The Maccabee victory over the Greek- Syrian soldiers would not have been possible without the support of the brave Jewish women. It is the tradition in parts of the Sephardic world that the seventh day of Hanukkah is reserved especially to celebrate the women and girls of the community. The women study Torah, bless their daughters, and enjoy cheese sambusak prepared for them by the men.

The secret Jews of Mallorca have been celebrating Rosh Hashanah surreptitiously with a cake called an 'ensaïmada' since 1492. The word 'saïm', derived from the Arabic 'shahim' (fat), means “lard” in Catalan.

Jews arrived in the Balearic Islands more than 1,000 years ago. They imported the tradition of baking sweet rolled yeast cakes, called 'bulemas', from the Middle East. Traditionally, bulemas were made with sheep's milk butter. After 1492, butter was replaced by lard and the Crypto-Jews of Majorca renamed the bulema. They called it ensaïmada, which means, “with lard”.

One wonderful way to connect with nature in anticipation of Rosh Hashanah is to spend the summer observing the moon.

Home-baked goodies make the best gifts! Show your family and friends that you are thinking of them by baking Rosh Hashanah honey cakes for them.

It is possible to purchase a whole honeycomb or a piece of one. Show your children and guests how the bees store their honey!