Buckhead - The Jewish Georgian

September-October 2007 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 25
Jewish
THE
Georgian
Kosher Affairs
By Roberta Scher
scrumptious ground peppercorn cracker
(OU dairy), which simply cannot be
NEW YEAR, NEW PRODUCTS “topped”! For recipes, to order, or to view
the entire product line, visit robertroth-
For an appropriate addition to the Yom schild.com.
Tov table, Robert Rothschild Farms has And speaking of foods with a kick, Hot
introduced two unique and delicious Squeeze, the “sweet heat” chipotle sauce
sauces. Cranberry Pomegranate Preserves, developed and manufactured by Atlanta
a combination of pomegranate, sweet caterers Sue Sullivan and Carol Bosworth,
oranges, and tart cranberries, is an extremely versatile, ready-to-use
is excellent on baked or sauce that is perfect as a marinade, glaze,
grilled salmon or chicken or condiment, garnish, dressing, or dip. The
as a spread for challah, all-natural Hot Squeeze is a combination of
bread, or bagels. smoky and hot chipotle peppers, sweet
Pomegranate Cranberry orange, and soy. It is available locally at
Chutney, a zesty blend of Whole Foods. For recipes and to order
pomegranate with pineap- online, visit TheHotSqueeze.com.
Cranberry
Pomegranate
Preserves,
new from
Rothschild
Farms
ple and cranberries, roasted
peppers, and onions, can be
used as a glaze “with a
kick” for meats, chicken, or
fish. Along with the
spreads, Rothschild has
introduced a new and
In my opinion, there is no competition—Walkers
makes the best butter cookies
in the world, no artificial anything.
Walkers has just introduced the new pure
butter Shortbread Petticoat Tails, a round
cookie with six delicious buttery sections.
As they say in Walkers’ hometown,
Aberlour Speyside, Scotland, they’re just
perfect for tea. Check them out at
Walkersshortbread.com.
AM I NUTS? Are there brownies in the
walnuts? Usually there are walnuts in the
brownies. Oops, it’s no mistake, but a delicious
new treat for chocolate-nut lovers.
Emerald Nuts has recently introduced a
glazed walnut with a brownie center, along
with other omega-3-rich, glazed-nut treats,
including pecan pie, apple cinnamon, and
butter toffee. Many products are available
locally at Kroger and Publix. For some
great nut recipes, visit Diamondnuts.com.
To view the full line of products or to order,
click “gift shop.”
Emerald Glazed Nuts: Delicous in
sweet salads and baking
—————
King Arthur Flour and Red Star yeast
recently partnered with Congregation Beth
Jacob to present an evening focusing on the
mitzvahs and traditions of challah-making
in the Jewish household. Part two of the
class is scheduled for November and is
open to the public; a tasting and demonstration
is included. For more information on
the November class or to purchase a copy
of the Beth Jacob community recipe booklet
($18 donation), contact kosheraffairs@gmail.com.
King Arthur Flour and Red Star Yeast
are the “go to” resources for professional
and home bakers. King Arthur Flour, “operated
by bakers, for bakers,” is an employeeowned
company. In the words of the company,
“practice makes perfect,” and they
have been in business for 200 years. Visit
kingarthurflour.com for recipes and expert
baking advice; be amazed at how many different
types of flour are available for your
baking, frying, and coating needs. For more
information, or to order the newest in baking
accessories, visit bakerscatalogue.com.
From Red Star Yeast are these facts you
“knead” to know:
• Cake yeast is fresh yeast. An ounce of
See KOSHER, page 33
Where have all the “shtetl” Georgians gone?
By Balfoura Friend Levine
Hawkinsville’s Jewish community also the public schools, rode their bikes all over
occurred in the other county seats— the place, played baseball, went to Girl
As Rosh Hashanah approaches, I think Cochran, in Bleckley County, and Eastman, Scout and Cub Scout meetings, were in the
back on the days when we lived in in Dodge County—as well as in such neigh- annual Christmas parade, and joined in var-
Hawkinsville, Georgia, and, with other boring towns as McRae, Adel, Camilla, and ious music, garden, and PTA group activi-
Middle Georgia Jewish families, were plan- Dublin. In each of these various locations, a ties.ning
to worship in our Fitzgerald Hebrew small group of Jewish merchants raised
Congregation, about 60 miles south of us. their young families and then moved to the
Back in the ‘50s, my husband, Hans big city. The children all went off to school,
Mayer, and I combined our names for mostly to the University of Georgia, and
Bohans, the shoe store we owned. followed their professions to the large
Hawkinsville had a handful of other cities.
Jewish-owned businesses, too, including Such cities as Macon, Savannah, and
Dobkins Department Store, Silver’s, United Columbus still have sizable Jewish commu-
Department Store, Freed’s, and Sam
Sommer Pecan. By the end of the ‘60s, all
of them were gone, either by attrition or
death. Minnie Silver and I, both of us now
nities, but I doubt they still have mom-andpop
stores.
I understand that a visiting rabbi conducts
Shabbat services once a month at the
Cadet Scout Sandy Mayer, with her
mother and Girl Scout leader Bo
Mayer (now Levine), November 1965
in Atlanta, are the only folks left standing.
The children, now in their fifties, are no
longer in Hawkinsville, nor are any of them
running mom-and-pop stores. The young
‘uns are now professionals, living and
working in the big cities. Many are attorneys,
doctors, accountants, and teachers.
Hawkinsville, the seat of Pulaski
County, is part of what’s called the Tri-
County area. What happened with
synagogue in Fitzgerald and also travels to
other small synagogues like the ones in
Vidalia and Valdosta.
Fitzgerald’s High Holy Day services
will attract some old-timers, mostly from
the Atlanta area, whose kinfolk have
remained in the area, although they, too, are
in their eighties and retired.
I think fondly of our days in
Hawkinsville, where our children attended
Laurie, Sandy, and Ronnie Mayer in
Hawkinsville, 1963
We parents fully participated the
Jaycees, Lions, and PTA, as well as the
Merchant’s Association, and were good,
civic-minded families. No one ever locked
their house or car door, either.
Last year, on my visit to the Big H for a
neighbor’s funeral, I ran into a member of
one of the town’s original and leading families,
a deacon of First Baptist Church. He
told me how much he missed my family and
said, “All of our Jewish residents are gone,
and we miss y’all a lot. Hawkinsville is
much the poorer for it.”
I thought that was a lovely compliment
for all of us who lived in Hawkinsville and
all the other “shtetls” as well.