With the first night of Hanukkah roughly a month away (Hanukkah starts the night of Nov. 28 this year), shoppers are sure to be in the thick of present buying. Why not make things a little easier on them and suggest a great book (or four)? These titles...
By Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-Chief
• Published December 3, 2020
This year’s ninth annual News & Schmooze Hanukkah Gift Guide will be different than previous installments, which seems apropos given that 2020 was an altogether different year. The focus this time is on supporting local, since we all know COVID-19...
Ellen Futterman, Editor
• Published November 29, 2017
Once again, it’s time for my true talent as a shopper to shine as we turn to this year’s installment of Ellen’s Annual Hanukkah Gift Guide. As has been the case in years past, I’ve spent months poring over catalogues and websites, visiting stores...
Ellen Futterman, Editor
• Published December 21, 2016
Veggie Tales, Vilna styleIf you think the “farm-to-table” movement is a fairly recent trend, think again.The Alice Waters of Vilna, Lithuania, a woman by the name of Fania Lewando, was serving farm-to-table vegetarian food in the 1930s to Yiddish...
Ellen Futterman, Editor
• Published December 7, 2016
My Favorite ThingsI’m not trying to brag or anything, but I really am an excellent shopper. I’m not sure how I came upon this talent given that my father “loathed to shop,” as he would often remind me, and my mother’s philosophy has always been...
by E. Kinney Zalesne, WASHINGTON JEWISH WEEK
• Published November 12, 2010
A few years ago, my family stumbled onto the 1990 six-volume DVD-set Shalom Sesame, a kitschy but completely adorable romp through Israeli and Jewish culture led by Oscar the Grouch's Israeli cousin, Moishe Ufnick; Kippi ben Kippod, a large pink hedgehog...
