Hawaiian Shabbat
11/16/2007 at Shabbos House
The Chabad Jewish Student Center serving UAlbany

Shabbos House does a theme-Shabbat weekend once a semester. After an Italian Shabbat last year, and Persian Shabbat before then - Hawaiian Shabbat was this year's theme "a little warmth at the onset of winter."

Outside the first snow-flurries of the season were falling and the chill set into the wind. Inside Shabbos House, the room was bright and warm with tropically bright colored tablecloths, balloons, and pineapple centerpieces. A wall-length palm-tree scene-setter lined the entire wall of Shabbos House, with parrots, toucans and parakeets. So, the setting was different.

The menu included: tropical gefilte fish (well, regular fish with a sauce), Alochallah, a tropical sunshine salad, pineapple chicken and macademia blondies among other specialties. Each table had a card highlighting Jewish Hawaiian connections - the Chabad Houses there, a story on Hawaii's Jewish Governor Linda Lingle, and the evening's menu.

Mendel had high fever and was stuck in bed for 2-3 days up until and including Friday Night. With the help of students, Raizy pulled off this whole Shabbos on her own, all the prep, cooking, shlepping, shopping, plus dealing with the kids and other Shabbos House business. She said the Dvar Torah on Friday Night, too.

Special thanks to the set-up crew pictured above for taking out the couches and chairs, setting up the tables and benches, the decorations, the table-settings and much more!