Purim 2025/5755

Purim elves Sheila Erlbaum, Eleanor Brownstein, and Naomi Hirsch

Several decades ago, Minyan Dorshei Derekh revamped our Mishloach Manot approach, the giving of goodies to one another on Purim. In the interest of cutting back on waste (how many hamantaschen can one household absorb?) and increasing the amount of our resources going to support others, we collectivized our baking and our donating.

That first year our goal was to raise enough cash to cover a Heifer Fund cow, which then cost about $500. We succeeded, and then some. Heifer Fund presents a cow to a low-income farming family, along with training, and a expectation that they pass along each calf to another struggling family. The cow provides nutrition, surplus milk provides income, and the cow also contributes fertilizer to improve soil productivity. While it’s not possible to confirm how many families were given offspring from our original donation, it is nice to visualize that kind of exponential impact. Cows live, typically, 15-20 years, so that’s a lot of milk!

We used to buy the baked goods for our baskets, which we playfully presented in clementine crates. Eventually two changes needed to be made.

The first is that clementine crates went extinct. The second game-changer was COVID, when it was ill-advised to go shopping in person.

We pivoted and came up with a new system which has worked even better. We recruit volunteer bakers, who drop off goodies at an appointed time and place. Volunteers gather to assemble baskets which are left on the porches of two members’ homes for pick up. We make extra, and bring them to share with the GJC staff, in appreciation for all their hard work.

Our minyan strives to generate zero waste, so we were happy to discover that coconut fiber plant liners make perfect baskets. They can be used for their intended purpose, as containers, or composted, but even better – some of our members return them to be reused for the next Purim.

For several years, our baskets have been graced by Fair Trade lace mats, which make nice challah covers for small challot, donated by a Linda Egle. She ran a Fair Trade company, Eternal Threads, and commissioned the lace from a cooperative in India. When she closed her business, she had a lot of leftover inventory, some of which she has kindly donated to our project.

During COVID, receiving home-baked treats was an especially heart-warming experience, helping us bridge the chasm created by suspending in-person services.

As COVID traumas recede, we have kept this new approach. People contribute to our minyan treasury, and our loyal Treasurer, Arnold Lurie, splits the total between our two tzedakah recipients.

We love contributing to FBHS, the Female Benevolent Hebrew Society, a venerable Philadelphia philanthropy. “Guided by Jewish values, the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society of Philadelphia has been providing immediate assistance to local, Jewish women in financial crisis since 1819, always upholding the privacy, dignity and self-respect of those we serve.”  Our funds (this year, more than $500) go specifically for Passover food supermarket cards.

We contributed an equal amount to combat hunger right near us, via the Germantown Community Fridge. Community Fridges took off during COVID, when hunger increased but foodbanks were closed. Right on the street, they provide direct, respectful access to food for those in need. Our gift goes towards refilling the fridge with staples. They responded: “Check received. Thank you to your congregation for the continuing generous support.”

Many thanks to all who organized, baked, assembled, and contributed to our 2025 Mishloach Manot.

Chairs: Ruth Loew, Betsy Teutsch

Assemblers: Eleanor Brownstein, Sheila Erlbaum, Naomi Hirsch, Betsy Teutsch

Bakers:

Merle Berman

Phyllis Berman

Michelle Friedman

Ruth Loew and Bob Tabak

Jennifer Paget

Simha Rosenberg

Sonya Voynow

The Weinmartin Family

Donation of lace covers: Linda Egle

Treasurer: Arnie Lurie

Origami: Sheila Erlbaum, Eleanor Brownstein