Jewlicious: Delicious and Nutritious

I don’t know how many times I have told this story, but I figure that it’s a story worth telling, so I might as well do it again.

It was a Thursday night in November, and I was sitting in the kitchen of Rabbi Yonah and Rachel Bookstein. They had just moved to the West Coast from New York, and were getting accustomed to California life with their three children (there’s now a fourth Bookstein child, but he wasn’t there when they first moved).

Rabbi Yonah was sitting at his computer in the kitchen, being very excited about this big plan he had. He wanted to create this huge festival in Long Beach with a blog known as Jewlicious. It was going to be great, he said – Shabbat dinner, music, discussions and all sorts of fun. There was that glimmer in his eye that I am so accustomed to by now whenever he has some great plan or idea.

Although I wasn’t sure at first, it certainly did happen. It started in April 2005 on a weekend with 80 people, several bands, a few presenters and a ton of food. It started small, but it was joyous and unlike anything I experienced. When I would tell people in the Jewish community in other parts of the southland about it, they would raise their eyebrows at me.

Currently, they’re biting their tongues.

It’s because six years later, it has over 500 participants from all over the country. Bands are lining up to perform, artists, presenters with all different types of credentials come to talk and there are vendors now – and we still have a ton of food (some things just never change, I guess). It reunites a community once a year that seems to stretch to the ends of the earth, but comes together to laugh, dance, sing, share and enjoy each other during this special weekend. It’s hard to explain what it feels like to have hundreds of people dance around on a Friday night to greet the Shabbat or dancing to the music of a super-fun concert.

For us in Long Beach, this is an important festival, as it makes us the center of young Jewish life for a weekend. We put ourselves on the map as a true center for diversity – and if you need any more proof, the Ragamuffins festival is also this weekend.

Jewlicious has added such a special edge to Jewish in life in Long Beach that the Westboro Baptist Church has come to deal with us. When you ask Rabbi Yonah about how he feels about this, he glows, saying this is the best publicity that the Jewlicious Festival can get.

For those of us who know Jewlicious, we know how special and incredible it can be. It’s more than just a weekend – it’s an experience and experiment in total and utter unity, between Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, those converting, those who are Sephardic, Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, tree huggers, music lovers, artists, foodies, spiritual seekers and secular people who are just trying this on for size. For those who don’t know, experience it once – you will never regret letting it into your life. I know I haven’t, and some of my best friends have been made courtesy of this festival.

I am so glad to know the Booksteins, for they are amazing people who believe in love and unity among the Jewish people, and getting involved in Jewish life, no matter how small it is. They are beacons, which is why so many people love to be around them. If you live locally and haven’t had a chance to meet them, please do. They are incredible people.

I know there aren’t many tickets left for this weekend, but there are tickets for the concert and for Sunday for a low price, if you want to check it out. For more information, visit www.jewliciousfestivals.com.

In order to pay real tribute to the genius that is the Booksteins, I am putting in a recipe from the kitchen of Rachel Bookstein. As many of you know, I am a huge fan of dill, so this is a great dish.

COLD SALMON WITH CUCUMBER DILL SAUCE

4 salmon fillets

4 tablespoons garlic salt

1 whole English cucumber

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup soy cream cheese

2 tablespoons dried dill or 1 bunch fresh dill (see quick tip 1)

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon cumin

Season the salmon fillets lightly with garlic salt. Either broil on low or lightly grill for 5-7 minutes (see quick tip 2). Set aside to chill.

Peel the cucumber and chop into fine pieces, approximately ¼ inch cubes, and put into a bowl. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Add the dill, mayonnaise, soy cream cheese, cumin and salt and pepper. Stir ad let refrigerate.

Before serving, put lemon juice on top of the salmon. Serve with sauce on the side.

Quick Tip 1: If you choose to use fresh dill, you’ll find it with all the produce. Just remove the leaves and use them.

Quick Tip 2: Broiling is when only the top coils of the oven are being used to heat the food. Traditionally, this is used for meats, but it works nicely with fish too.

Quick Tip 3: If unable to find soy cream cheese, mayo can substitute for it.