Israel Club Cooks Shabbat Dinner

by Liba Fruithandler, SSLI '28

Last week, Israel Club held a fundraiser in which they made dinners to support the Omer Neutra Legacy Fund. This is the third year the club has done this, but it is the first year that the funds have specifically gone to the Omer Neutra Legacy Fund. The club met on Thursday after school and made chicken, Israeli salad, cauliflower, broccoli, couscous, and orange vegetable soup.

The club sold the dinners to different families within the Schechter community. In previous years, they had sold above 20, while this year they sold 11. With the funds from the dinners along with some additional sponsorship, the club raised about $1400.

Club members cooked food for many families' Shabbat dinners! (E. DuBow)

The cooking, while a fundraiser, was also a nice bonding experience for the club members. According to Esther DuBow, the faculty advisor of the club, it was a good opportunity for the students to “learn some kitchen skills and spend time together.” Junior Samuel Levenson, a member of the club, remarked, “I had a lot of fun since I got to cook foods I don’t always get to cook … it was exciting for us.”

As this was the third year the club has held the fundraiser, some of the alumni of the club are still in the WhatsApp group chat for the club, and, according to DuBow, when they heard the club was doing it again, they sent messages “cheering on” the current members.

The fundraiser was an opportunity for the members of the club to bond while also learning about their cause and using important cooking skills. DuBow commented that it was a “nice few hours we got to spend together.”

Liba Fruithandler is a staff writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since January 2025. Liba is currently a sophomore at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: lfruithandler28@schechterli.org