Celia Gurevitch Jewish Community Library

Rabbi George Schlesinger was quoted (see below) in yesterday’s Press Democrat in an article recommending kosher wines for Passover. The library does not serve wine, we cannot help you there. But we do have a few cookbooks specifically written for the unleavened period, if you want to spice up your holiday. The most comprehensive is Frances R. Avrutick‘s The Complete Passover Cookbook.

Rabbi George Schlesinger of Congregation Beth Ami in Santa Rosa said he, like most Jews in the 20th century, also grew up on Manischewitz, recalling how the wine stained many a Haggadah or prayer book. But the rabbi is aware of some tasty kosher alternatives, and he’s most familiar with the wines from Napa’s Hagafen Cellars.

“The owner and winemaker, Ernie Weir, is a childhood friend of mine,” Schlesinger said. “We went to Hebrew School together. . . . As kids, I never suspected that this would be Ernie’s calling, and yes, I do tell my congregation about his wine.”