Best Ways To Celebrate Rosh Hashanah In Chicago

If Jewish, you are likely to hear "Shanah tovah" from Sept. 13 through Sept. 15, 2015. Shanah tovah is a wish for you to have a good year because those dates mark Rosh Hashanah, a two-day holiday that celebrates the Jewish New Year. It is part of the Jewish High Holy Days that include Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement, that comes 10 days later. Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown the first night and ends after two full days at sunset. "Rosh" means head and "shanah" means year. It is celebrated by prayer, religious study, the sounding of a ram's horn called a shofar and food that includes sweet dishes for a sweet year. The holiday is particularly a time for family dinners where apples are traditionally dipped into honey and challah (an egg bread) and cakes are often made with honey. Enjoy the holiday by making a dish, ordering a dinner to serve in, eating out at a restaurant that specializes in Jewish foods or by attending a Rosh Hashanah service.

Bagel Restaurant & Deli
50 Old Orchard Center
Skokie, IL 60077
(847) 677-0100
www.bagelrestaurant.com

Sometimes the way to enjoy a holiday is to eat out. Fortunately the Bagel Restaurant in Old Orchard, which is normally a casual eatery dishing up delicious favorite Jewish and other popular foods, goes all-out with candlelight and white tablecloths for Rosh Hashanah. Its holiday menu starts out with appetizers of chopped egg/onion salad, chopped liver, gefilte fish and soup (matzoh ball or kreplach). Hungry yet? Main course choices are beef brisket, roasted half-chicken, broiled whiefish or sweet and sour meatballs. Sides are carrot, sweet potato and prune tzimmes, green beans and onions with almonds and challah dressing. Dessert is sponge cake and old-fashioned honey cake. The meal is served with a glass of white or sweet red kosher wine. The cost is $36, and $16 for children under 10. Seatings are at 5:00 and 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 13 and 6 p.m. on Sept. 14. Reservations are necessary.

Manny's Deli
1141 S. Jefferson St.
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 939-2855
www.mannysdeli.com

When you want the family to gather at your place but are too busy with work, kids, or whatever to prepare a holiday meal, a good plan is to order from a deli known to have wonderful Jewish dishes. Manny's does deliver for an extra charge, but one of the best things about walking into Manny's to pick up your order is looking at all the photos, news articles and items collected over 50 years as a popular Chicago delicatessen. Of course, the reason it has lasted is its terrific food. You design your pick-up order from Manny's online High Holiday Menu. Suggestions include gefilte fish, matzo ball and kreplach soups, beef brisket, turkey breast, half-chicken, baked wild salmon, noodle kugel, kishke, cheese blintz, carrots and green beans, roasted potatoes, round challaha, potato pancakes, a fruit tray, dessert tray, cakes and cookies. Orders are packaged cold but include heating instructions. Plan on calling in your order at least five days ahead of time. The Deli is closed on Sundays, so plan your pick-up accordingly.

Round Honey Challah

Challah, a traditional Jewish bread, is sometimes elongated with ropes braiding around it. But for Rosh Hashanah it is normally built up as a round shape similar to swirled ice cream. The bread is usually served on the Sabbath and for holidays except Passover, when unleavened bread known as matzo is served. Courtesy of chabad.org, here is a recipe to make your own delicious challah. The Chabad site is also a good place to find other recipes and Jewish holiday information and traditions. 2 pkgs active dry yeast or 2 cakes fresh compressed yeast.

• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 c warm water
• 8-9 c sifted flour
• 3/4 c honey
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1 Tbs salt
• 1 tsp baking powder (optional)
• 3/4 c margarine at room temperature
• 3 eggs beaten
• 1 /2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 c raisins
• sesame or poppy seeds optional
• Glaze ingredients are 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp water

Directions:

1. In large mixing bowl dissolve yeast and 1 tsp sugar in 1/2 cup warm water.
2. Cover and let stand for 5-10 minutes until foaming.
3. Beat in 4 cups flour and remaining ingredients (except raisins, seeds and glaze) for 5 minutes until smooth
4. Add remaining flour 2 cups at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add raisins
6. Knead with a dough hook or by hand for 10 minutes
7. Place in greased  owl and turn dough to grease all over.
8. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise until double in bulk (1 1/2/ to 2 hours)
9. Punch down
10. Divide dough into 3 equal parts
11. Roll each part into a rope about 18 inches long and taper the ends
12. Coil rope around itself with no hole in the center and tuck under the ends.
13. Place in a round, 9 inch spring-form pan.
14. Cover and place in warm place for 50 minutes to rise again
15. Brush with glaze
16. Sprinkle with seeds.
17. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.
18. Done challah should have hollow sound when tapped on bottom

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Temple Sholom
3480 N. Lakeshore Drive
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 525-4707
www.sholomchicago.org

Observing the High Holy Days at a Jewish temple or synagogue can be pricy, even though a ticket includes Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services. However, Temple Sholom holds a free congregational service at 10:30 a.m. on the second day of Rosh Hashanah, which is Sept. 15. No ticket or reservation is needed. Parking for that service is available on a first-come basis in the temple lot on Stratford Street. The lot is usually reserved for handicapped participants for the other High Holy Days services. The free service is a wonderful chance to celebrate the Jewish New Year without belonging to a congregation. People who want to attend all the services can do so by calling the temple or through its information email address online. Young adults get a price break and pay $54 a ticket. Non-member tickets for age 36 and older is $250, which is comparable to the price asked by other congregations.

Schmaltz Deli
1512 N. Naper Blvd., Suite 152
Naperville, IL 60563
(630) 245-7595
www.schmaltzonline.com

Residents and visitors in the suburban Naperville area can stop at Schmaltz Deli for good traditional food seven days a week. But when it comes to serving family and guests during any Jewish holiday, they call in an order. Schmaltz lists its Rosh Hashanah items on its website near the end of August. The list includes everything form jumbo gefilte fish in broth, chopped liver (chicken and beef) and soups to brisket, chicken, salmon, noodle kugel, potato latkes, carrot and potato tzimmes and a large array of pastries. Orders can be placed a few days ahead of time. However, items such as round challah and some sides are likely to still be available for last-minute needs.

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Jodie Jacobs is a veteran journalist who loves writing about Chicago, art, theater, museums and travel. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.