Get ready for football – winning recipes from Susan and Zoe Liebmann.

(See this week’s Jewish Standard FYI, page 3 for the scoop on this cooking duo from Fair Lawn.)

Look for more game time recipes next week.

In the meantime, GO GIANTS!!! I happen to be a big Ely Manning fan and now am the proud owner of a jersey to wear (thank you dear husband, Rob).

-Beth

According to the Liebmanns, “A great hamburger is all you need to set the mood for any great game or for great family fun time, and top it with a potato latke to make it even better.”

Stuffed hamburgers

2 pounds ground beef (Beth’s note: for a healthier version, I would use lean beef or might even mix with ground turkey)
about 6-8 slices of turkey/pastrami (can use corned beef)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped onion (optional)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Heat stove top pan or grill. Separate meat into equal portions. Place the meat into a bowl and add Worcestershire sauce, onion, salt, and pepper, and mix thoroughly.

Shape meat into patties. Take 1 slice of pastrami and fold or chop into center of patty and fold ground meat over to seal. Make sure the ground beef covers the filling. Flatten for grilling. Put a light thumbprint into center so burger comes out flat and your condiments will not slide off.

Avoid pressing patties while they are cooking. Grill to desired taste. Serve on buns.

Favorite toppers: lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, spinach, onions, mayo, ketchup, marinara sauce, barbeque sauce, salsa, guacamole, chili, and mushrooms.

However, according to the Liebmanns, “The best topper for a hamburger is a potato latke (pancake).

Potato latkes

6 peeled and grated potatoes
1 small onion grated
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoons vegetable oil (in mixture)

In large bowl mix all ingredients together. Fry in ½ inch deep vegetable oil. Carefully put a large spoonful of mixture into hot oil and flatten a little. Cook until crispy brown then turn over and cook the same way on the other side.

Place on paper towel to drain. Keep warm in oven.

“Most of them will be eaten right out of the pan!!”

-SL

While researching the three recent non-Bergen County sprees of crimes targeting Jews or featuring anti-Semitic graffiti – two of which turned out to be committed by Jews, with the other being investigated as insurance fraud -- I came across some rather hysterical reporting of the incidents.

Blogger Pamela Geller, for example, put the headline "Kristallnacht comes to America" on her report of car tourchings in Brooklyn -- fires that police now believe were set by the car owners to collect insurance money.

Here's her commentary:

"Welcome to America under siege by the leftists and Islamic supremacists."

And here's how the author of Israel Survival Updates commented on "Kristallnacht In New Jersey" -- the smashing of store windows in Highland Park:

Tool up. That means go get some evil scary-looking guns, learn how to safely handle and use them and get ready, because “it can’t happen here” is happening here.

I'm not going to try to dissuade people from their paranoia. But it is worth noting that equating smashed windows with Kristallnacht is missing the point of what took place in Nazi Germany.

The problem with Kristallanact was not that hooligans smashed windows. It was the power of the state was smashing windows and burning synagogues, and ordering the firefighters not to put out the blazes.

By contrast, look at how authorities responded to the recent apparently anti-Semitic crimes.

First of all, they were all investigated. The perpetrators were actively sought. And it was not only a police concern.

In Bergen County, elected officials stood with the prosecutor's office in denouncing the crimes and calling for their investigation.

There was no question that the authorities totally opposed attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions.

Contrast this with the reports from Berlin in 1935, which I happen to be reading about in Dara Horn's excellent “Kindle Single,” The Rescuer. Three years before Kristallnacht, and Storm Troopers were with impunity entering pubs and stabbing Jews and leading organized mobs who pulled Jews from their cars in Berlin and beat them to death. Hate wasn't a crime in Nazi Germany; it was a justification that made crimes legal.

But today, in New Jersey, a firebomb thrown at a synagogue isn't a reminder that Jewish life and property is up for grabs; it's an occasion for congressmen and nuns and Christian and Muslim clergy to join in solidarity with the Jewish community and sing Hebrew hymns.

That didn't happen after Kristallnacht.

That should be the real lesson of the attacks in Bergen County, even if they turn out to be committed by an avowed anti-Semite: It's not 1938. As Jews, we have far more friends in American than we do enemies.

There's one unanswerable question about the recent incidents whose Jewish perpetrators have been caught.

What is it that made two disturbed Jewish individuals – one in New Jersey, one in New York – act out their madness and anger and frustration through anti-Semitic slogans and actions?

Is our community's paranoia making our mentally disturbed members crazier?

Something to think about.

On this Martin Luther King, Jr. day, I’ve been thinking about Dr. King’s legacy as a unifier.

How easy it is, in this era of identity politics and class warfare, to feel that it’s all about conflicting interests and competition (not the healthy kind).

The world will never be entirely fair. Inequities will always exist. That does not relieve us of the responsibility to try to minimize institutionalized inequities and to counter injustices, however. Leaders, including in government, must have the wisdom to undertake what they can and should, and refrain from stirring the pot of fruitless resentment and fractious, unproductive divisiveness.

Dr. King had this wisdom, which today is so lacking. It’s unpopular to acknowledge in some quarters, but I believe a part of what enabled him to be such a great leader--in addition to his brilliance as an individual--was God.

Only under God are we are all equal, and only with a belief in the sanctity of life can each life truly hold equal value. In a world of competing interests and divergent values, a world of individuals striving to argue the merits of their own philosophies, there must be a higher value. Otherwise, the individual differences among us, rather than being a source of beauty, pride, excitement, and interest, can easily bring out the lower aspects of our nature.

If you believe we are of equal value under God, and every life is sacrosanct, the petty divisions and distinctions do not bother you as much. If you have a sense of your innate value as a human being made in the image of God, it does not bother you so much if someone else is wealthier, more successful, taller, or prettier, etc. Nor do you feel the need to be “right” about everything (an insecurity that perhaps drives doctrinaire believers to attempt to convert others, including forcibly).

Like being a child of parents who truly love you, sacrifice for you, and cherish you: you go forth in the world predisposed to find acceptance, because the inner security you project leaves you less vulnerable to feelings of inferiority that can be tapped easily by demagogues, whether left or right.

How blessed we were, how blessed we are, that Dr. King, as a beautiful child of God, saw and summoned the better angels of our nature, and in doing so, brought forth the best in America.

There is still time to enter the sixth annual Man-O-Manischewitz Cook-Off!

Contest Deadline: Jan. 15

Enter for a Chance to Compete in NYC for $25,000 grand prize package

This year, the Man-O-Manischewitz Cook-Off will be bigger-than-ever as the contestants compete by preparing their best family-friendly recipes. Five finalists will compete live in New York City, for the $25,000 Grand Prize, which includes a series of Maytag appliances, cash, and a crystal trophy. Contestants will compete in front of a panel of judges led by the Celebrity Chef and food television star Claire Robinson as head judge.

Four finalists will be chosen by the judging panel and five semi-finalists will be posted on www.manischewitz.com, where the fifth finalist will be selected. From Feb. 13 to Feb. 24, consumers can vote online, and via Facebook and Twitter. For contest details, log onto www.manischewitz.com.

The competition encourages at home chefs to experiment with kosher products while preparing delicious recipes that could be a new family favorite or one that has been shared from generation to generation. The contest is designed to showcase the benefits of using kosher products as part of the home cooking experience and to think about using kosher products in other types of cuisine, including Japanese, Italian, Mexican, Greek, or something else.

All five finalists will win an all-expense paid trip to NYC to compete live on March 28 at The JCC in Manhattan in front of a live panel consisting of food media and other culinary experts. The grand prize package includes a Maytag appliance giveaway, cash and a beautiful crystal trophy! Recipes must include one of the new Manischewitz All-Natural broth flavors-Chicken, Reduced Sodium Chicken, Beef and Vegetable-and may contain other Manischewitz products as well.

This year’s Cook-Off will support rock CAN roll, a non-profit, hunger relief organization that collaborates with rock concerts, schools, corporations, and individuals to collect healthy and nutritious non-perishable food for distribution to local emergency food agencies and into the hands of children, seniors and families who live with hunger and in poverty. rock CAN roll is built on four basic principles: Healthy Nutritious Dignity & Respect. Bins made to look like Manischewitz broth cans will be set up in major cities during a portion of the contest period so that consumers can make non-perishable food donations in support of rock CAN roll. In support of this effort, Manischewitz will match all donations. www.rockCANroll.org

Additionally, the cook-off raises awareness regarding Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM), a national month of recognition of the more than 350-year history of Jewish contributions to American culture. The Manischewitz Company, the founding sponsor of JAHM, will work with the JAHM steering committee to drive awareness of events and programs. Updates on JAHM are available on www.jahm.us and will continue through the end of JAHM on May 31.

To get inspired to create an original recipe using any of the new Manischewitz broths, visit the recipe section of www.manischewitz.com.

How it works

U.S. residents 18 or older are invited to submit an original, easy-to-prepare entrée using any flavor of new Manischewitz Broth product. Recipes should have no more than a total of eight ingredients and be prepared and cooked in one hour or less. For official contest details log onto www.manischewitz.com, complete the official entry form and submit your recipe online or by mail. Entries must be received by January 15. Four finalists will be selected and one finalist will be selected during the online people’s choice vote from February 13 to 24. Five contestants will compete live in New York City in front of a panel of live judges on March 28.

With Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney neck-in-neck in the wee hours on Wednesday, looks like the Iowa caucus is up for grabs. At the moment, 18 votes separate these men. Can’t wait to see what’s being reported later this morning.

It’s popular to assert that Iowa, the presidential race’s first caucus, doesn’t necessarily matter. Well, if you believe that, ask Rudy Giuliani, whose candidacy was obliterated in 2008 after he was (mis) advised to skip the caucus and its follow-along-at-the-heels little brother, New Hampshire.

Figuring he could better leverage his energy and resources into Florida four years ago, Rudy skipped the first two contests. He went overnight from being a lead Republican contender to being the September 11 hero who was irrelevant to the presidential contest.

On the one hand, not every Iowa caucus winner has gone on to secure his party’s nomination - far from it. A glance at Wikipedia’s entry on the Iowa caucuses shows that, indeed, sometimes Iowa caucus winners do not go on to become their party’s standard bearers. In 1992, for instance, the democratic winner was Tom Harkin (who?) and in 1988, it was Dick Gephardt.

On the Republican side, it was Mike Huckabee in 2008 - but the nomination, of course, went to John McCain. Also, in 1988 the Iowa caucus winner was Bob Dole, and that year he did not get his party’s nomination (on the other hand, he also won the Iowa caucus in 1996, the year he did get the nod).

However, a close examination of the history of the Iowa caucus suggests that, in recent decades, the Iowa caucus has become a stronger indicator as to who becomes the nominee: in the last ten presidential contests, both republicans and democrats chose the winner of the Iowa caucus to be their party’s standard bearer six out of ten times. Within the past five races, the ratio increased slightly, with both sides choosing the Iowa caucus winner four times out of five. That means that the trend over the past couple of decades is toward the winner of the Iowa caucus becoming a slightly stronger indicator of who the nominee will be.

Here, in my humble opinion, is the reason for the trend: five races ago, in the early 90’s, cable news’ 24-hour a day cycle really started taking off and the nature of coverage changed. In other words, around the time media started to exponentially proliferate, the early caucuses and primaries started becoming a bigger deal. It is no wonder: when the campaigns started getting heavier coverage earlier and earlier, and there were more stations and networks reporting - and repeating - the results around the clock, these early contests started becoming more determinative. To paraphrase Orwell: repeat anything (such as, “So-and-so is the winner” over and over again, and it becomes truth. Or at least is likely to become a self-fulfilling prophecy).

In terms of each party picking its nominee, Iowa and New Hampshire really matter. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is another discussion. On the one hand, residents of small states get to have a disproportionate influence. On the other hand, the grassroots nature of the contests in these states allows for the theoretical (and in this case, actual) possibility of a dark horse candidate coming center stage, even if he or she lacks a lot of money. In the case of Santorum, what he lacked in funding he reportedly made up for in sweat: he logged more time in Iowa than any other candidate, visiting all 99 counties. So despite his comparative lack of money, his hard work paid off.

If history is an indicator, this caucus will matter. And either way, this was a great night for two good men. Romney is, in the eyes of this commentator, the far more electable candidate in the general election. In the words of former Republican Jewish Coalition head Sam Fox, Romney is a solid supporter of Israel who is “a success at everything he has ever touched.” Santorum is also a great supporter of Israel with a tremendous grasp of middle east issues, especially regarding Israel and Iran. Either, in my opinion, would make a fine President.

Sir Moses Haim Montefiore (1784-1885), a British Jewish banker and philanthropist, defender of human rights, and sheriff of London,

was once seated at dinner next to an important personality and an anti-Semite.

He told Sir Moses that he had just returned from Japan, where they “have neither pigs nor Jews.”

Montefiore replied instantly: “Accordingly, you and I should go there so they can have a sample of each.”

Sir Moses Haim Montefiore (1784-1885), a British Jewish banker and philanthropist, defender of human rights, and sheriff of London,

was once seated at dinner next to an important personality and an anti-Semite.

He told Sir Moses that he had just returned from Japan,

where they “have neither pigs nor Jews.”

Montefiore replied instantly: “Accordingly, you and I should go there so they can have a sample of each.”

Iranian president Mahmud Ahmadinejad calls President Obama and tells him,

“Barack, I had a wonderful dream last night. I could see America, the whole beautiful country,

and on each house I saw a banner.”

“What did it say on the banners?” Obama asks.

Mahmud replies, “UNITED STATES OF IRAN.”

Obama says, “You know, Mahmud, I am really happy you called,

because believe it or not, last night I had a similar dream. I could see all of Tehran,

and it was more beautiful than ever, and on each house flew an enormous banner.”

“What did it say on the banners?” Mahmud asks.

Obama replies, “I don’t know. I can’t read Hebrew.”