Pulkes

More Shmoozing: A Whole Weekend of Programming

Drawing on the success of their “Shmoozing With the Word Mavens“ presentation, Joyce and Ellen have developed a Mavens-in-Residence program. It’s similar to a Scholar-in-Residence program but a lot more fun!

In addition to their signature program, The Word Mavens offer five additional hour-long presentations on topics including food (desserts!!), Jewish travel, Judaica, memoir writing, and holidays you’ve never heard of – because they made them up (and you can too!). Choose one or more for a single event or for a weekend of programming for your Sisterhood, Men’s Club, JCC members or Jewish communal group.

Available Programs

Something Sweet: When it comes to Jewish desserts, there’s shnecken and rugelach, kichels and coffee cakes, but one of our favorites is mandelbread – or mandelbrodt if you want to go all-in Yiddish. It’s ideal for dipping in a cup of coffee or tea and handy to have around for a light dessert. In this class you’ll learn the secrets to making perfect mandelbread – and you’ll see how easy it is to vary the recipe and make it your own. Find out what a bissel is and what your Bubbe meant when she said “shitteryne” while we bake up some delicious desserts.

Travel in Search of the Tribe: When we travel, we can’t wait to get away from it all, taste new foods and explore another culture. But invariably we find ourselves searching for the lone bagel shop in Chiang Mai, seeking out the synagogue in Rome, or trying to connect with members of the tribe around the world. In this presentation, we’ll show you how to dig deeper when you travel and learn things you wouldn’t learn on a traditional tour. We’ll share photos, stories and unconventional ways to connect Jewishly when you’re traveling.

Illustration by Terry LaBan, from “The Whole Spiel”

The Jewish Holiday You Didn’t Know You Needed: Everyone knows Rosh Hashanah, but do you celebrate Rosh to Barbecue? This holiday marks the day you scrape the shmutz off the grill, kindle the citronella lights and eat dinner under the stars for the first time in the summer. We discovered this little-known holiday, and in this lighthearted class, you’ll get the formula you need (some useful Hebrew, a few holiday traditions, and more) to create your own reasons to celebrate.

Home for the Holidays: Food is the star of every Jewish holiday, but it shares the limelight with beloved, beautiful objects of Judaica. Whether it’s a silver kiddush cup that you used at your Bar Mitzvah or your Bubbe’s seder plate the you bring out Passover, Judaica play an important role in celebrating every holiday and simcha. In this session, we’ll share little-known stories about well-known objects – fun facts and historical tidbits – and explore concepts like hiddur mitzvah.

You Must Remember This: Want to share your memories with your kids and grandkids but feel daunted by a blank page? Would you like to tell them about your family’s summer vacations, your, best friend in junior high, and how you met your spouse on a blind date without the help of the Internet? This fun workshop will offer tips and tricks to help you organize your thoughts and get started. You’ll leave class with three vignettes you’ve written as well as guidance on how to record your memories on audio and video.