Takin’ challah! 1,300 LI women celebrate the mitzvah at 5 Towns ‘great bake’

Last week’s third annual Great Challah Bake Long Island Style was the largest yet, drawing 1,300 women and girls to the Sands Atlantic Beach.

The diverse crowd, representing the range of Jewish backgrounds and levels of observance, was spellbound as Mistress of Ceremonies Jackie Bitton told the story of a deaf woman who was supremely concerned about not insulting a fellow Jew, and enchanted by Rebbitzen Slovie Wolff’s story of how her family was decimated by the holocaust, yet a neighbor managed to return a single silver candlestick to her grandfather after the war. The evening was dedicated to Wolff’s mother, Rebbitzen Esther Jungreis z”l.

Ruthie Klagsbrun, dubbed “the queen of challah” by her friends, led the group in the inital steps of mixing the ingredients into dough. Then Rebbitzen Wolff walked the bakers through the blessing when taking the challah. After a bit of kneading, the attendees rose as their dough rose and the room erupted into festive music and joyous dancing. After much song and dance, the challot were braided and taken home to bake.

“It was a powerful night of unity, celebration of women and Judaism,” said Adina Fishlewitz, organizer of the Long Island Challah Bake for the past three years. “The evening was all about empowering the Jewish woman, knowing where we came from and tapping into our essence.”

The Challah Bake was a precursor to the international Shabbos Project on Nov 11–12, whose mission is to introduce Jews who are unfamiliar with keeping shabbos to the beauty and traditions of the day.

This week's print edition of The Jewish Star contains a 4-page pullout that features 23 photos from the Great Challah Bake LI Style.

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