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Cake Wars YIOP children decorate for a purpose.

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n Chanukah, we celebrate
the miraculous victory of the
Maccabees over the Greeks.
The Maccabees waged war against the
Greeks with the meager weapons they had:
basic farming tools, sticks and stones. This
year, Young Israel of Oak Park celebrated
Chanukah with their own war — Cake
Wars!
Based on the Food Network's Cupcake
Wars competition, YIOP Youth Director
Rachel Tinman created a version of
Chanukah Cake Wars. Each team had to
work together to plan, create and display
their cake. Teams competed to symbolically
decorate a Chanukah-themed cake.

Each team was provided a Chanukah
theme in an envelope (history of the dreidle,
halachot of a kosher menorah, lighting
Chanukah candles, the Maccabees, the
Chanukiah and the story of Yehudit).
Each team gave a 1-2 minute explanation
of their cakes before voting began and a
winner was determined.
Tinman worked with Rabbi Michael
Cohen and board members Ezra Drissman
and Ira Winer along with administrative
assistant Julie Margolis, pastry chef of
Quality Kosher Catering Elyse Cohen, and
Bnei Akiva's Yonatan Edrei, Yosef Malca and
Meir Ziberman on the fun interactive team-
building event. *

Maya Greenstein, Meir Ziberman, JJ Jacobs,

Dalia and Tzippora Drissman are busy

Daniella Weil and Esther Kohn work on

decorating their cake.

Dalia and Tzippora Drissman get a helping hand

from Gabi Drissman.

Elliot and Madeline Zwick

Aryeh Cohen, Ahuvah Cohen and Devorah Attali

their cake.

Holiday Spirit: JFS Adopt A Family program spreads joy.

T

he conference rooms at
Jewish Family Service
were transformed into hol-
iday central as thousands of gifts
were delivered by generous donors
who shopped for 788 individuals
through JFS's Adopt a Family pro-
gram. Piles of stuffed animals sat
alongside boxes of toys and board
games and shopping bags full of
warm clothes. One appreciative
recipient had this to say about the
giver of her holiday gifts: "I call
you family because only family
buys for family." *

The Wineman family

Mara Moss and Jen Friedman

- Aft

Roz Blanck and Betsy Heuer

18 December 31 •2015

Volunteer Pauline Michaels

JN

The Mall family

MIN2

Phoebe Hulen

Diane Isaacs and Jackie Bolick