how to throw a beth tfiloh birthday party

Shabbat begins at sunset on Friday evening and ends at nightfall (the appearanceof three stars) on Saturday night. Holidays begin at sunset the preceding eveningand end at nightfall (the appearance of three stars) on the final day. Fast Daysmarked * begin at sunrise and end at nightfall on the specified day. For moredetails, please refer to the booklet, BT Basics: An A to Z Guide to Judaism atwww.bit.ly/BTBasicsBk.

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2016 Our Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School family

prides itself on inclusivity and respect. Please avoidscheduling birthday parties on Shabbat and thefollowing Jewish holidays and fast days in considerationof all of our Beth Tfiloh family members.

5775/ 2014–2015 5776/ 2015–2016

rosh hashanah Wed. Eve–Fri., Sept. 24–26 Sun. Eve–Tues., Sept. 13–15

fast of gedaliah* Sun., Sept. 28 Wed., Sept. 16

yom kippur Fri. Eve–Sat., Oct. 3–4 Tues. Eve–Wed., Sept. 22–23

sukkot Wed. Eve–Fri., Oct. 8–10 Sun. Eve–Tues., Sept. 27–29

sh’mini atzeret Sun. Eve–Tues., Sept. 27–29 Sun. Eve–Mon., Oct. 4–5

simchat torah Thurs. Eve–Fri., Oct. 16–17 Mon. Eve–Tues., Oct. 5–6

fast of 10th Thurs., Jan. 1 Tues., Dec. 22of tevet*

fast of esther* Wed., Mar. 4 Wed., Mar. 23

purim Wed. Eve–Thurs. Mar. 4–5 Wed. Eve-Thurs., Mar. 24

shushan purim Fri., Mar. 6 Fri., Mar. 25

pesach Fri. Eve–Sat., Apr. 3–11 Fri. Eve–Sat., Apr. 22–30

yom hashoah Thurs., Apr. 16 Thurs., May 5

shavuot Sat. Eve–Mon., May 23–25 Sat. Eve–Mon., June 11–13

fast of 17th Sun., July 5 Sun., July 24of tammuz*

tisha b’av Sat. Eve–Sun., July 25–26 Sat. Eve–Sun., Aug. 13–14

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how to throw a beth tfiloh birthday party 1

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Welcome to the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School!We embrace the concept of Klal Yisrael (the diversity of theJewish community) and pride ourselves on creating anenvironment that is inclusive of all our children, respecting

all levels of religious observance. We believe that thoughtfulness andrespect for one another, or Derech Eretz, a concept our children learn hereat Beth Tfiloh, extend beyond the classroom and can inform our treatmentof others outside of our school walls.

Children’s birthday parties are opportunities where we can show ourchildren that we live by the Torah’s message, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”These parties should be celebrations where all the guests feel welcomeand can fully participate. In this vein, we are pleased to share this booklet,How to Throw a Beth Tfiloh Birthday Party.

This booklet addresses some of the questions or concerns families mayhave regarding planning such a birthday party. Included is guidance aboutcoordinating the date of a celebration with the Jewish calendar, informationabout planning a Kosher menu, Q & A about Kashrut, special notes aboutaddressing food allergies, a list of area Kosher restaurants, and coupons andspecial offers from many of these establishments to enhance your celebra-tion and save you money! We are also pleased to offer our parents theconvenience of celebrating their party at Beth Tfiloh with a “BT BirthdayBash” theme party (see page 9 for information). As proud members of theBeth Tfiloh family, we congratulate you on your choice of an educationalenvironment dedicated equally to excellence in education and in Jewishvalues. We hope you take advantage of the opportunity to bring home toyour family these important lessons.

todah rabbah,Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg, DeanMrs. Zipora Schorr, Director of Education

Dear Parents,school policyBeth Tfiloh’s statedschool policy is thatbirthday celebrationsshould not beheld on Shabbator holidays, whichwould prevent achild from attendingbecause of religiousobservance.Likewise, all foodserved at birthdayparties, whetheron or off schoolgrounds, should beKosher, regardlessof the hostfamily’s personallevel of Kashrut( Jewish dietary law)observance.

beth tfiloh dahan community school2

Bwhat does kosher mean?

“Kosher,” in Hebrew, means fit or proper,and is generally used to describe foodsthat are prepared in accordance withspecial Jewish dietary laws (Kashrut).

what is the source of kosherdietary law?The Jewish people have observed Kosherlaw for over 3,000 years. The source ofall Kosher dietary laws is the Torah (theFive Books of Moses.) The Torah detailswhich forms of meat, fowl, fish and in-sects are not Kosher. In addition, Jewishscholars have studied, interpreted andapplied Kosher law for many centuries.Thousands of volumes have beenwritten about this topic. Many of thesebooks date back as far as two thousandyears ago. This vast array of Biblicaland Rabbinic literature comprises thebody of Kosher law.

my family doesn’t observekashrut. can’t i just get kosherfood for the kids at the partywho keep kosher?BT’s policy is that all food at birthdayparties should be Kosher, so that all ofthe children can enjoy participatingand no one child or group is treateddifferently than the others. Childrencan be embarrassed at being “singledout” for observing Kashrut, even ifKosher food is provided for them. Justpicture being the only kid at the partyeating a bagel and cookies when every-one else is enjoying pizza and cake! Bymaking sure that all of their guests canenjoy the meal or snacks they provideat their party, parents can create anenvironment of inclusivity and respect.

can i prepare the food myself? If your kitchen isn’t Kosher, even if the

food you purchase for your party isKosher, when you prepare it with yourown utensils or in your own kitchen(in your oven, sink, on your countertop,using your own pots and pans,) thenit will render the food non-Kosher.The best idea is to leave food in itsoriginal packaging and to use newpaper and plastic utensils to prepareor serve the food.

Because of varying standards ofKashrut, home-made food from anykitchen cannot be served at a BethTfiloh Dahan birthday party.

i just want to serve vegetarianpizza and cake, not meat. why dothese things need to be kosher?Most families who follow the laws ofKashrut will not eat any food unless itis under Kosher supervision. Even veg-etarian food may not be an acceptableoption for these families. For example,many families will only eat Koshercheese and dairy products (not madewith animal enzymes) and wouldtherefore not eat pizza or cake unless itis certified as Kosher.

can a processed food likesoda, cookies or potato chipsbe non-kosher?Yes. This is because all ingredients andsub-units in a product must conformto the dietary laws in order for the fooditem to be considered Kosher. Evenone non-Kosher ingredient can renderthe entire product unsuitable. Forexample, potato chips may be fried inanimal oil, or cookies may contain anon-Kosher emulsifier which is derivedfrom animal fat.

In addition, Kosher food must beprocessed on Kosher equipment.Equipment used with heat for non-

q&a

Kosher production is rendered non-Kosher and must be Kashered (madeKosher) through a special cleaningprocess of hot water or intense heat tobe fit for Kosher service and use.

what are some examples ofnon-kosher foods?Animals, such as pork, rabbit and horsemeat; fowl, such as owl and stork; fish,such as catfish, eels, shell fish, shrimpand octopus and almost all insects arenon-Kosher foods according to Biblicaldefinitions. In addition, Kosher meatand fowl must be ritually slaughteredin a painless and humane fashion by aspecially trained expert in order to beacceptable. Dairy and meat productswhich commingle are not Kosher. Thereare also special laws relating to cheese,grape juice and wine production.

why does kosher foodcost more?In order for food to be certified asKosher, it must contain only Kosheringredients, and must be supervisedby a Mashgiach (supervisor) during itsproduction, processing and packaging.The extra steps required to follow thelaws of Kashrut typically raise theprices of producing Kosher products.

what about food allergies?One of our key responsibilities is topromote a safe environment for everystudent. A number of children at BethTfiloh are so highly allergic to peanutsand nut products that even the smallesttrace of a substance, such as peanut but-ter, can cause a potentially fatal reaction.If a child on your guest list has a foodallergy, please consult with his or herparents about their wishes before order-ing any food or assembling goody bags.

what about goody bags?To ensure that the treats you send ingoody bags are Kosher, make sure themain packaging is marked with aKosher symbol listed in this handbook.If you have a question about a symbol,feel free to call the PreSchool office at(410) 413-2303 for more information.

Candy need not be a “Jewish brand”in order to be Kosher. Many of thecandies you would ordinarily buy arealready under Kosher supervision—justcheck the package! Please be awarethat many gummy candies are notKosher because they contain gelatin,an animal product. Do not choosecandy items unless a Kosher symbolappears on the packaging.

Also, if your celebration includes ameat meal, avoid serving a dairy dessertor including dairy candies (anythingthat contains milk or milk derivatives)in the goody bags. Families who keepKosher wait between 1 and 6 hours(depending on family custom) betweenfirst eating meat and then eating milkproducts.

can i plan a birthday party onthe second day of a holiday?Beth Tfiloh’s policy is that birthdayparties should not be held on Shabbator Holidays. The second day of a holidaypresents the same restrictions for obser-vant families as the first day. A completeJewish calendar listing holiday dates andthe start and end times for Shabbat,holidays and fast days can be found onthe Beth Tfiloh Dahan website.

We have included excerpts in this Q&A fromoukosher.org/the~kosher~primer/


Did you knowthese candiesare Kosher?

DotsDum-dumsGrapeheadsJelly Belly

KissesKit-KatsLaffy TaffyLemonheads

M&MsMilky Ways

Tootsie RollsTwix

TwizzlersWhoppers

tthe party dateWe ask that you not schedule birthdayparties on Shabbat and observantJewish holidays. (Please see the BethTfiloh calendar for dates of observantJewish holidays for this year.) Shabbatand holidays begin at sunset thepreceding night, with the exceptionof the Fasts of Esther, Gedalia, Tevetand Tammuz which take place fromsunrise on the designated day.

Parties should not be scheduled onRosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, the firsttwo days of Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret,Simchat Torah, the first two and lasttwo days of Pesach, Shavuot, TishaB’Av and the fast days mentioned inthe beginning of this book.

Parties may be held during the inter-mediate days of Sukkot and Pesach(chol hamoed), Chanukah, Tu B’Shevat,Yom Ha’atzmaut, Lag Ba’Omer andYom Yerushalayim.

food allergiesRegarding guests with food allergies,please plan your menu with sensitivityand safety in mind. When using pre-pared foods, read all food and candylabels to be sure they are peanut free.(e.g. Entenmann’s Little Bites andHershey [plain] chocolate Kisses areboth Kosher and nut free.) Also, talkwith your catering establishment tobe sure they understand there will bean allergic child eating their food.Please contact your guest’s parents inadvance of the party date regardingtheir particular wishes.

drinksAll juices, including punches, must beara Kosher symbol. Coca-Cola and Pepsiproducts bear Kosher symbols. Milkcannot be served with a meat meal.

foodIn order to serve Kosher food there area number of basic requirements.

n The food must bear a proper supervi-sion symbol. The following symbolsindicate that the food is Kosher:

n Most Baskin Robbins and pre-madeCarvel products are under this super-vision. See sign at stores for details.

n Please remember that meat productscannot be served with dairy products.Pareve indicates that the item isneither dairy nor meat.

n All items on your menu must eitherbe dairy/pareve or meat/pareve.

n Please be advised that manufacturerscan put a regular “K” on any foodwithout having rabbinic supervisionthat the food is Kosher. If you have aquestion about a particular productor about any other Kosher symbol,please call us at (410) 486-1905.

candyMost major candy companies are underproper supervision and bear one of theKosher symbols. Please also see theinformation under “Goody Bags” onpage 3. Some Kosher products include:Laffy Taffy (pareve), Jelly Belly (pareve),Hershey candy products (dairy), YorkPeppermint Patty, Milky Way, Nestle’sCrunch, M&M’s (dairy). Note: Skittles,Starburst and SweeTarts are NOT underKosher supervision.


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cakes (pareve)Goldman’s KosherBakery6848 Reisterstown Road(410) 358-9625

Pariser’s Bakery6711 Reisterstown Road(410) 764-1700

Seven Mile Market201 Reisterstown Road(410) 653-2000

Sion’s Bakery302 Reisterstown Road(410) 548-0372

cakes/baked goods(dairy)Cold Stone Creamery1809 Reisterstown Road(410) 484-3030

Dunkin’ Donuts*Reisterstown Road andColonial Village(410) 764-6846

Dunkin’ Donuts*Reisterstown Road andOld Court Road(410) 653-8182

Only these locationsare kosher

dairy mealsCaramel’s Pizza700 Reisterstown Road(410) 486-2365

Cocoaccino’sCoffee CaféGreenspring ShoppingCenter(410) 653-3888

Eden CaféPark Heights JCC(410) 542-5185

Goldberg’s New YorkBagels1500 Reisterstown Road(410) 415-7001

Goldberg’s New YorkBagels31 East Padonia Road(410) 891-8559

Mama Leah’s Pizza1500 Reisterstown Road,Suite 222(410) 653-7600

Me•LattéOwings Mills JCC(410) 356-3368

Milk & Honey Bistro1777 Reisterstown Road(410) 486-4344

Tov Pizza6313 Reisterstown Road(410) 358-5238

Van Gogh Café300 South Ann Street(410) 558-1958

YogoLaada1860 Reisterstown Road(410) 484-9646

meat mealsAccents Grille2839 Smith Avenue (410) 602-2224

David Chu’sChina Bistro7105 Reisterstown Road(410) 602-5008

Dougie’s Bar-B-Que& Grill600 Reisterstown Road(410) 486-0060

Knish Shop508 Reisterstown Road(410) 484-5850

Kosher Bite6309 Reisterstown Road(410) 358-6349

Me•LattéOwings Mills JCC(410) 356-3368

Royal Kosher Restaurant7002 Reisterstown Road(410) 484-3544

Umami Bistro1500 Reisterstown Road(410) 484-7787

candy/noveltiesThe Candy Store7002 Reisterstown Road(410) 653-9900

The ChocolatePublishing Company1500 Reisterstown Road(410) 358-2626


Kosher Establishments

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GOLDBERG’S NEW YORK BAGELS

1500 Reisterstown Road n (410) 415-7001 n www.goldbergsbagels.net

10% offentire purchase

at both locations

these coupons are applicable for beth tfiloh dahan preschool and lower schoolparties only and are not to be used for any other catering purposes.

DUNKIN’ DONUTS

7000 Reisterstown Road (Colonial Village) n (410) 764-6846 n www.dunkindonuts.com

$1.00 off1 dozen donutsor 50 munchkins

EDEN CAFÉ

5700 Park Heights Avenue n (410) 542-5185e n [email protected] n www.edencafekosher.com

10% discount onorders $10 and over

31 East Padonia Road, Timonium, MD 21093 n (410) 891-8551

CARAMEL’S ICE CREAM & PIZZA

700 Reisterstown Road n (410) 486-2365 n www.caramelspizza.com

15% off entire order of $100or more, or 10% off any order

beth tfiloh dahan community school birthday book

beth tfiloh dahan community school birthday bookbeth tfiloh dahan community school birthday book




GOLDMAN’S KOSHER BAKERY

6848 Reisterstown Road n (410) 358-9625 n www.goldmanskosherbakery.com

10% off entire purchasesale items excluded, cash only

one time only

visit www.bethtfiloh.com for any updates or coupon additions.

Find us onFacebook

KNISH SHOP

508 Reisterstown Road n (410) 484-5850 n www.knishshop.com

$50 off catering for partiesbooked at knish party room

located at 514 reisterstown road

MAMA LEAH’S PIZZA

1500 Reisterstown Road, Ste 222 n (410) 653-7600 n www.mamaleahspizza.com

first 18”pizzas 1–9: 5% off subtotalpizza 10 and up: 10% off subtotal

pick-up only




MILK & HONEY BISTRO

1777 Reisterstown Road n (410) 486-4344 n [email protected]


10% off minimum purchaseof $50 of catered food


these coupons are applicable for beth tfiloh dahan preschool and lower schoolparties only and are not to be used for any other catering purposes.

THE CANDY STORE

7002 Reisterstown Road n (410) 653-9900 n www.thecandystoreonline.com

spend $25 and receive $5 off

TOV PIZZA

6313 Reisterstown Road n (410) 358-5238 n www.tovpizza.com

10% off birthday party orderspick up only

PARISER’S BAKERY

6711 Reisterstown Road n (410) 764-1700 n [email protected] n www.parisersbakery.com

15% off entire purchasecakes are nut-free upon request

SION’S BAKERY

302 Reisterstown Road n (443) 548-0370 n [email protected] n www.sionsbakery.com

10% off all purchases





Make Beth Tfiloh the locationof your child’s next birthday party!

BT BIRTHDAY

BASH!announcing…

h

we provide the cake, party supplies& the following party choices:

cooking n crafts n gym partybring-your-own entertainment

For more information, contact theBeth Tfiloh Youth Center at (410) 413-2221

Roz and Marvin H. WeinerFamily Campus

3300 Old Court RoadBaltimore, Maryland 21208

(410) 486-1905www.bethtfiloh.com

how to throw a beth tfiloh birthday party

Documents

hereat beth tfiloh

beth tfiloh family members

fast daysmarked

childrens birthday parties

bt birthdaybash theme

school walls

booklet addresses

thefollowing jewish