Hanukkah - The Dreidel & Gelt

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Sheilah Kaufman
Cooking with Sheilah
www.cookingwithsheilah.com  
 

For the past 39 years, under the banner of "Fearless Fussless," I have been crisscrossing the country from Alaska and Hawaii to Maine and Mexico, demystifying cooking and teaching "fearless fussless, easy ways to elegant cooking" to all ages (including tots and moms/dads from 3 to five years old). My recipes are user friendly and the style is simple, unique, and loaded with hints and tips. Everything can be made ahead or frozen, takes about 20 minutes preparation time, and tastes fabulous.

As a traveling cooking teacher, I teach classes at Cooks Warehouse; Sur La Table; Kitchen Affairs; Publix; Gelson's; for organizations such as Brandeis Women; and fund raisers such as Cooks & Books. The Smithsonian did a program which included SEPHARDIC ISRAELI CUISINE, one of my newest book. In addition, I am a freelance food writer, lecturer on history of foods, and consult and lecture on getting into the gourmet and/or fancy food business, and the gift basket business. I am an active member of Les Dames d'Escoffier and a member of IACP.

As the author of 26 cookbooks I am often a guest on TV and radio shows. My books include UPPER CRUSTS Fabulous Ways to Use Bread (Delectable Recipes for Appetizers, Soups, Salads, Main Courses, Desserts, and More); A TASTE OF TURKISH CUISINE; SEPHARDIC/ISRAELI CUISINE; SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE: Easy, Elegant, Fearless Fussless; VEGETABLE MAGIC; and STEWS SOUP CHOWDERS among others.

Currently I am the food editor of Jewish Women International's (JWI) new website <a>www.jwmag.org</a> and a contributing food editor for the Town Courier, and contributing food writer to Vegetarian Times Magazine and The Washington Post and a contributing food writer for other newspapers around the country.

Other activities included: developing recipes for major food companies; media spokesperson for an international food company and an international gourmet products company; Fancy Food and Gourmet Editor for GIFT AND DEC Magazine for over 20 years, and their spokesperson/ speaker at major trade shows.

Hanukkah - The Dreidel & Gelt

This video will show how to celebrate Hanukkah, including its origins, significance and various activites related to it.

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Transcripts

Sheilah Kaufman: Hi! I am Sheilah Kaufman. Now that we have discussed the history of Hanukkah- The Menorah, we are going to learn about how Hanukkah Gelt and the Dreidel. How many of you know what Hanukkah Gelt really is? We are used to seeing little packages of silver or gold foil wrapped coins made of milk chocolate that are always eaten or given to the kids on Hanukkah. But why?

. Hanukkah Gelt is money and it's usually given to children and to friends at Hanukkah in the form of silver or gold wrapped milk chocolate coins. When Judas Maccabee returned to Jerusalem and the temple had been re-dedicated, the first thing the Maccabee did was strike coins, the symbol of a free people. To remember this, we give Hanukkah Gelt at Hanukkah time. We also gamble with it using the Dreidel. What is a Dreidel? Well, a Dreidel is a four-sided top, it can be made out of wood or plastic or tin or silver and on each side is a Hebrew letter. The Hebrew letter stand for the word Nes, Gadol, Haya, Sham, A Great Micracle Happened There. According to legend, during the time of the Maccabees, Antiochus forbid the study of Torah. Nevertheless, the Jewish people gathered in small groups to secretly study the Torah. A lookout always kept watch and if they saw soldiers approaching, the students would pull off their Dreidels, put away the Torah scrolls and pretend to be playing a gambling game by spinning the Dreidel and putting money in or taking money out and how do you play the Dreidel game, how do you win more nuts or candy or money. First everybody antes up and then the first player spins. If N or Nun comes up, you don't get anything. If a Gimmel or G comes up, you win the whole pot. If Hey comes up, you get half and Shin, you have to put something else into the pot making it grow.

Now that you know how to gamble with your Dreidel, have fun and good luck but now we are going to learn about Latkes, the star of Hanukkah.

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