October 7 2026

 October 7, 2023 changed my life forever.

Never did I think I would wake up on Simchat Torah to learn that 1,200 people had been slaughtered.

Never did I think I would spend months watching fellow Jewish people held hostage by a terrorist group while pleading for the world to demand their release.

Never did I think babies like Ariel and Kfir Bibas would be murdered.

Never did I think I would learn which friends stood with the Jewish people, which friends stayed silent, and which wished harm upon us. (True Statement, I had a "friend" who said I deserved to be firebombed for advocating for the hostages.)

I never saw myself as an advocate. Yet every day, I woke up hoping and praying the hostages would come home. Every week, I showed up at Run for Their Lives in Newton because I needed to. I needed my community.

On the outside, life looked normal. On the inside, I was heartbroken.

I kept showing up anyway.

In October 2025, I traveled to Israel to bear witness. I stood in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. I visited Nova. I walked through a kibbutz bordering Gaza where lives were shattered and families were murdered. I lit a candle at Hersh Goldberg-Polin's bomb shelter.

I will never be the same.

As this anniversary approaches, I find myself reflecting on another journey. Just days before October 7, I was preparing to begin my presidency of Hadassah Boston. The world I was stepping into was vastly different from the one I expected to lead in.

I will complete my presidency on December 31, 2026. These years have been some of the most challenging I have ever experienced as a Jew. They have tested my strength, my faith, and my resolve.

But I stood up.

I spoke out.

I showed up.

And while I am proud of that, this anniversary will not pass quietly for me.

Three years later, my heart is still broken

Quick Meal

 Sometimes there is a time crunch for dinner. We all rush home and then we all have to be out of the house for evening activities. Recently I made “Pizza Pasta” from the Half Baked Harvest Every Day Cookbook.

Serves six people as a main course. Served with a salad and a green vegetable.

Ingredients 

1 pound of pasta (ziti, rigatoni, etc)

4 T XVOO

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 

1 T dried basil

3 t dried oregano

2 t dried thyme

28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

2 t fig preserves (yes, you read that correctly)

Salt and pepper

3/4 c panko

3 oz pepperoni (I used vegetarian pepperoni)

3/4 c grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 c fresh basil leaves choppped

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to the package. Reserve 1/2 c of the pasta cooking water. Drain pasta and keep in colander.

Meanwhile, heat 2 T of the XVOO in a large skillet over medium heat. Then add garlic, dried basil, 2 t oregano and thyme. Cook and stir for 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, fig preserves and salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium high and simmer for 10 minutes.

Heat another skillet (medium sized) over medium heat. Add 2 T XVOO, panko, 1 t oregano and pepperoni. Cook until bread crumbs are toasted, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1/4 c Parmesan cheese and cook til golden. Move off heat and add salt and stir.

Add cooked pasta to sauce. Add 1/2 c Parmesan cheese and basil. Stir to combine. Add a bit of water if you needed to loosen the sauce.

Put into large pasta bowl and top with bread crumbs.

Add additional chopped fresh basil and Parmesan cheese if desired.

Adeena’s Cucumber and Apple Salad

 Cucumber and Apple Salad

1/3 c apple cider vinegar 

2 T sugar

1 t kosher salt

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil 

12 small Persian cucumbers or two large English cucumbers

2 medium apples (crispy), peeled

1/4 red onion

2 T fresh dill, chopped

Mix

In a small microwave safe bowl, heat the vinegar foe 30 seconds in the microwave. Whisk in sugar and salt. Then the oil and set aside.

Slice thinly the cucumbers. Quarter and core the apples. Slice thinly. Slice the red onion thinly. Toss all into a large bowl with the fresh dill.

Add dressing and toss again.

Add salt if you need it.

Beans and Greens Soup With Halloumi Cheese Crumble

 This weekend in Boston was very cold. I wanted to make a new soup, but it had to easy and quick. I flipped through a few recipes that I had saved and thought I would try this recipe from Bon Appetit.

Ingredients

1 large bunch Swiss chard (about 8 oz.)

6 garlic cloves, minced

6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

¼ cup tomato paste

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 tsp. hot smoked Spanish paprika

Kosher salt

2 15-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

Freshly ground pepper

1 8–10-oz. package Halloumi cheese, patted dry

1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest

Preparation

Step 1

Remove ribs and stems from 1 large bunch Swiss chard (about 8 oz.). Coarsely chop leaves and set aside Cook 6 garlic cloves, minced, and 5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until garlic is light golden and fragrant, 5–7 minutes. Stir in chard ribs and cook until slightly softened, about 1 minute. Stir in ¼ cup double-concentrated tomato paste, 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, 2 tsp. hot smoked Spanish paprika, and  and season generously with kosher salt. Cook, stirring, until butter is melted and mixture turns brick red, about 1 minute.

Step 2

Add two 15-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed. Pour in 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, season with freshly ground black pepper, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook soup 20 minutes to let flavors meld.

Step 3

Meanwhile, grate one 8–10-oz. package Halloumi cheese, patted dry, on the large holes of a box grater. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high. Arrange cheese in pan in a single layer and cook, stirring often, until deep golden brown, about 4 minutes (cheese will release some water at first, but it will cook off). Stir in 1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest and season with black pepper. Transfer cheese crumbles to a plate.

Step 4

Season soup with salt and black pepper. 

Step 5

Ladle soup into bowls and top with cheese crumbles. 

All the hostages are home

 The last hostage being held in Gaza is home.

Even with two feet of snow on the ground, I cut the blue ribbons off my tree in the front yard.

I have so many emotions right now.

I am relieved that no one was left behind.

I am sad to know how the world went silent.

I am sad to know that some in the world said Israeli’s deserved this massacre.

I am sad that I have to move on knowing this. I know the Jewish people have had their enemies. I just didn’t realize how many, So many silent people through the years who really hated the Jewish people.

I know I will move forward. One step at a time.

Mah Jongg

 Being Hadassah region president has been a really amazing experience. BUT, sometimes things are scheduled, and for three years, I am just going with what happens.

Last night was my birthday, and my husband couldn’t take me out because we had our chapter’s monthly mahj game.

The night before was a Hadassah National Board meeting and the night after the Hadassah National Assembly meeting.

BUT, my friends step up and support me.

Last night my friend, Robin, surprised me with a cake!

President Weitzman

 

This is my third year as Hadassah Boston Region President, and this is my BOARD!!!!!!