Sukkah — extreme edition due at Contra Costa JCC
Vying for the Guinness World Record for most-decorated sukkah, East Bay Jews will put their best frond forward and build an “extreme” sukkah at the Contra Costa Jewish Community Center in Walnut Creek.
The objective is to adorn the sukkah with at least 1,000 individual decorations. The event, sponsored by the JCC and the Judah L. Magnes Museum, takes place Sunday, Sept. 23.
Organizers are encouraging decorators to bring personal photos that reflect the history of the Contra Costa Jewish community. Arts and crafts materials will be available, as will historical photos provided by the museum.
The sukkah-building takes place 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 23 at the CCJCC, 2071 Tice Valley Blvd., Walnut Creek. A pre-Sukkot meal will be offered on site from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at $10 per person or $18 per family. For more information or to RSVP for the dinner, call (925) 938-7800 ext. 238.
Youth orchestra still looking for musicians
The Jewish Community Youth Orchestra held its first auditions in the spring, and will hold two more this month. All instruments are still needed.
All Bay Area students in grades nine through 12 are eligible to try out on Monday, Sept. 24 and Sunday, Sept. 30. Students in seventh and eighth grades with advanced skills may also audition.
At the audition, students will need to play a three-minute solo (classical repertoire such as a sonata or concerto preferred), and will be asked to sight read a short excerpt. Candidates must commit to a full rehearsal and concert schedule.
Rehearsals will be Monday after school, with additional Sunday rehearsals as needed.
The orchestra will perform on Sunday, Dec. 9; Sunday, April 13 and Tuesday, May 27. All performances will be at the Jewish Community High School of the Bay in San Francisco.
To apply, go to the orchestra’s Web page at www.jchsofthebay.org. Candidates will then be notified by phone of their audition date and time. There are no fees to apply, audition or participate in the first year.
For more information about JCYO contact Eric-Richard de Lora at edelora@jchsofthebay.org or (415) 345-9777 ext. 125.
New takes on hot dog unveiled at kosher cookoff
Petaluma’s B’nai Israel Center chapter of Hadassah earned bragging rights at the center’s first kosher cookoff.
Hadassah out-grilled five other teams during a two-hour competition that required preparing a kosher appetizer, entrée and dessert. Hot dogs were a required ingredient.
Although Hadassah scooped up the coveted appetizer and entrée events at the Aug. 26 fundraiser (with Sonoma sun-dried tomato marmalade over grilled hot dogs and kosher dog paella, respectively), they didn’t sweep the competition. Gan Israel preschool won the dessert category with mango sorbet surprise.
In the “people’s choice” category, the B’nai Israel men’s club won the appetizer competition with “spicy pup in a cup,” the temple sisterhood nailed the entrée with “kosher hot dog unstuffed cabbage,” and the dessert award went to the sisterhood with the scary-sounding “Mom’s kosher hot dog apple pie.”
CopyrightJ, the Jewish news weekly of Northern California