Women's Programs

Photography by Suzanne Hunt
Something ME Photography
(951) 941-9135
www.somethingmephotography.com

What a beautiful and inspirational evening the women had at the second annual Celebrate the Jewish Woman Dinner. The beautiful décor, soft music along with the scrumptious four course dinner which World Renowned Chef Martin Gilligan prepared, were a huge hit! The room was full of warmth and friendship as participants spoke with old friends and met new ones. Maya Haddi’s soulful singing had everyone clapping and singing along. The star of the evening was Mrs. Tova Mordechai who shared her riveting tale of her journey from being an envangelical minister to becoming a practicing Jew. Her story was so touching; many in the audience were moved to tears.

Photos by: Bernie Waltzer

NY Artist, Neria Cohen, led the women on a profound journey into their soul based on Jewish mysticism. Neria shared an inspirational talk which led into a relaxing meditation, touching people’s emotions and stirring the subconscious mind. Based on their meditative experience each woman painted their own canvas. The evening ended with women sharing their thoughts, comments and paintings with the crowd and Neria highlighting and explaining elements of the paintings using kabbalistic insights and teachings.

What a beautiful and inspirational evening the first annual Celebrate the Jewish Woman was. The assortment of great Kosher wines and different types of sushi were a big hit only topped by the scrumptious four course dinner which Chef Martin Gilligan prepared and plated so gorgeously. The chef made his rounds and the women were even able to have a few words with him. Yaffa Alayev’s lovely musical presentation had everyone clapping and many women dancing. The star of the evening was Lt. Laurie Zimmet who shared some of her stories of how her love for America and her love for being Jewish fit together so harmoniously. She moved her audience from laughs to tears as all relived her experiences.

The Shavuot cheesecake bake truly delighted our senses. Chef Martin Gilligan shared his recipe, cheesecake tips and decorating ideas. He taught us how to make all different flavors from the same base recipe. Using raspberries, cherries, strawberries, peaches, lemon rind, chocolates and different extracts the chef showed us that we are only limited by our own imagination.
We whipped up our own cheesecake batter while enjoying each others company.

The evening ended off on a great note as we were treated to scrumptious cheesecake and delicious fruits and our minds were stimulated with thoughts on the historic revelation on Mt. Sinai.

Learning how to make sushi was a real treat with the acclaimed Sushi Chef Martin Gilligan and his assistant. Participants of the Jewish Women's Circle learned the history of this Japanese delicacy and made their own authentic rolls with a variety of colors and flavors... all kosher! For dessert, they were treated to a chocolate fountain with many dipping treats: fresh strawberries, pretzels, cookies, dried fruit and of course: Hamantashen! The ladies got to munch on that fun Purim treat while listening to a talk about the holiday of Purim.

This Jewish Women's Circle: "The Jewish Woman - The Jewel of her Home" was a real treat. After a quick game with exotic lemon cookie surprises, the ladies chose from a selection of gorgeous jewelery styles and then got to work making their earrings and bracelets. All enjoyed "pearls of wisdom": wonderful insights from Tzippy Fuss about the special holiday for Jewish women called Rosh Chodesh. The scrumptious home baked cookies and pastries were from another world, courtesy of the JWC baking team.

Everyone enjoyed creating their own candles under the instruction of the professional candle maker. From melting the wax, choosing the scents, and adding colors, each person created a unique candle to go home with. All had a great time socializing over a scrumptious Latke Bar featuring potato, sweet potato parsnip, and carrot almond latkes with all the toppings. The women's discussion on the poignant messages of the holiday of Chanukah finished off the event.

The Jewish Women's Circle Spa Party was a beautiful event! Everyone got to relax with soothing foot soaks, facials, and aromatherapy. Delicious cheeses and wines graced the snack table while all enjoyed socializing with other Jewish women. A discussion on our matriarch Rachel and the self sacrifice of today's Jewish woman finished off the evening with an inspiring message.

The Jewish Women's Circle experiences the joy and meaning of Challah first hand at this years innaugral event.
The event was a big hit and tons of fun! Everyone had a great time making new friends and learning everything about Challah, from making the dough to braiding six-braiders and making edible challah napkin holders. Many also experimented with beet, spinach and carrot challah. Two lucky winners went home with beautiful door prizes to enhance their Rosh Hashanah tables.

Women got to celebrate the new year for trees by learning garnishing and carving techniques using fruits and vegetables with world renowned Certified Executive Chef Martin Gilligan. There was a special presentation on artistic food preparation, then each person got to creat their own dazzling edible centerpiece. It was an event about discovering the messages that fruit have for each of us.