As Passover ends, reflecting on a holiday for befriending others

The author, far right, immediately felt welcomed by JNFuture.

By Cheryl Becker, JNFuture New Jersey member  

In the beginning of the maggid section of the Haggadah, we invite anyone who's hungry to join our Passover seder. One might think this is referring just to poor people who can't afford to purchase food for Passover. But another interpretation is to invite anyone you know who needs companionship. So during Passover it's a mitzvah to give money to the poor and go out of your way to befriend others. Passover is a time to unite, because we are all part of the Jewish people. 

On Passover, the importance of including the invisible fifth son

The author and his son, who's teaching the family that every child has unique abilities.

By Yossi Kahana, director of JNF's Task Force on Disabilities

We open the Seder with an open door, "Ha Lachma Anya": inviting in the hungry, the needy, and the enslaved, offering up the matzah as part of our welcome, a beautiful message offered freely, and inclusively to all. Then we read about the four sons, each representing a different type, a cross section of the Jewish nation. What links the four together, despite their very different personalities and levels of observance, is the fact that they are all an intrinsic part of the Jewish people. At Pesach, we celebrate together with them, as they all join us at the Seder table.

But there is also a fifth son -- one not mentioned in the Haggadah, and not discussed at the Seder, because he is usually not sitting with everyone else.

In the JNF Kitchen: Passover cocoa bites, an easy and tasty dessert

Margot Alfie, a JNF board member in Atlanta and personal chef extraordinaire, shared this recipe for a super easy, and super tasty, Passover dessert.

JNF Staff Spotlight on Roland Roth: 'My JNF moment happened 80 years ago'

What is my “JNF moment”? Is it possible it was planted 80 years ago?

I think so.

My name is Roland Roth and I am the director for Jewish National Fund in the Pacific Northwest, a territory that covers my home state of Washington, plus Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii. I have been in this position for almost two years and to say I love what I do, what we do, what JNF does… is an understatement.

A love letter to my JNF mission

Members of JNF's board of directors, including the author, on their recent mission to Israel. 

By Geri Shatz

A love letter to my JNF mission. Really? Yes, really.

I love to travel with you, even though you drive me crazy. You plan visits to the sites I want to see, but you act as if we'll never return and cram them in. You take me to the loveliest hotels and don't remind me of that when I complain about the shabbier ones. You begin my days so early I'm unprepared for the weather and end them taking me to communities in the dark. You're patient when I don't hear your instructions and intemperate when the bus driver doesn't.

You always give me too much to eat, but you never point out that no one forces me to eat all the chocolate. You talk too much and I tell you so. You remind me that I do the same. Luckily, you provide liquor when called for.

In the JNF Kitchen: King oyster mushroom pasta

Meet Esti and Uri Yaakobi of mushroom company פטריות פארן (Mushrooms of Paran). They are farmers from the Paran moshav in the Arava desert who decided to grow mushrooms, of all things! 

Their mushrooms are pure Israeli and a result of their entrepreneurial spirit, desire to produce something unique, and passion for farm-to-table dining. Among their mushrooms you'll find oyster, shiitake, king oyster, and lion mains, and you can also find dishes with their products at אורסולה בית קפה בערבה (Ursala Coffee and Pub in the Arava).

Enjoy this #RecipeOfTheWeek for king oyster mushroom pasta inspired by the Yaakobis and their interesting crops. If you make any of these recipes, be sure to send a photo of your creation to teddyherzl18@gmail.com or tweet it to @JNFUSA with the hashtag #JNFfoodie. We might share it! 

In the JNF Kitchen: Gefilte fish with citrus carrot and horseradish creams