Author: Amy Snell

Pond

Construction to Begin on Gefilte Fish Pond in Town Square

April 1, 2016—PALO ALTO, Ca—The Oshman Family JCC is pleased to announce a major new installation in the Jessica Lynn Saal Town Square: a gefilte fish pond that is slated to become the new centerpiece of campus life. The pond will be stocked with free-range, cruelty-free organic gefilte fish from the nearby Sacramento River Delta. In...

Hamantaschen

The Eleven Craziest Hamantaschen Recipes You Have to Try

What’s not to love about hamantaschen? The word conjures up images of buttery goodness wrapped around jam or poppy seeds or occasionally something more exotic like chocolate or nuts. But what happens when you really push the envelope? Here are eleven recipes that are too crazy not to try! What’s a...

The Return of the Light

First of all—let me get this out of the way—I’m not Jewish. That said, I do have a favorite Hanukkah song, Hanukkah Blessings by the Barenaked Ladies. It’s one that I play often this time of year as I’m decking my halls and baking my cookies. I hope my Jewish friends and...

What Are You Listening To?

It seems everyone has earbuds on around the OFJCC, tuning in to their private audio track—especially in the Fitness Center. So we asked a few members what they are currently listening to: “The Cure is coming to Shoreline Amphitheatre in May and it’s gotten me back into them again.”   —Jill “I’m listening...

What to Cook for National Men Make Dinner Day

There is something intrinsically appealing to women about men in the kitchen—whether it brings to mind images of well-trained chefs creating culinary masterpieces or just a night off from routine for a tired wife or mom. So I suppose it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that there is such a thing...

What’s Your Secret Tip for Saving Water?

We asked members of the OFJCC community to share their favorite water-saving tips: “Instead of using the towels at the JCC after my water exercise class, I bring one from home, then hang it up to dry. I can use the same towel for several classes in a row, cutting...

Bay Area Fall Festivals

Top Ten Bay Area Fall Festivals

Temperatures may be falling and weather worsening elsewhere, but here in the Bay Area, autumn is characterized by clear days, mild temperatures, and some of the best weather of the year. That makes it the perfect time for outdoor festivals, and there are no shortage of them from which to choose....

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Six Words Are All You Need

You may have noticed the new stock ticker that is streaming six-word tweets live in the OFJCC‘s Fitness Center lobby. It’s there as part of the Six-Word Memoir initiative begun by SMITH Magazine; the Jewish cultural mavens at Reboot have brought this interactive embodiment of the project to the OFJCC for our community members to interact with. The...

Nine Lessons We Learned from Being a Host Family

The summer of 2015 will be remembered in the Snell household as the “Summer of Shai.” It was the summer we welcomed an Israeli shaliach into our home for three months while he worked as a counselor at J-Camp, and when we discovered that “host family” is less about being hosts than it is about being family....

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What Was Your Favorite Moment From J-Camp This Summer?

We asked campers and counselors to share some of their favorite moments from this year’s J-Camp:   “Two weeks ago we went to a lake. I got to swim in my clothes because I forgot my bathing suit.” —Sophia, 9 “I loved when we got to dress up as superheroes!...