Next Year in Person
Make the most of virtual Jewish opportunities during quarantine
By Ilene Schneider
Staying home from work or school creates opportunities for creative thinking and doing daily activities just a little differently. Restaurants are providing online menus and either curbside or home delivery. Schools are providing online instruction. Synagogues are offering online instruction and services. Jewish agencies are matching those who need services with those who can deliver them.
There will be light at the end of the tunnel. For now, Jlife hopes readers will heed the warnings, stay home as much as possible and be safe.
Ess, Ess, Mein Kinde
Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine is delivering its healthy, fresh food through Uber Eats, GrubHub and Postmates and enabling people to pick up the food at its touch-free curbside pickup during the quarantine. There are limited a la carte lunch and dinner selections, as well as family meals, available from 11 am to 7:30 pm, Monday through Saturday. Credit cards and cash are accepted. To place curbside meal orders, call (949) 387-8887.
Here is the menu:
Benjies Deli is open for take-out and curbside delivery at 1828 N Tustin Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92705. Free home delivery is available on Grubhub and Postmates. For any questions, call (714) 541-6263. For curbside pickup, call when arriving. Order online: https://www.benjiesdeli.com/order-online.php.
Choose from early bird specials (chicken fried steak, liver and onions, spaghetti and meatballs, Southern fried chicken, roast turkey and dressing, baked meatloaf, beefsteak and onions, grilled cod and fish and chips), deli feast for two or more with multiple selections of deli meat, selections from the deli, pastry and fresh produce.
Buy two entrees of sandwich plate and get one bottle of wine at 50%. Import and domestic 6 packs of beer are available ($9- 6pk Import; $8-6pk Domestic) Benjies will be able to create your favorite cocktail to-go. Please call ahead for curbside pickup.
Blueberry Hill Catering (info@thebigthrill.net) is offering pickup and delivery of family meals. Please call to place orders at:
Signal Hill Location
2667 E 28th St Suite 513
Signal Hill, CA 90755
(562) 981-8300
Irvine Location – Pickup Only
1 Federation Way, Suite 200
Irvine, CA 92603
(JCC Parking Lot)
All food is prepared in the Signal Hill location. The Irvine location is for Pickup Only as the Kosher Facility is closed.
Family Meals for 10 people include:
$99 | Chicken Parmesan, Sundried Tomato and Broccoli Pasta, Garlic Bread sticks, Caesar Salad, Sugar Cookies
$99 | Orange Chicken, Vegetable Chow Mein, Fried Rice, Chocolate Chip Cookies
$99 | Meat Lasagna, Grilled Vegetables, Caesar Salad, Double Chocolate Cookies
$99 | Lemon Basil Chicken, Confetti Rice, Grilled Vegetables, Hummus/Fresh Cut Vegetables, Chocolate Chip Cookies
$129 | Korean BBQ Beef Ribs, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Honey Carrots, Brownies
$129 | Blackened Peppercorn Steak, Rice Pilaf, Grilled Vegetables, Assorted Cookies
See www.blueberryhillcatering.net for more options.
Eating kosher during quarantine can be especially challenging. Picking up a TVTEats kosher dinner is easy. Order at TARBUT.com/EATS. Choose from a deli combo, a rotisserie meal, an Italian, a Mexican meal, a Chinese meal and a cheese pizza, along with cookies. Then pull the car up to the lower school curb by the administrative office, and the meal will be placed in the trunk. Items are marked for allergy info.
Visit www.TARBUT.com/EATS.
Having kosher for Passover food during the quarantine is even harder, but OC Kosher Market has a selection of Passover food for purchase, as well as a catering option for seder needs. They have the items for the seder plate as well as the full seder meal available. Pickup is from OC Market and all orders need to be in by April 1.
Here is the link to make the order: https://www.ockosher.com/index.php/holidays/
Creating Opportunity in Challenging Times
In these challenging times the Hebrew Academy in Huntington Beach, Ca has stepped up and gotten students online within 2 days of the physical campus closing. They are utilizing a variety of virtual classroom platforms for their general and Judaic subjects. As a service to the local Jewish community, the Hebrew Academy is sharing the Judaic classes for students grades K-12. Dr. Bryn Harari, principal says, “Students need to continue their studies and be engaged to continue their learning.”
According to Rabbi Yitzchak Newman, Dean/Head of School, “The Hebrew Academy is working to continue its comprehensive Jewish education through a distance learning platform and now offering it to an expanded community. We are the only Jewish school that is providing this service to the entire community, so they can keep up their Jewish education and strengthen their Jewish identity.”
For more information, please visit www.hacds.org.
TVT closed on-site learning on Monday, March 16, and began distance learning on Wednesday, March 18. The school familiarized students with the new protocols. On March 16 and 17 the faculty trained and prepared lessons to begin distance learning on March 18.
According to head of school Dr. Jeff Davis, “We are transitioning to distance learning because the research is clear that enacting social distance protocols will help prevent the risk of transmission. The Jewish value of Klal Yisrael, community, is very much at the heart of who we are. This action embraces our commitment to take the proper steps to keep us, and the larger community, as safe as possible. Our remarkable faculty will be prepared to provide distance learning to our students as of next Wednesday. Our equally skilled technology department has been working hand in hand with faculty to ensure the transition to distance learning is as seamless as possible.”
For details, please visit www.tarbut.com.
Irvine Hebrew Day School is also providing Remote Collaborative Learning. According to Rabbi Baruch Rock, “Our students are now home using their social emotional learning tools to navigate the challenges of their new Remote Collaborative Learning experiences. This Wheel of Choice was taught in every grade at the beginning of the school year. We are grateful they have these life skills now to put it into action at home!”
In a Facebook post, the school added, “Staying centered and breathing through is part of our students’ daily practice. Hebrew Yoga is a student favorite, even during our Remote Collaborative Learning! After our yoga teacher leads the students through a full salutation in Hebrew, the children interact with their teacher and classmates by taking turns saying the poses in Hebrew and leading everyone in practice.”
For details, please visit www.irvinehebrewday.org.
Check your synagogue’s website or Facebook page for services and classes. Jlife will provide updates as they happen throughout April.