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3.27.2007

Pre-Pesach Food (and Links and Song) for Thought

Food?! The idea makes me anxious right now. Finishing up chametz [= containing leavened wheat products, mostly, plus general fridge leftovers of the kitniyot variety] food, buying kosher for Pesach food, hoping that the six handmade 100% whole wheat shmura matzot that I'm bringing from NY to CA won't break during the flight (or before or after it). Who wants to place bets? I just need three of them to make it across the country unbroken. Before that, though, I need to bring them across town on a bus and a subway. It's not clear which is more dangerous for fragile matzot.

Before I link to some interesting blog posts and online haggadot, I just wanted to pass on this information, generously compiled by Kehilat Hadar as part of their extremely informative annual Passover compendium:
Ma'ot Chittim
The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty runs a special program to get kosher for Passover food to needy Jewish families (as well as food to all families in need throughout the year). You can donate on-line through Network for Good (under designation, write "Passover Food Program"), or by writing a check payable to "Met Council" and sending it to:

Met Council
Passover Food Program
80 Maiden Lane, 21st Floor
New York, NY 10038

Donations can also be made on-line to Yad Chessed, an organization that runs a Ma'ot Chittim program and provides food and other assistance to needy families.

Donating Hametz before Pesah
The West Side Campaign Against Hunger has a food pantry and accepts donations of unopened food. The address of the pantry is 263 West 86th Street (in the basement of St. Paul's/St. Andrew's church; enter at 86th and West End using a ramp). Open Monday nights, closed Tuesday, and closed every day from 12-1. For other hours and more information, call (212) 362-3662.

Donations of opened and unopened food can also be made to the shelter at the Broadway Presbyterian Church at 114th and Broadway. Call (212) 864-6100 for more information, as well as to arrange evening drop-offs.
Note that the Broadway Presbyterian Church's Broadway Community Incorporated program also accepts toiletries. One year, before Pesach, I finally gave them all of those mini toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste from international flights that I never use. (Because I travel with my own, not because I don't brush my teeth. Just in case that wasn't clear.) They were very grateful. I also have this ridiculous habit of collecting shampoo and conditioner from hotels, even though I don't really end up using most of it. Or if I use it, I don't use all of it, so I have many half-used mini bottles of shampoo and stuff lying around. I shall try to gather it together and bring it to Broadway Presbyterian this week, along with any chametz that's still lingering.

There! Whew! Food-related stress now greatly reduced!

And now, without further ado, some interesting posts from other folks, while I sit here handling (or not-handling) typical pre-Pesach anxiety. It's really more about the anxiety than the actual tasks at hand, which really aren't that onerous.
And some online haggadot:
The weather outside this morning reminded me of this Israeli song, which was part of my regular pre-Pesach repertoire as a child.

Aviv higiyah, indeed! Although I did see one remaining pile of snow this morning, I've also seen lots of crocuses and it hit 70 degrees (F) here today. Yesterday, Central Park was full of a gaggle, a flock, a veritable fleet of robins digging up worms and gulping them down. Did any of you grow up reading The First Robin of Spring? I could have sworn we had a book with that title as kids, but I couldn't find it on Amazon. Anyway, it was nice to see the birds feasting. I couldn't believe how many there were.

Happy Pesach, everyone!

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