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Jewish culture found in a bag
By Tony Sapochetti
tsapochetti@pantagraph.com
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BLOOMINGTON — When asked to describe Jewish food, Beverly Stevens summed it up with one word: “Yummy.” | Photo Gallery

As director of the 45th annual Jewish Food Fair at Moses Montefiore Temple, Stevens is looking to share those yummy creations with the rest of Bloomington-Normal.

“We are taking the temple and really transforming it into a deli and a bakery,” she said Sunday as the temple prepared for Wednesday’s fair.

The temple is getting ready for a huge order of its carryout lunch — dubbed “It’s in the Bag” — which includes a kosher-style corned beef sandwich, a huge kosher dill pickle, chips and the traditional Jewish pastry rugelach, all in a brown bag.

With 1,130 pounds of corned beef, 700 pounds of rye bread and thousands of pickles, the temple is looking to make about 4,700 bag lunches for hundreds of expected takers.

And the bagged lunches are only a part of what’s being offered. Rye bread, kosher pickles and salami will be offered at the deli; blintzes, cabbage rolls and matzah ball soup can be selected from the freezer; and rugelach, sour cream coffee cake and strudel will be found at the bakery. Along with those items, several other traditional Jewish food will be available.

With a congregation of 100 families and an all-volunteer workforce of about 60, food-fair helpers are expecting a busy next couple of days.

“There are going to be a lot of sore backs when this is all over,” Stevens said.

On Sunday morning, volunteers were filling thousands of bags with paper plates, napkins and mustard, all in preparation for the actual sandwich-making.

Fight hunger, raise money

The food fair is meant to raise money for the temple — the goal is between $15,000 and $16,000 — and spread awareness of Jewish culture and the temple, Stevens said.

It also gives several Twin City Jewish groups a chance to get together and help out, with volunteers pitching in from Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University Hillel groups and the Alpha Epsilon Pi Jewish fraternity.

“This is just a terrific network of nice, supportive people,” said George Gordon, longtime temple member and retired ISU professor. “We make every effort to be warm and receptive, and we have a lot of fun too.

“We do get a lot of interaction with the community and receive a lot of positive feedback,” he said.

Molly Sender, president of the temple’s youth group, said she has probably been volunteering her whole life and always looks forward to the fair.

“It really is delicious food, and it kind of makes me want to live in a big city so I could get it more often,” she said.

Tickets for the carryout lunch are $6.50 and should be bought in advance. Tickets can be purchased at the temple from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Stevens said. For those who would like to try to re-create some of the food celebrated at the fair, cookbooks will also be on sale for $15. Orders of 10 or more lunches may be delivered.

Eat it up



What: 45th annual Jewish Food Fair

Where: Moses Montefiore Temple, 102 Robinhood Lane, Bloomington

When: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday

Offerings: Deli, freezer and bakery sections will offer a wide variety of Jewish foods

Tickets: Tickets for the carry-out lunch, “It’s in the Bag,” can be bought in advance at the temple on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Take a look
Bev Stevens reveals one of the freezers packed with food Sunday as 4,700 sack lunches begin to be prepared by the Moses Montefiore Temple for Wednesday's Jewish Food Fair. (Pantagraph/LORI ANN COOK) (October, 14, 2007)
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Reader comments on this story - 11 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

LittleMac wrote on Oct 15, 2007 12:45 PM:

" To: "To:To William": I think I'd like Wikipedia also. What's it made from? "

william wrote on Oct 15, 2007 12:37 PM:

" Ohh Kay, have you fun, but thanks for the answer. "

William Tell wrote on Oct 15, 2007 12:23 PM:

" I believe an apple turnover is know as a Pommes Chiffre d'affaires. "

To: To William wrote on Oct 15, 2007 10:30 AM:

" I see someone likes wikipedia. "

To William wrote on Oct 15, 2007 9:47 AM:

" What is Rugelach? It can be made with a cream cheese dough, but the dough is more typically pareve (no dairy ingredients), so that it can be eaten with or after a meat meal. The different fillings can include raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, chocolate, marzipan, or apricot preserves which are rolled up inside. "

RUGELACH wrote on Oct 15, 2007 9:26 AM:

" Is a yummy pastry w/ raisins, nuts and powder sugar. I look forward to this every year! "

Dead Eye Dick wrote on Oct 15, 2007 5:34 AM:

" "william": You really don't wanna know. "

William Tell wrote on Oct 15, 2007 4:00 AM:

" Raglach is a town in Austria. Maybe we should call The Governor of California to confirm. Try Rugelach "

william wrote on Oct 14, 2007 9:16 PM:

" What is "raglach"? I know it is a pastry but what is in it? "

One Word wrote on Oct 14, 2007 9:07 PM:

" YUM! "

Mr Barry Kartoffelfresser wrote on Oct 14, 2007 8:06 PM:

" Thanks for the heads up Mr. Pantagraph Papier. mmmmmmmmmmm "
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