Another Successful “Big Nosh” foodie event from the Jewish Federation

MONROE — Israeli cuisine was celebrated by nearly 100 people who came to the Jewish Federation’s Big Nosh event on Jan. 7 at Congregation Eitz Chaim in Monroe.
While munching on Israeli snacks, the participants were treated to a musical program by the Allegro Youth Orchestra, a string ensemble of students from the Monroe-Woodbury school district.
The new documentary, “In Search of Israeli Cuisine," by acclaimed filmmaker Roger Sherman, was screened, followed by a delicious Israeli dinner prepared by Allan and Tatyana Abbad, proprietors of Allan’s Falafel located in Chester.
The universal language of food“Israel’s food scene is among the most dynamic in the world as it is influenced by more than 100 cultures,” said Leslie Green, president of the Jewish Federation. “People often think of Jewish cuisine as matzo balls and gefilte fish, which is Eastern European, but the majority of Israeli Jews descended from families who lived for generations in Arab countries such as Persia, Egypt, Iraq Yemen and North African countries such as Morocco and Tunisia. In the 1940s, most of those Jews were expelled or left to escape years of persecution and massacres, bringing their native cuisine with them.”
Suzanne Leon, executive director of the Jewish Federation, said the federation underwrites the Big Nosh series "to bring people together to celebrate Jewish culture and traditions through the universal language of food. The public response has been overwhelmingly positive.”
The next Big Nosh• The Big Nosh event will be on Sunday, March 19, at Temple Sinai in Middletown and will feature author Laura Silver, “Knish: In Search of the Jewish Soul Food” and a sampling of world famous knishes from Yoni Shimmel on the Lower East Side.
• For more information and to register, go to www.jewishorangeny.org.