYA, HAD GADYA!

WHO KNOWS ONE? LADINO VERSION: KIEN SU PIENSE LADINO VERSION: KIEN SU PIENSE

Kien su piense y entendiense alavar al Dio kriense, Kualo es el uno?
UNO es el Kriador, baruch Hu uvaruch shemo!

Kien su piense y entendiense alavar al Dio kriense, Kualo son los dos?
DOS Moshe y Aharon, uno es el Kriador, baruch Hu uvaruch shemo!

Kien su piense y entendiense alavar al Dio kriense, Kualo son los tres?
TRES muestros padres son, dos Moshe y Aharon, uno es el Kriador,
baruch Hu uvaruch shemo!

Kien su piense y entendiense alavar al Dio kriense, Kualo son los kuatro?
KUATRO madres de Yisrael, tres muestros padres son, dos Moshe y
Aharon, uno es el Kriador, baruch Hu uvaruch shemo!

Kien su piense y entendiense alavar al Dio kriense, Kualo son los cinko?
CINKO livros de la Ley, kuatro madres de Yisrael, tres muestros padres son, dos Moshe y Aharon, uno es el Kriador, baruch Hu uvaruch shemo!

Kien su piense y entendiense alavar al Dio kriense, Kualo son los sesh?
SESH dias de la semana, cinko livros de la Ley, kuatro madres de Yisrael, tres muestros padres son, dos Moshe y Aharon, uno es el Kriador, baruch Hu uvaruch shemo!

Kien su piense y entendiense alavar al Dio kriense, Kualo son los siete?
SIETE dias kon el Shabbat, sesh dias de la semana, cinko livros de la Ley, kuatro madres de Yisrael, tres muestros padres son, dos Moshe y Aharon, uno es el Kriador, baruch Hu uvaruch shemo!

Kien su piense y entendiense alavar al Dio kriense, Kualo son los ocho?
OCHO dias de la millah, siete dias kon el Shabbat, sesh dias de la semana, cinko livros de la Ley, kuatro madres de Yisrael, tres muestros padres son, dos Moshe y Aharon, uno es el Kriador, baruch Hu uvaruch shemo!

Kien su piense y entendiense alavar al Dio kriense, ” Kualo son los nueve?
NUEVE mezes de la prenyada, ocho dias de la millah, siete dias kon el Shabbat, sesh dias de la semana, cinko livros de la Ley, kuatro madres de Yisrael, tres muestros padres son, dos Moshe y Aharon, uno es el Kriador, baruch Hu uvaruch shemo!

Kien su piense y entendiense alavar al Dio kriense, Kualo son los diez?
DIEZ mandamientos de la Ley, nueve mezes de la prenyada, ocho dias de la millah, siete dias kon el Shabbat, sesh dias de la semana, cinko livros de la Ley, kuatro madres de Yisrael, tres muestros padres son, dos Moshe y Aharon, uno es el Kriador, baruch Hu uvaruch shemo!

Kien su piense y entendiense alavar al Dio kriense, Kualo son los onze?
ONZE ermanos sin Yosef, diez mandamientos de la Ley, nueve mezes de la prenyada, ocho dias de la millah, siete dias kon el Shabbat, sesh dias de la semana, cinko livros de la Ley, kuatro madres de Yisrael, tres muestros padres son, dos Moshe y Aharon, uno es el Kriador, baruch Hu uvaruch shemo!

Kien su piense y entendiense alavar al Dio kriense, Kualo son los doje?
DOJE hermanos kon Yosef, onze hermanos sin Yosef, diez mandamientos de la Ley, nueve mezes de la prenyada, ocho dias de la millah, siete dias kon el Shabbat, sesh dias de la semana, cinko livros de la Ley, kuatro madres de Yisrael, tres muestros padres son, dos Moshe y Aharon, uno es el Kriador, baruch Hu uvaruch shemo

Kien su piense y entendiense alavar al Dio kriense, Kualo son los treje?
TREJE son los Ikarim, doje hermanos kon Yosef, onze hermanos sin Yosef, diez mandamientos de la Ley, nueve mezes de la prenyada, ocho dias de la millah, siete dias kon el Shabbat, sesh dias de la semana, cinko livros de la Ley, kuatro madres de Yisrael, tres muestros padres son, dos Moshe y Aharon, uno es el Kriador, baruch Hu uvaruch shemo!

Getting into the Pesah Mood

Haggadah Highlights in the ‘Rhodesli Tradition’ from Neil Sheff

Thanks to Neil Sheff who has grown up in Los Angeles with the Rhodeslis and absorbed the soul of this community – we now can hear the words, melodies and tones of the Haggadah as it’s been chanted by our parents and grandparents in the Rhodesli tradition.  Neil, a leader of the Sephardic community throughout the world, is also the President of the Sephardic Educational Center as well as a practicing attorney in Beverly Hills, CA.  Click on the links below, close your eyes and let your heart smile (as mine has been doing all evening!).  You’ll love this!

Neil…..this is an unbelievably beautiful gift you have given us.  It’s like having long missed generations here with us again. Thank you, Pasha!

Neil Sheff – Pesah 1  

Neil Sheff – Pesah 2 

Neil Sheff – Pesah 3 

Neil Sheff – Pesah 4 

Neil Sheff – Pesah 5 

Neil Sheff – Pesah 6 

Neil Sheff – Pesah 7