What do you do at your seder to make it meaningful and fun? Our Challah Connection community would really like to know! Please share your traditions and how to’s for a lively and meaningful seder. I wish you a sweet and Happy Passover.

Honor your favorite Doctor today–National Doctor’s Day–with these beautiful artworks.
The physician’s prayer is an emotional plea by the healer for guidance. The twelve tribes, a mortar & pestle, medical herbs, and Moses’ brass serpent symbolize the art of healing. This gorgeous piece makes a wonderful gift for your favorite Jewish medical school graduate, doctor, and any medical professional. Framed 18″x18″


This lovely artwork makes a beautiful gift for your favorite Medical School graduate or any medical professional. Adapted from Maimonides’ Prayer, this Prayer for the Healing Arts features the following text:O Compassionate G-d – Thou hast chosen me to watch over the health of Thy creations. I now apply myself to my calling. Support and strengthen me in my task so that I may aid those in need.
Framed size is 9″x13″. Mahogany frame with Royal Blue mat.

Shocking news on the hagaddah front–have you heard? Maxwell House is “modernizing” their hagaddah–the seder staple at many a home. One change is gender neutralizing. For example, the Four Sons are now going to be Four Children (a little weird in my opinion). But there are other changes too, including the Starbucks coupons (just kidding). You can read it all here at The Jewish Week. Better start brushing up on the four questions. This year one of them will be about the best way to brew your coffee!!

Put Your Baker’s Hat On and Dream…

In today’s New York Times, Joan Nathan describes Israeli’s love for exotic hamentashen flavors: marshmallow, amaretto, marzipan, halvah, chocolate chip cream, sweet red wine and cinnamon to name a few. Interestingly, Challah Connection partnered with a local baker several years ago to create our own hamentashen recipes: Sour Cherry with Semi Sweet Chocolate Drizzle and Lemon Poppy Seed.

What’s YOUR favorite Hamentashen flavor? Do you have a great idea for a new exotic flavor? We want to know! Please click here and post your idea on our blog. Maybe it will be next Purim’s biggest rage!

I was visiting my friend Gail a couple of weeks ago and we were chatting about the overall malaise that seems to have infiltrated our lives. No surprise, given the amount of snow we’ve had here in the Northeast and the dismal economy that is keeping too many people from finding jobs. But, Challah Connection is always a bright spot in any conversation, and when we spoke about Purim, it felt like spring, or a time to be happy.

Purim is all about freedom, rejoicing and PARTYING! And even better, it’s a mitzvah (good deed) to celebrate Purim with food, drink and merriment! Who can argue with a party dictated by your rabbi? Gail, who is not Jewish, brought up a great point–that Purim is just a plain old good time to party–Jewish or not! Yes, kind of like Mardi Gras.

I remember the Purim parties of my growing up years: bland expressions of festivity in the last 15 minutes of Hebrew school with some dry hamentashen and grape juice served in solo paper cups.
In contrast, the Purim parties of today are sophisticated gatherings with gourmet food, music and fun. As a matter of fact, while writing this, I received an email invitation for a “Purim Prohibition Party” at a super-cool hotel on the Lower East Side in New York. I’ve seen some other fun sounding events which I’d love to attend, but I will actually be in Berlin on Purim. I’ll be visiting my son Harry, who is spending his “gap” year between high school and college on an amazing voyage that has taken him from Portland, OR to Israel and Eastern Europe. It will be my mission to see how Berliners observe this terrific holiday of freedom and celebration. In the meantime, before I leave, it’s all business here at Challah Connection, making sure that your Shalach Manot and Purim gift baskets get out on time. Chag Purim Sameach!

When it comes to Valentine’s Day, it seems that everyone has an opinion as to whether it is appropriate for Jews to celebrate. Our feeling is that the days of the pagans are so far removed from the current day tradition of chocolates, champagne and romantic dinners that it has simply become a day to share gifts of love. Whether you call it Valentine’s Day or Monday, February 14, it is just another day to show your love. I don’t think there’s anything “un-Jewish” about that, do you?

Speaking of gifts of love, check out ours at Challah Connection.

“Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”-Creed of US Postal Service

We had this in mind this morning when we got a call from our challah delivery driver. He had our fresh baked challah on the van, but couldn’t get down the unplowed road leading to our warehouse. This made for an interesting mission indeed!

Josh Moritz, pulling a challah-laden sled over 2 feet of snow.

I guess a dash of creativity combined with our love of you, our dear customer, helped us bring our yummy challah to safe refuge. Click to buy some fresh challah!

Yesterday’s yoga class really hit the nail on the head for the coming year: “Wish big, Breath Big, Think Big.” Here at Challah Connection, we are thinking BIG for 2011. Check out our plans:

1) Bigger Warehouse Space: We are planning a move into a new warehouse space that will be about 5 times our existing space. After 4 consecutive years of 20%+ growth each year, it’s time. We’ll be adding more staff, more merchandise and better procedures designed to increased quality control.

2) More catalogs: We tested a holiday catalog for Hanukkah/Holiday ‘10 and apparently there are many of you who prefer catalog shopping to online shopping. We respect those who prefer to stick with the web for environmental reasons, but we are pleased to provide others this new way to shop for our terrific products. Click here to request our upcoming catalog for Purim Gifts.

3) New Products: You have been loving all of the new gifts we have been creating for you so we have great, big new product ideas for 2011. Over the recent holidays, in addition to our scrumptious holiday food gifts, you bought lots of baseball merchandise, Hanukkah ornaments, Judaica, books (lots of How to Raise a Jewish Dog!), Money clips, Jewish placemats and Jewish fine art. We will continue to expand our products with the goal of ensuring our spot as your favorite gift shop for all of your recipients–Jewish or not! Speaking of scrumptious holiday food gifts, in addition to our holiday gift baskets you “ate” up our kosher gift towers and fresh fruit baskets; both brand new categories introduced for Hanukkah & Christmas 2010.

4) Not Just Jewish! Did you know that Challah Connection has become a true destination for Christmas Gift Baskets? It’s true! “Jewish” baked goods such as challah, babka, rugelach and black and white cookies are popular for Christmas and Easter. As a matter of fact our Challah Maven French Toast Kit and Challah Variety Pack fed many happy families on Christmas morning. This is really exciting to us and we are kvelling that our gifts are in such demand by those outside our Jewish family. From a happy customer:

“Your customer service has always been fantastic and everyone I have ever spoken to very helpful. You are a great alternative to places like Harry and David. Keep up the good work.”

We have tremendous respect for our friends Harry & David (another Jewish company–their last name is Rosenberg), but hey guys–here we come!

Thank you all for a terrific 2010 and we look forward to a prosperous 2011.
“Wish big, Breath Big, Think Big.”

When I was growing up in Stamford, CT back in the 60’s I really disliked Christmas. Most of my friends were Catholic or Protestant. Christmas was THEIR big day for presents and family and MY big day for feeling sad and left out. Making it worse, everything was closed–even movies, as I remember– so there was really nothing to do. I would pine away for the next day so we could go “back to normal.”

Seems like those days are way in the past. Christmas has become the day for Jews in the ‘burbs to enjoy. We have Chinese food, movies, and invitations to Christmas celebrations. Last night, for Christmas Eve our immediate and extended family gathered at a Chinese restaurant in New Canaan and then walked 2 storefronts over to see True Grit. I truly believe that the Jewish directors (Joel and Ethan Coen) and one of the Jewish executive producers (Steven Speilberg) made sure this terrific movie was available to all of us for Christmas. Thanks guys!! My son Sam, did a scientific survey and has concluded that 1) everyone in the restaurant went to same movie as us and 2) that they were all Jewish. You can read his blog post about it. Frankly, I’m not sure I agree with him especially given the demographic makeup of New Canaan.

Today, Christmas day, I am having a great, relaxing day of eating and cooking. Later, we’ll be sharing Christmas dinner with our friends George and Elaine, with whom we share a close cross cultural friendship. They are part of our extended family and have come to appreciate our favorite Jewish traditions while we love their Russian orthodox/Italian/Polish/Catholic ones. My mother is bringing Elaine’s favorite: brisket. Christmas brisket–how perfectly 2010.

Being Jewish here in the ‘burbs of NYC is actually aok.