Yom Ha'atzmaut Activities and Recipes

Activities

Israeli Stamp Bookmark:

2 pieces of clear adhesive-baked 2”x6” paper, 1 piece of decorative material or paper, about 1 ¾” x 5 ½”, 3 or 4 Israeli stamps, Pinking shears or regular scissors

Peel the backing off 1 piece of clear adhesive-backed paper and place it sticky side up
Center the piece of decorative material or paper face up on the sticky surface. Arrange 3 or 4 Israeli stamps on the material.
Peel the backing off another piece of adhesive-backed paper. Center it, sticky side down, on the stamp-covered material. Pressing firmly with your fingers, rub the back and front of the bookmark to help the layers stick together.
With pinking shears or scissors, slightly trim the edges.

Israeli Stamp Key Chain:

Small plastic sample with a hole punched in the top (available in a hobby/craft shop), Rubbing alcohol, Israeli stamp, White glue, Metal key chain

Remove any printing from the sample by pouring a little rubbing alcohol on a paper towel and gently rubbing the plastic.
Attach an Israeli stamp to the plastic with white glue. Be sure all the edges of the stamp are glued down.
Thread a metal key chain through the hole in the plastic.

Recipes

Pearled Barley Pilaf – Parve:

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup pearled barley
2 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons parve chicken soup mix
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel (optional)

Heat oil in a skillet. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for about 5-7 minutes.

Add pearled barley to the skillet. Cook, stirring often, for another 3 minutes.

In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Stir in soup mix, salt and pepper. Stir in onions, garlic and barley. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes or until tender.

Remove from heat. Keep covered for another 5 minutes. Uncover and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and lemon peel.

7 Species Salad (Salat Shivat HaMinim) – Parve or Dairy:

Lettuce, (any kind, but the baby is good)
Seeds from 1/2 to 1 ripe pomegranate
6 to 8 figs, quartered
Handful of seedless (or deseeded) grapes, halved or quartered
2 to 4 dates, checked for bugs and sliced
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar (this gets the olives in, the Torah specifically mentions oil olives so, in theory this could also count for the grapes)
Barley and wheat croutons

Optional:.

Goat cheese
Bee or date honey

To make the croutons, get some bread (preferably sliced) that has both wheat and barley flour and cut in to bite-sized pieces (2cm to 3cm square) and place on a baking tray or casserole dish.

In a bowl, combine olive oil and some favorite spices, oregano, basil, and/or thyme. Brush the oil and herb mixture over the bread pieces and bake at 400°F to 450°F until the bread feels like croutons.