The New York Jewish Week "Mushroom Tart, Rav Avi Weiss, Hitler All Around" Connection the World with Jewish News, Culture, features, and Opinions for Friday, 24 October 2014

The New York Jewish Week "Mushroom Tart, Rav Avi Weiss, Hitler All Around" Connection the World with Jewish News, Culture, features, and Opinions for Friday, 24 October 2014

Dear Reader, After the solemnity of the holiday season and the anguish of the Rabbi Frendel mikveh-peeping scandal, we offer some lighter, sharper fare. http://www.thejewishweek.com/ Sexy IDF Calendar Draws Fire Creators say photos will help Israel's image; critics cry foul. PreviousNext THE EDITOR'S DESK Orthodox Women Vow To ‘Take Back The Mikveh’ Cite ‘peeping rabbi’ scandal as cause for a greater female role in Orthodox life. MORE GARY ROSENBLATT Orthodox Women Vow To ‘Take Back The Mikveh’ Time And Again If You Build It, It May Fall The New Normal Outside Looking In: Inclusion From A Different Perspective LOTEM's First Employee With Special Needs: LOTEM to Me Slingshot Guide Highlights Work On Inclusion Moses' Greatest Victory JFN Seeks Jewish Resources On Disability Well Versed An Illustrated Saga Of The Diaspora Letters From Afar Close Up Political Insider No Billionaire Left Behind How Did They Find Out: ISIS Invading Via Mexico Special Sections Rosh HaShanah 5775: Taste Of The New Year Cool Gifts, New Wines, Comfort Food For Rosh HaShanah. Fall Arts Preview September 2014 The New Season In Theater, Music, Film, Visual Arts And Books. MET COUNCIL SCANDAL Met Council Probe Not Over Yet, AG Says Eric Schneiderman says his office is pursuing a few ‘other angles’ provided by Rapfogel. RELATED Frankel’s Style At Met Council Rankled Some Agency Heads Met Council’s William Rapfogel Sentenced Editorials Now You See It … On Iran, ‘No Deal’ On Nukes Looking Better VIDEO The Voices Of Protest The JW's video blogger reports live from the 'Klinghoffer' protest. Opinion For Converts, ‘Rely On Me’ Is A Dangerous Message 10/21/2014 Mikveh Needs To Be A Safe Place 10/20/2014 Rabbi Freundel: A Watergate Of Our Own 10/20/2014 News Picking Up The Pieces In A Shocked Synagogue Post 'Peeping Rabbi' Scandal New Calendar Features Women Of The IDF Rappers' Commandments: One Million Of Them Hitler, Everywhere: A List Poll: Majority Of Denmark Citizens Want Circumcision Banned Haredim’s Refusal To Sit next To Opposite Sex Delays Delta Flight MIKVEH SCANDAL For Converts, ‘Rely On Me’ Is A Dangerous Message The tension between the Hillel and Shammai approaches to conversion still persists today. Who wins? RELATED Barry Freundel: A Rabbi's Perspective Rabbi Freundel: A Watergate Of Our Own Mikveh Needs To Be A Safe Place JW EVENTS Oct. 29: 21st Century Homeland Security Dan Blumberg, Matthew Levitt discuss how to protect our world in the digital age. In partnership with American Associates of Ben Gurion University of the Negev. Two US Nurses Declared Cured of Ebola Violinist Itzhak Perlman: Time to Wipe Out Polio Forever Renee Zellweger’s New Face: The Science Behind It Michelle Malkin in “The Rocky Mountain Heist” on Newsmax TV Is Obama Doing a Good or Bad Job? Vote on His Job Performance Her How Older Men Are Increasing Testosterone E-Cigarettes Can be a Healthy Alternative to Smoking New Probiotic Fat Burner Takes GNC by Storm What's This? HEADLINES FROM ISRAEL Haaretz Defense Minister Ya'alon: Middle East borders bound to change Ynet Two Israelis among 11 killed when Nepal tour bus plunges off road Jerusalem Post Women of the Wall smuggle tiny Torah scroll to Western Wall for Bat Mitzva Arutz Sheva Kotel Rabbi Slams Women of the Wall Torah Smuggling ____________________________ Longtime Jewish Week recipe writer Amy Spiro suggests this simple mushroom tart for your Shabbat: it's a savory starter or side that will suit every meal. Mushroom Leek Phyllo Tart An appetizing, savory starter or side.  Caramelized leeks add a real flavor punch. Amy Spiro It shouldn't be a surprise to any loyal readers of the Nosh Pit that I love the combination of mushrooms and leeks - after all I've give you leek and mushroom smothered chicken and leek, mushroom and rice soup already. There's something about the collaboration between the hearty, earthy mushroom and the sweet-yet-savory caramelized leek that is a delight.    Though I love leek, it needs a good cleaning because all the layers are the perfect place to trap dirt, sand and bugs. I find it easiest to slice it up and then rinse it off in a colander and pat try.    You can use any fresh mushrooms you'd like for this recipe,  but I went with a combination of white button, portobello and shitake, which all contribute their own unique flavors and textures.    Amy Spiro is a journalist and writer based in Jerusalem. She is a graduate of the Jerusalem Culinary Institute's baking and pastry track, a regular writer for The Jerusalem Post and blogs at bakingandmistaking.com. She also holds a BA in Journalism and Politics from NYU. HideServings & Times Yield: Feeds 6-8 Active Time: 15 min Total Time: 1 hr HideIngredients 2 large leeks - white and light green parts 24 ounces mixed mushrooms 4 tablespoons canola oil, divided 7-8 phyllo sheets Salt and pepper 1 egg Cooking spray HideSteps Slice the leek into half moons and rinse well, then pat dry. Heat two tablespoons of canola oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leek and stir to coat. Dice the mushrooms into small pieces. When the leek is starting to lightly brown, after 10-15 minutes, add the mushrooms and stir to mix. Cook an additional 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove the vegetables from the heat, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Spray a 10x15" sheet pan with cooking spray. Working with the phyllo sheets one at a time, fit them into the pan with an even hangover on all sides, and brush them lightly with the remaining oil. Continue to layer them until you reach your desired thickness. I think 7-8 is best. Mix the egg into the mushroom and leek mixture and spread it out evenly over the phyllo dough. Bake on 375 F for 25-35 minutes until the edges are browned and crispy. ____________________________ Rabbi Avi Weiss is stepping -- not down, but back a bit -- having handpicked his successor, a young rabbi he says is "one of the truly great modern and open Orthodox rabbis." Rabbi Avi Weiss. Courtesy of HIR The members of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale learned last week what the leaders of the prominent Modern Orthodox congregation had heard about a year ago — that Rabbi Avi Weiss, the only senior spiritual leader in the synagogue’s four-decade history, will be “stepping back” from his position next year. In remarks delivered during Shemini Atzeret services, and in a virtually identical message emailed to the congregation after the end of Sukkot a few days later, Rabbi Weiss announced that he will “be shifting roles in the shul to one of rabbi in residence” as of July 2015. He proposed that the congregants approve Associate Rabbi Steven Exler, who has served on the HIR staff since 2008, as the next senior rabbi. Rabbi Weiss is 70; Rabbi Exler, 33. “I’m not stepping back from the senior rabbinic position because of my health,” said Rabbi Weiss, who has suffered heart attacks and undergone open-heart surgery. “My health is very good. In fact, I am feeling better these days than I have felt in many years. “I’m stepping back … because Toby [his wife] and I would like to spend more time with our children and grandchildren, and more time in Israel. I’m stepping back … because it’s time. The spiritual workload of the senior rabbi of the Bayit [Hebrew for home, the synagogue’s alternative name] … requires stronger and younger rabbinic leadership.” Despite several newspaper and website headlines, Rabbi Weiss emphasized that he is not retiring. “That’s a word I do not like, I’d like to retire the word retire. Toby and I intend to remain in Riverdale, where I will continue serving at the Bayit.” He will, he said, continue his schedule of “teaching, speaking, counseling and writing.” But at a slower pace. He will, in other words, be a pulpit rabbi at HIR, not the pulpit rabbi. The rabbi’s announcement is the latest step he has taken in to slow down in recent years. A noted political activist who was ranked the 10th most prominent rabbi in this country by Newsweek last year (a documentary about Rabbi Weiss, “Righteous Rebel,” will premiere at HIR on Saturday, Nov. 8), Rabbi Weiss has turned over the day-to-day administration of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, the "open" Modern Orthodox rabbinical training seminary he founded in 1999 to rabbis Asher Lopatin (president) and Dov Lerea (dean). And Rabbi Weiss has cut back on his exhausting activist activities, though he participated in protests Monday night against the Metropolitan Opera’s staging of “The Death of Klinghoffer.” Rabbi Weiss was not available to comment to The Jewish Week on his “transition.” In his prepared remarks, he called Rabbi Exler “already one of the truly great modern and open Orthodox rabbis in America today. Truth be told, I only feel comfortable stepping back because of Rav Steven. In recent years, he has, in fact, filled many of the senior rabbi duties.” The congregation “is in good hands” with Rabbi Exler’s nearly certain approval by the congregation to become senior rabbi, and with Rabbi Weiss’ continued “presence,” said Jeffrey Gurock, a professor of American Jewish history at Yeshiva University, longtime HIR congregant and current board member. Gurock called Rabbi Exler “a very special talent, in terms of intellect, in terms of sensitivity. He is certainly qualified.” Rabbi Exler received a “spontaneous standing ovation” in the crowded sanctuary on Shemini Atzeret when Rabbi Weiss proposed that the associate rabbi become senior rabbi, Gurock said. This was in addition to singing and dancing in the aisles in Rabbi Weiss’ honor. Rabbi Weiss’ announcement about his own title change “wasn’t a surprise,” Gurock said. “We were made aware it was in the offing” in 2013. Rabbi Exler, a Baltimore native who was ordained by Chovevei Torah in 2009, was groomed during his tenure at the congregation to succeed Rabbi Weiss, taking on an increasing amount of rabbinic duties at the 500-member-unit synagogue, particularly during lengthy periods Rabbi Weiss had spent away from the shul during recent winters and during this summer’s war in Gaza between the Israeli Army and Hamas terrorists. Rabbi Weiss was in Israel, where a grandson is in the IDF. Rabbi Exler said he would take on the full administrative and decision-making responsibilities that have been in Rabbi Weiss’ hands. He cited Cantor Elli Kranzler as a “valuable” member of the rabbinic team. “I feel excited. I feel challenged,” Rabbi Exler told The Jewish Week, adding that his responsibilities will increase in the coming months. Rabbi Exler called himself a philosophical and spiritual heir of Rabbi Weiss, and said he had no plans for immediate changes in “the flagship of Modern and Open Orthodoxy.” He said he shares the commitment of his “mentor” to a brand of Open Orthodoxy that has attracted many members of the Orthodox and wider Jewish community, but drawn heavy criticism in haredi and many mainstream Orthodox circles. “Open Orthodoxy,” a term coined by Rabbi Weiss, denotes a part of the Modern Orthodox movement that has a more progressive attitude toward such issues as women’s role in Judaism, the acceptance of homosexuals and relations with the non-Jewish world. Chovevei Torah is the first seminary designed to produce Open Orthodoxy rabbis. An article this week in theyeshivaworld.com, a rightwing website, called Rabbi Weiss “the man who re-invented his brand of Judaism as a social movement, and while doing so has trampled upon both the sanctity and boundaries of Halacha [Jewish law]. Weiss established an institution that ordains Rabbis who have written and expressed theological positions that lie in stark contrast to traditional Judaism.” In the yeshiva-oriented world, the mention of a spiritual leader’s name without the preceding title of Rabbi is a sign of extreme disapproval. “Rav Steven [Exler] — and our Bayit — are blessed to have an unparalleled rabbinic team,” Rabbi Weiss said last week. “I encourage the Bayit to hold on tight to Rav Ari [Ari Hart, assistant rabbi] to work as part of Rav Steven’s team. And Rabba Sara [Sara Hurwitz, who serves at HIR with the title of “rabba”], my hero … her contribution to the Bayit has been historic. A woman’s voice in the spiritual leadership of out Bayit as a full member of our rabbinic team is crucial to our future success.” steve@jewishweek.org ____________________________ Hitler, long dead, nonetheless has a way of popping up in the unlikeliest places. His latest appearance is on Swiss coffee creamer, but we noticed that this is only his most recent manifestation. We did some looking around and gathered up some other examples for you: a catalog of poor taste and ignorance. INTERNATIONAL Hitler, Everywhere: A List Hitler featured on Swiss coffee creamers are just one of many products bearing the Nazi leader's likeness. Elana Kook Editorial Intern Swiss company Migros apologizes for the Hitler oversight. Dw.de It's not enough that Switzerland was "neutral" during the war, now they have to put Hitler on their coffee creamer? Customers discovered the containers in German cafés and Swiss train stations, according to The New York Times; some creamers also featured the face of the Italian Fascist leader, Mussolini. Migros, the Swiss manufacturing company of the dairy creamers, quickly issued a statement of apology stating that it was an oversight on their behalf and an “unforgivable incident.” What's more, coffee cramer is just one of many recent Nazi-themed products. 1. Hitler-themed toilet paper: In an attempt to satirize the German leader, George Bruchrucker, a provocative German artist created toilet paper featuring the face of Hitler in 2012. Although the toilet paper was a hit, Bruchrucker received major backlash from anti-Semitism campaigners who marked the product as making light of the Holocaust. 2. Hitler booze: Lunardelli, an Italian company sold wines labeled with Nazi slogans and pictures of the Nazi leader. There was uproar from leaders from the Simon Wiesenthal Center who called on distributors to boycott the wine label. The Nazi-themed booze falls in line with other bottles from the brand that has also featured Stalin and Che Guevara. The Nazi-Labeled wine was the latest addition of what the brand titled as their “Historical Series.” 3. Hitler mugs: Last spring, a German furniture company received major flack for selling ceramic mugs that featured a faint image of a Nazi-era stamp with the face of Hitler and a swastika. The Zurbueggen furniture chain immediately apologized for the mistake and blamed the Chinese designer of the cups. The chain then destroyed the unsold cups. 4. More Than Slurpees: Over 4,000 7-11 locations in Taiwan sold a series Hitler-themed key-chains, USB drives, and magnets. At first the world-famous franchise tried to cover-up the unmistakable infamous image of the Fuhrer with his outstretched hand claiming that it wasn’t actually Hitler's. 5. Hair Hitler: Biomen shampoo, a popular Turkish shampoo brand, featured advertisements for their shampoo in 2012 starring Hitler.  6. Swastika swag- Between the Sears-promoted Swastika ring and Zara’s swastika imprinted handbags, Hitler sure seems to be trending. Both companies ultimately withdrew the items. editor@jewishweek.org

____________________________Best, Helen Chernikoff, Web Director  The Arts Scenes from "The Return,".  For Young Polish Jews, 'Return To A New Life' Adam Zucker's documentary looks at the rebirth of Jewish life through the lens of four women. Steve Lipman - Staff Writer     A veteran film editor and director-producer of several documentaries, all of which center on the African-American experience, Adam Zucker won a travel grant to Poland in 2008. He had not been there before, and had only distant family ties to the country. But like many American Jews, he knew a little about the remnant of Jews, Holocaust survivors and their descendants, who still lived in Poland. He knew the common perception that Polish Jewry was a tiny minority in a sea of anti-Semitism. And he knew the corresponding perception about Polish philo-Semitism, represented by the annual Jewish Cultural Festival that draws thousands of Jews and non-Jews to the streets of Krakow for days of singing and dancing and lectures. Zucker wanted to know more. Perhaps there was a subject for a documentary. Accompanied by a cameraman, he went to Poland with an interest in the country’s emerging, post-Communism Jewish community, but with no specific subject in mind. For 10 days — his trip coincided with the Festival — he met young Jews in Krakow and Warsaw. He heard story after story of men and women, mostly in their teens and 20s, who were raised as Catholics, or whose families had negligible Jewish identities, and were now affiliating with the Jewish community. “It wasn’t hard to meet Jewish people,” Zucker said. One connection led to another. The people he met did not talk about anti-Semitism. And they did not talk about the effects of Polish philo-Semitism. Rather, each told Zucker about personal struggles, about individual efforts to build Jewish life in the country that was home to the world’s biggest Jewish population before World War II. Most barely knew the meaning of being Jewish. Zucker had found his subject — “young people who want to be Jewish, but didn’t know what to do. They just don’t have any background.” A Queens native who now lives in the West Village, Zucker returned to Poland eight times over the next five years, while doing bills-paying projects back home. He decided to tell the story of Poland’s current Jewish life through the lives of four then-20ish women, both secular and religious, who act as stand-ins for much of Polish Jewry. The result is “The Return,” an 83-minute documentary that premieres here this week and will be screened several times in the next few months. The film is about the return of Jewish life to a place where it was nearly extinguished 80 years ago. “It’s the return to a new life,” Zucker said — a modern-type of Jewish life, bearing little resemblance to pre-war Jewish life. The documentary is about discovery and embrace, love and marriage, conversions and emigrations, questions and answers, identity and change. Like the recently opened Museum of Polish Jewish History, in Warsaw, it’s not about the Shoah. But the shadow of the Final Solution, as people in the documentary testify, is an ever-present reality. The film, Zucker said, is not about history but rather “character driven. This is a film about personal relationships. How people change over time is the heart of documentaries. I had no idea what would happen.” The documentary features evocative shots of Polish scenery, combining bucolic images in the countryside and bustling urban streets. Much of the action takes places at night. There are JCC and synagogue interiors, restaurants and offices, Shabbat meals at home, intimate scenes of family life and crowded gatherings at communal celebrations. The women unburden their hearts, sharing the conflict between the familiar customs of their accustomed upbringings and the often-unfamiliar Jewish practices they have taken on. “Some of these [lifestyle] decisions are no different than those faced by young women their age anywhere,” Zucker said, offering no judgment on the women’s choices. “But, for these four, woven into every decision is the larger question of personal and communal identity.” And Poland has arguably greater symbolic significance for the wider Jewish world than any other European land, with the exception of Germany, where the Third Reich originated. Polish Jewry, as it evolves, is under a microscope. The entire documentary is an answer — in other people’s voices — to Zucker’s basic question: What does it mean to be a Jew in Poland today? He complements the women’s stories with interviews with a wide range of Jewish leaders and officials. The official size of Poland’s Jewish community is 5,000-6,000 (Jews affiliated with synagogues or other Jewish organizations), but estimates of the number who have “Jewish roots” or vague ties to the Jewish community range as high as 20,000 or more. The discovery of Jewish roots among young Poles is an ongoing occurrence. While Poland has experienced a well-documented Jewish revival since Communism there ended 25 years ago, with a growing number of well-known activists and newly observant men and women, Zucker chose to focus on lesser-known figures, people old enough to explore their spiritual identities but not old enough to be set in their ways. That approach “seemed to get to the heart of the issue of identity of what does it mean to be a Jew,” Zucker, 57, said, sitting in the living room of his apartment, which overlooks a European-style courtyard. He financed “The Return” with an online Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign, and with contributions from several foundations and individuals. Zucker, who studied filmmaking at Binghamton University and frequently teaches his craft at workshops and seminars, said he didn’t set out to focus the documentary only on women. But Kasia, Tusia, Katka and Maria proved to be the most articulate, the most representative, the most compelling of the people he interviewed. “They all had different stories,” Zucker said. Some were reluctant to make their private lives public. Some wanted to back out of the project. “I spent a lot of time talking people off the ledge — not literally.” To some degree, the four women, while typical of members of their generation, speak for only a fraction of Polish Jewry; that community is not a monolith, says Konstanty Gebert, a journalist and longtime Jewish activist. “Nobody is representative for wider Polish Jewry. It is a shifting, changing, multi-faceted phenomenon.” “The Return” would have been a different documentary if it had been made a decade or two ago, in the early years of Poland’s Jewish revival, Zucker said. “The awareness of Jews around the world about the reemergence of the Polish Jewish community has greatly improved over the past 10 years. Still there is a long way to go,” said Michael Schudrich, Poland’s Long Island-born chief rabbi. “The first decade [after the fall of Communism] was a time of discovery and learning. This past decade has been a time of building and growing,” the rabbi said in an email interview. “In the early ’90s the question was are there any Jews left in Poland. By the mid-’90’s it was clear that there are – and the next question is, do they want to be Jewish. By the mid-to-late-’90s it was clear that we were reaching critical mass and that more and more of those discovering Jewish roots really did want to be Jewish and do something about that.” None of the women Zucker profiled are living in Poland now; two are in Israel, one in Prague, one in New York City. Does that mean that Polish Jewry is losing the people who would drive its continuing revival? Not necessarily, Gebert said. “A substantial percentage of young Poles, Jewish or not, shuttle between Poland and foreign locations, for a host of different reasons. The viability of Polish Jewry depends not on [Jews who emigrate], but on whether we can come up with attractive and meaningful ways of being Jewish, and that, apparently, is happening.” The same freedom that allows the rebirth of Jewish life in Poland allows its citizens to leave, Zucker said. “Europe is a very fluid place. People move around a lot.” “The Return” will be screened Oct. 25 during the Margaret Mead Film Festival at the Museum of Natural History, Nov. 18 and 20 as part of New York’s Documentary Film Festival and Dec. 3 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Zucker will be in attendance at all the screenings. For information: TheReturnDocumentary.com; facebook.com/TheReturnFilm.

Blogs THE POLITICAL INSIDER | THE ROSENBLOG | THE NEW NORMAL | A COMIC'S JOURNEY | WELL VERSED THE NEW NORMAL LOTEM's First Employee With Special Needs: LOTEM to Me Alisa Bodner Alisa Bodner shares this blog written by the first employee with special needs that LOTEM, an Israeli agency making nature accessible for all people, has hired. My name is Amichay Turgeman. I am 27 years old.  I am just completing my first year working with LOTEM. My position in the organization is to run the logistics of the nature workshops on LOTEM’s ecological farm in Emek HaShalom. What this means is, for example, during the wine pressing workshop, I prepare the white aprons and the grapes in the gathering area so that everything will be ready when the group arrives and I also wash the winepress after the activity. It also means to help the guides with anything they need help with so that they can instruct. What is so special about this?  The organization has dedicated itself to making nature accessible to people with special needs in an accessible and appropriate way to each group as it is! Then suddenly somebody comes to the organization from that world. Not for the purpose of being guided but to work. Even though the organization has experience making nature accessible and guiding people with special needs on the whole spectrum, this was the first time that they were employing a person like this. As of today, I work twice a week on its ecological farm in Emek HaShalom.  For me this is a place of work where even though it is the first time that they hired me with everything that I am, they took it upon themselves to be prepared for mutual learning, me from them and them from me. LOTEM for me is perfect patience - you gain more responsibility. LOTEM for me is to understand that even the number two person has purpose because if the chief does not have helpers than he cannot be called a manager or the one in charge.  LOTEM for me is that it is excellent if you lift your head but wait, ask first if the task is necessary or you might do double work! LOTEM for me is another paving of the way because at age 18 I chose to act not like all my other friends and left my special needs school to live in a commune with five other young adults that society considers the norm. LOTEM for me is to sit with the new group of soldier guides and to tell them what helping them means to me. To tell them a bit about my life story. LOTEM for me is a world of work in the most advanced way towards success and achievements. LOTEM for me is we believe in your abilities and desires to advance but patience, slowly slowly … LOTEM for me is to understand that guiding people with special needs is difficult and that a group of people can cause even the most experienced guide to lose it. LOTEM for me is the office staff that was ready for this integration. LOTEM for me is to go from working a short work day until 1:30 to a long work day until 4:30. LOTEM for me is to speak in front of bus drivers from the Dan Bus Company for a training with us on making their service accessible to me and other people with special needs. LOTEM for me is to work twice a week and not to attack everything at once because everything has its time. LOTEM for me is to rise early in the morning and like many people to work until the afternoon. LOTEM for me is exercise because through my work I became stronger. LOTEM for me is at the gathering of all the past staff of the organization on Sukkot, to tell everybody that I am here in the organization and that I am here to stay. The proof to this is that a year has passed since I arrived at LOTEM and I am not going anywhere!

Food & Wine Mushroom Leek Phyllo Tart  An appetizing, savory starter or side. Amy Spiro - Jewish Week Online Columnist It shouldn't be a surprise to any loyal readers of the Nosh Pit that I love the combination of mushrooms and leeks - after all I've give you leek and mushroom smothered chicken and leek, mushroom and rice soup already. There's something about the collaboration between the hearty, earthy mushroom and the sweet-yet-savory caramelized leek that is a delight. Though I love leek, it needs a good cleaning because all the layers are the perfect place to trap dirt, sand and bugs. I find it easiest to slice it up and then rinse it off in a colander and pat try. You can use any fresh mushrooms you'd like for this recipe, but I went with a combination of white button, portobello and shitake, which all contribute their own unique flavors and textures. Amy Spiro is a journalist and writer based in Jerusalem. She is a graduate of the Jerusalem Culinary Institute's baking and pastry track, a regular writer for The Jerusalem Post and blogs at bakingandmistaking.com. She also holds a BA in Journalism and Politics from NYU. Hide Servings & TimesYield:Feeds 6-8Active Time:15 minTotal Time:1 hr Hide Ingredients2 large leeks - white and light green parts 24 ounces mixed mushrooms 4 tablespoons canola oil, divided 7-8 phyllo sheets Salt and pepper 1 egg Cooking spray Hide StepsSlice the leek into half moons and rinse well, then pat dry. Heat two tablespoons of canola oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leek and stir to coat. Dice the mushrooms into small pieces. When the leek is starting to lightly brown, after 10-15 minutes, add the mushrooms and stir to mix. Cook an additional 10 minutes, stirring regularly.Remove the vegetables from the heat, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.Spray a 10x15" sheet pan with cooking spray. Working with the phyllo sheets one at a time, fit them into the pan with an even hangover on all sides, and brush them lightly with the remaining oil. Continue to layer them until you reach your desired thickness. I think 7-8 is best.Mix the egg into the mushroom and leek mixture and spread it out evenly over the phyllo dough. Bake on 375 F for 25-35 minutes until the edges are browned and crispy.

_____________________________
The Jewish Week
1501 Broadway, Suite 505
New York, New York 10036United States
_____________________________