Shul News

The Anshe Chesed Annual Challah Bake was another beautiful event to add to the books.

More than 100 women and girls from across the religious spectrum came together for the evening, spanning Chassidish, Yeshivish, Modern Orthodox, and women at different stages of observanc. Each woman prepared her own batch of no rise challah, recited the bracha, and left with freshly baked loaves ready for the Shabbos table.

Rebbetzin Emma Katz opened the program with reflections on elevating the mundane and discovering kedusha in everyday acts. The evening’s featured speaker, Raizel Namdar of @thatjewishfamily, shared powerful insights from her experiences maintaining the three central mitzvos of women while traveling across the world with her family. Her reflections highlighted the beauty and resilience of Jewish life lived with intention, no matter the setting.

The hafrashat challah bracha was recited with heartfelt tefillah for the refuah sheleimah of two members of the community. Each attendee also received a laminated card containing the text of the hafrashat challah bracha along with additional tefillos for the occasion.

“What makes this event unique, and perhaps something special to Linden,” said Rebbetzin Katz, “is the achdut that is experienced here. It is not just that women from across the religious spectrum are in the same room. For this hour, we do not see the differences at all. We are simply Jewish women coming together to perform a mitzvah and to daven together.”

This sense of achdut is what makes Linden unique. To see more programs like this or to learn more about Anshe Chesed, visit anshechesed.org.

Thank you so much to our challah bake committee, Rebetzin Emma Katz , Kailen Brody, Leah Kaufman, @chavipenzias Chavie Penzias, and @mindyschaper1 for their work on the event, and thank you to our sponsors, and of course, attendees.