Episode 004 - Who Cares If It's Bedtime? + Show notes

Episode 008 - Sarah in Trouble + Show Notes

---------------------------------------- The one where Sarah refuses to eat the soup.   LISTEN TO THE EPISODE Join hosts Merav and Batya as they delve into all things All-of-a-Kind Family. Today we talk about picky eating, childhood patterns, neurodivergence, food phases, and favorite children’s books that feature picky eaters.    Merav and Batya both forgot to eat dinner before recording this episode and this seems to have significantly increase the pun quotient. You have been warned! Hear the episode [https://www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/episode-001-the-library-lady.mp3]     OUR CHAPTER IN SUMMARY Sarah engages in a battle of wills with Mama when she declares that she doesn’t want to eat her soup at the midday meal. Mama insists that Sarah will get nothing else to eat until she eats her soup. Sarah endures family entreaties through dinner, afternoon snack, home and piano lessons, before finally capitulating and eating a few bites of soup at the supper table and being rewarded with a supper that doesn’t consist of soup. Read the chapter [https://pjlibrary.org/books/all-of-a-kind-family/if9]     NO TIME TO LISTEN? We understand that podcasts aren’t always going to be a good fit for your schedule, but you don’t have to miss out. Catch up on all the latest episodes from the All-of-a-Kind Podcast starting with this full transcript of the episode one. Check out the index page for season one to get all of your favorite episodes and transcript in one place.  Read the episode [https://www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/episode-008-sarah-in-trouble.pdf]   SHOW NOTES: A two handled metal cup inscribed with part of the blessing for ritual handwashing. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/1-9142044034_2fd106fd15_o.jpg?resize=300%2C228&ssl=1] HANDWASHING AND THE SPREAD OF DISEASE Jews have spent centuries in rituals of cleanliness, including ritual bathing with hand and sometimes foot washing before meals, especially in hot climates. This has helped us prevent the spread of disease, but it has also resulted in Jewish populations being targeted during times of plague, because our habits protected us from disease while others fell ill. A redheaded woman with pale skin holds a post-it note in front of her mouth depicting a smile. Her face is otherwise pensive. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/masking-emotion-290x300.png?resize=290%2C300&ssl=1] MASKING YOUR EMOTIONS OUTSIDE THE HOUSE It’s not atypical for kids, teens (and even adults) to ‘mask [https://www.simplypsychology.org/masking-emotions.html]‘ their emotions with strangers, school friends, teachers, and other kids their age. Masking is a form of self protection that allows you to show the world the traits they want to see, like outgoing, cheerful, friendly, high achieving, etc. However, the danger in masking is that you’ll subsume your anger or sadness and force it inward, which can create physical and psychological issues down the line. A silver spoon rests at ten o'clock in a green rimmed bowl of hearty beef soup, with carrots. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/1-115003648_691ee88b5b_o.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1] WHAT’S IN THE SOUP? The soup has vegetables and seems to be based around a beef stock, with softened pieces of meat. With enough solids, this soup could be a meal all by itself, but in Mama’s house it’s a single course in a multi-course meal. Rhubard fermenting at the bottom of a glass mason jar. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/1-50956519156_1e2ec755b1_o.jpg?resize=225%2C300&ssl=1] STEWED FRUIT Sarah never manages to get to dessert, but if she had, it would have been stewed fruit, a fruit dish that concentrates the naturally sweet flavors of fruit using heat to render them tender and delicious. You can make your own stewed fruit by following this recipe [https://www.theintuitivecook.co.uk/blog/stewed-fruit]. A light skinned, dark haired child, cheeks flushed and head thrown back in an open-mouthed wail. The child wears a blue and white shirt with horizonal stripes. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/1-16655857630_e9eec85b78_o.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1] CRYING WHEN YOU’RE ANGRY This phenomenon is also called “rage crying [https://www.charliehealth.com/mental-health/trauma/why-do-i-cry-when-i-get-mad]” and it’s a way of letting out emotion to allow your limbic system to calm down and let you sort out what you’re really feeling. It also functions as an autonomic reset [https://neurodivergentinsights.com/13-ways-to-reset-your-nervous-system/?srsltid=AfmBOoq7kjuvL532gDo3Sb0-HID2CXU4i-6dI0fcykHFVSryCv7tUgbG] from the upset that you’re feeling and can help you to feel better, even if the situation that made you cry hasn’t been resolved. A school lunch on a melmac tray with a carton of milk and dishes with small portions of balanced healthy foods. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/1-532841623_ade089baf6_o.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1] HUNGER IN CITY SCHOOLS Childhood malnourishment is still a problem today. Many modern schools offer a school lunch program to make sure kids are getting at least one balanced meal with complete proteins once a day. Some school districts leave the lunch program open over breaks from school to make sure that the children aren’t deprived of meals during their time off. A colorful stack of books. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/6-lUaaKCUANVI-200x133-1.jpg?resize=200%2C133&ssl=1] OTHER REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: Hammurabi’s code [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_Hammurabi]. Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 [https://youtu.be/YR5ApYxkU-U?si=s_Od_8xnY46X8Wg8]. from their seminal album The Wall (1979). The Adrian Mole [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Mole] books by Sue Townsend. Ballet Shoes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballet_Shoes_(novel)] by Noel Streatfeild and E. Nesbit books [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Nesbit]. Lloyd Alexander’s books [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Alexander]. The story of the exodus from Egypt [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exodus]. The magicians Harry Keller [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Kellar] and Howard Thurston [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Thurston]. Froggy the Gremlin [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froggy_the_Gremlin]. Dybbuks [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dybbuk]. The Yezer ha’rah [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yetzer_hara] or the inclination to evil. The “taste the soup [https://youtu.be/C31H3OULMmo?si=BIohgiN9pHBVbnfz]” joke. Minimum viable product [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_viable_product]. Dirt Candy [https://www.dirtcandynyc.com/] the best Canadian-run vegetarian restaurant in NYC that also has a comic book with recipes! Bread and Jam for Frances [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_and_Jam_for_Frances] by Russell and Lillian Hoban. Gregory the Terrible Eater [https://archive.org/details/gregoryterriblee00shar] by Mitchell Sharmat.

Episode 007 - Purim Play + Show notes

---------------------------------------- The one where the family celebrates the Jewish holiday of Purim.   LISTEN TO THE EPISODE Join hosts Merav and Batya as they delve into all things All-of-a-Kind Family. Today we are joined by Dr. Miriam Mora, who has a deep knowledge of Jewish history, alongside holocaust studies and immigration patterns. Together we’ll wind through dos and don’t of making hamentaschen, how the organ became part of Jewish worship, gender-bending costumes, the anatomy of an American synagogue and so much more. Hear the episode [https://www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/episode-007-purim-play.mp3]     OUR CHAPTER IN SUMMARY On Purim day the girls accompany Papa to synagogue, and return home for special holiday treats at lunch, like hamantashen and teiglach. Then they dress up in costume to deliver Purim baskets to their relatives and friends and get a chance to show off their costumes. Back at home, the front room is full of many of the same relatives and friends, and the girls get to show off their musical talents in performance, with Ella singing to great acclaim and even praise from Charlie. Read the chapter [https://pjlibrary.org/books/all-of-a-kind-family/if9]     NO TIME TO LISTEN? We understand that podcasts aren’t always going to be a good fit for your schedule, but you don’t have to miss out. Catch up on all the latest episodes from the All-of-a-Kind Podcast starting with this full transcript of the episode one. Check out the index page for season one to get all of your favorite episodes and transcript in one place.  Read the episode [https://www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/episode-007-purim-play.pdf]   SHOW NOTES: [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/miriam-mora-headshot-small.jpg?resize=276%2C300&ssl=1] MEET OUR GUEST, DR. MIRIAM EVE MORA! Dr. Miriam Eve Mora [https://www.miriamevemora.com/] is a historian of American immigration and ethnic history. She is the Managing Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute at the University of Michigan [https://lsa.umich.edu/wallenberg]. She’s also the co-founder of JEWCE [http://jewce.org/], the Jewish Comics Experience, a small comic convention in New York City. Read her book Carrying a Big Schtick: Jewish Acculturation and Masculinity in the Twentieth Century [https://www.miriamevemora.com/carrying-a-big-schtick.html]! [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/1-3262920985_82c0a8f5d2_o.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1] PURIM The festival of Purim is named for the lots that were drawn by the story’s villain Haman, to pick the day on which to slaughter the Jewish population of Persia. As told in Megilat Esther, the Book of Esther [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Esther], a massive reversal takes the Jews out of danger and into a position to defend themselves. As a result, reversals and changes to the rule of law are a common way to celebrate Purim. Two small children dressed up in colorful costumes for Purim. They are also wearing dots of face paint on their pale skin. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/1-5550790511_dba3898e9c_o.jpg?resize=300%2C224&ssl=1] EVENING-INTO-MORNING HOLIDAYS Most Jewish holidays are celebrated beginning on the evening of the previous day, and the celebration continues until dusk on the next day. On some major holidays like Passover these days are joined up to form a longer holiday, but Purim is a standalone holiday, celebrated for just one “day”. A black and white photo of a father with two children. The father wears traditional Jewish attire and the father and children are sitting on and around a table. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Pale-of-Settlement.jpg?resize=208%2C300&ssl=1] PALE OF SETTLEMENT The “Pale of Settlement [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_of_Settlement#]” was an area in Western Russia designated for “undesirables,” specifically Jews. Under Catherine the Great, Jews were forcibly moved from their homes, and unless someone was extremely well-connected or very wealthy, resettlement in the Pale was inevitable. Relocation and ghettoization was ongoing from 1791 until the Russian revolution in 1917, so it was still happening during our narrative. There’s even a Toronto-based Klezmer band called Beyond the Pale [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Pale_(band)], playing on both uses of the well-known phrase [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/beyond_the_pale]. (The origin of this phrase is uncertain, but is held by some to be derived from the Pale of Settlement or the English Pale in Ireland [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pale_(Ireland)].) A young woman dressed up with a headscarf and a red dress over a modern black long-sleeved shirt, reminiscent of Henny's Pretzel Woman costume. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/1-13699349555_a88c16a4d7_o.jpg?resize=211%2C300&ssl=1] DRESSING UP FOR PURIM The children avail themselves of the rag bag to construct costume pieces, and a lot of families keep a costume bin, or a bag with old clothes, like coats, hats, nightgowns, gloves, robes and other paraphernalia suitable to creating the subversive costumes that Purim tradition encourages. There’s lots of exaggeration, gender bending, color, and creativity that goes into making  your Purim costume interesting — and if you’re lucky, you might get noticed at the costume contest at synagogue or your Jewish community center. A plate of mixed hamentaschen in some of the traditional flavors like poppy seed, and apricot jam. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/hamentaschen.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1] HAMENTASCHEN AND TEIGLACH Hamentaschen (sometimes spelled Hamantaschen) are a three-cornered pastry, said to resemble the ears or the three-cornered hat of Haman, the main villain of the Purim story. Teiglach [https://asif.org/en/recipes/teiglach/] are a honey-based sweet treat popularly made for both Purim and the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_Hashanah], on which honey is traditional. A highly decorated wooden rattle wheel or gragger, with paintings of Jerusalem and the words "he who brings in the month of Adar brings in joy" in Hebrew script [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/wooden-gragger.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1] GRAGGER, A RATTLE-WHEEL NOISEMAKER The gragger [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grager] is a commonly used noisemaker that Jewish children and adults use in synagogue in another reversal, where the children are allowed, nay, encouraged to make extra noise in synagogue to drown out the name of Haman, the main villain of the Purim story. Graggers are operated by hand, by twirling the instrument in the air by its handle and pumping the wrist to get the rattle going. Two light skinned women stand in front of the ark at the front of the congregation. One reads from the Torah while the other stands nearby, honored for being called to the Torah [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Torah-reading.png?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1] TORAH READING WITH TROP, A FORM OF CANTILLATION When Jews read the Torah aloud in synagogue, we use a specific set of cantillation marks [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_cantillation] that indicate the notes to be used in chanting the reading. These notes are not present in the Torah scroll, so the person chanting the reading can either memorize the sequence of notes, or be fed a reminder by a person standing next to them who uses a system of hand symbols to indicate what’s coming next. A third person will check that the reading of both the words and the cantillation are correct, and the reader may need to repeat a section if they have voiced it incorrectly. For different readings, like a megillah or a selection from the Prophets, the same marks will be used, but they will indicate a different set of notes. You can learn to read Megilat Esther for Purim here [https://www.chabad.org/library/howto/trainer_cdo/aid/2466865/jewish/Megillah-Reading-Trainer.htm#0=340927&1=343662&2=v2294]. Two modern baskets of mishloach manot goodies wrapped in plastic and ready for distribution to friends and neighbors. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2_Mishloach_Manot.jpg?resize=300%2C193&ssl=1] MISHLOACH MANOT / SHALACH MANOT AND MATANOT L’EVYONIM Mishloach Manot [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mishloach_manot] is a custom with many names. We exchange presents of food with our friends, family and those in our neighborhood who may not be able to afford nice things for Purim. In both sharing the wealth and sending a plethora of nice things, everyone can equally enjoy the holiday.  Purim shpeils are full of fun, often with large, dramatic fights, contests, stories from the megillah, or original concoctions, often with music. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/1-13288902354_7cbac5485d_o.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1] PURIM SHPIEL Purim is often celebrated with shtick, a form of humor that uses cleverness, wordplay, parodies of modern culture, music, dancing, and sometimes cartoon violence. This often takes the form of a “shpiel”, an organized play or performance. Every Purim shpiel is unique. Some follow the story of the Book of Esther, and some tell different stories. They are all done to celebrate the holiday and bring joy to the community. The concert the girls give in the front room is a form of Purim shpiel.

Episode 006 - Papa's Birthday + Show notes

---------------------------------------- The one where the girls buy Papa a birthday present.   LISTEN TO THE EPISODE Join hosts Merav and Batya as they delve into all things All-of-a-Kind Family.  In this episode we look at how the girls calculate cost vs. satisfaction, and how to show love through consumer goods, delving into the economy of home goods and personal effects, and the trade offs of finding the “perfect” gift for someone like Papa who salvages many things from his profession. Hear the episode [https://www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/episode-006-papas-birthday.mp3]     OUR CHAPTER IN SUMMARY Ella calls a secret meeting after bedtime to plot a birthday surprise for Papa. The girls gather and pool their pennies and try to find the perfect birthday present. But will Papa like their gift? They have to wait until dinner to find out. Read the chapter [https://pjlibrary.org/books/all-of-a-kind-family/if9]     NO TIME TO LISTEN? We understand that podcasts aren’t always going to be a good fit for your schedule, but you don’t have to miss out. Catch up on all the latest episodes from the All-of-a-Kind Podcast starting with this full transcript of the episode one. Check out the index page for season one to get all of your favorite episodes and transcript in one place.  Read the episode [https://www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/episode-006-papas-birthday.pdf]   SHOW NOTES: [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/6-wCpvY3FJm8Y.jpg?resize=134%2C101&ssl=1] COLLECTIBLE CUPS & SAUCERS FAD / MATCHING CUP AND SAUCER COLLECTIONS Cups and saucers were an affordable collectible item in the 1910s. Young working women collected them, one cup and one saucer for each of the many enticing patterns being put out by china companies. This allowed young women to try on luxury and home goods before committing to a full set of china if they chose to have a larger a family. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sweatshop-1890.jpg?resize=134%2C108&ssl=1] WOMEN WORKING IN FACTORIES AND SWEATSHOPS Many women worked in sewing “sweatshops” and factories. This provided steady income, but at the cost of long hours and a loss of personal freedoms. There was also a component of forced labor in many cases, as well as unsafe working conditions for the women and girls. Both in the US and in the industrialized UK this gave birth to a lot of songs about working girls in factories. (We’re fond of this one [https://youtu.be/s_iJqpFuJns?si=4UgGQb5puz266CNu].) These are also the conditions that led to the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Fire [https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/amex34tf-soc-triangleshirtwaist/the-triangle-shirtwaist-factory-fire-a-catalyst-for-reform-american-experience/] in 1911. (content warning for large-scale death of young people). [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/6-x7gz40Z9ObM-200x133-1.jpg?resize=134%2C89&ssl=1] BOOTS THEORY The idea [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_theory] that buying one item of quality instead of buying it cheaply over and over will save you money in the long run was popularized by Sir Terry Pratchett in his Discworld series. People with less money are often forced into the cycle of buying cheaply in order to save money now, instead of saving money over the long term. A graphic from a haggadah depicting spilling wine. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Spilling-wine-Rivka-Korf-Studio.png?resize=134%2C67&ssl=1]photo credit: Rivka Korf Studio TAKING AWAY FROM YOUR OWN JOY AS A JEWISH CUSTOM At weddings and at Passover seders we have rituals where in our moments of greatest joy, we stop and observe a moment for the pain of our ancestors, or the pain of those who opposed us and died in the process.  A single US penny from 1994 with the face side up, showing Abraham Lincoln. The penny split in half across the equator, and is resting on a concrete surface. The picture is close-up enough that you can see individual pebbles in the concrete surface. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/6-mlJ97QTlccI.jpg?resize=134%2C101&ssl=1] DO THE GIRLS GET A PENNY ON THE SABBATH? How can you earn money without violating the sabbath, despite being paid for activities done on the sabbath, which are seen as volunteer labor? See the logic here [https://aish.com/working-on-shabbat/]. It’s more complicated than it looks. A blue and white pillbox with gold accents. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Pillbox-e1771177054553-300x300.png?resize=134%2C134&ssl=1] ELLA’S PILLBOX Ella keeps the collected money for Papa’s gift in a pillbox, which is soon overflowing with pennies. Decorative pillboxes and snuffboxes were common in this period, some decorated with artwork depicting recent events, like the Wright Brothers’ inaugural flight [https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/pillbox-bleriot-monoplane/nasm_A19840705000].  Green men's wallet from the 1910s. The wallet has a gold snap and a rounded fold over to seal the wallet like an envelope. Inside is a hinged section that pops out to hold change. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/wallet.png?resize=134%2C101&ssl=1] MEN’S WALLETS AND POCKETKNIVES IN THE 1910S Men’s wallets have stayed roughly the same size, but in the past they resembled modern women’s wallets more closely with a snap closure and a hinged folding change purse. Pocketknives were also finding their modern form [https://wartherknives.com/WartherKnivesInformation.php?David-Warther-Pocket-Knives-Model-1910-7], with multiple blades and a folded safety shape. A man wearing sleeve garters to hold up his sleeves. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Man-in-sleeve-garters.jpg?resize=134%2C203&ssl=1] SLEEVE GARTERS FOR MEN Once ubiquitous and now consigned to the costume bag, or as a novelty item for historical or theatrical productions, sleeve garters [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeve_garter] were a quintessential part of getting dressed in an era where men’s shirts came with one sleeve length, so styling your sleeve was up to you, unless you could afford the services of a tailor. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/13_0_300_263.66322008863_1-49806302178_aedfe6919c_o-768x622.jpg?resize=134%2C108&ssl=1] MUG WITH A MOUSTACHE GUARD Gertie finds a very unique gift for Papa, possibly very like the one pictured here. For those with lightly colored facial hair, or who might not easily have access to a napkin, a mustache guard might be just the thing to keep the tea from staining. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/1-2738330081_52b9120e43_o.jpg?resize=134%2C100&ssl=1] CHOLENT / HAMIN Hamin [https://www.afooda.com/hamin-shabbat-tfina-slow-cooked-stew-with-wheat-berries-dish-in-a-cooking-bag/] means heat, so much like its twin, Cholent [https://toriavey.com/cholent/], which means “hot, slow” from the French chaud (hot) and lentement (slowly). Each is a slow-cooked dish featuring a protein (usually a bean or a pulse [https://pulses.org/what-are-pulses/visual-guide-to-pulses], often animal protein as well) and a bunch of starches.

Episode 005 - The Sabbath - Part 2 + Show Notes

is ---------------------------------------- The one where the family prepares for Sabbath.   LISTEN TO THE EPISODE Join hosts Merav and Batya as they delve into all things All-of-a-Kind Family.  This two-part episode features special guest Terri Ash of Geek Calligraphy, talking about bundle buggies, pickles, the kashrut and sanitary concerns of an open air market, using the library as a transition point, and the priest that lives in Terri’s house (hint, it’s her husband!).  Hear the episode [https://www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/005-02-the-sabbath-part-2.mp3]     OUR CHAPTER IN SUMMARY Just this once, Mama takes all the girls to market with her on a Thursday afternoon to shop for the Sabbath. The family stops in the library, then spends a busy time at the market seeing all the offered goods at shops and pushcarts and making their purchases. Then Friday comes, and the family brings in the Sabbath together. Read the chapter [https://pjlibrary.org/books/all-of-a-kind-family/if9]     NO TIME TO LISTEN? We understand that podcasts aren’t always going to be a good fit for your schedule, but you don’t have to miss out. Catch up on all the latest episodes from the All-of-a-Kind Podcast starting with this full transcript of the episode one. Check out the index page for season one to get all of your favorite episodes and transcript in one place.  Read the episode [https://www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/005-02-the-sabbath-part-2.pdf]     The Geek Calligraphy logo, designed by artist Ariela Housman and professional killjoy and artist wrangler Terri Ash. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GeekCalligraphyLogoColor_transparentbg.png?resize=134%2C90&ssl=1] TERRI ASH: GEEK CALLIGRAPHY Geek Calligraphy is a woman-owned business co-founded by Ariela Housman (she/her) and Terri Ash (she/her) in 2015. Ariela and Terri are committed to providing high quality art, exceptional customer service, and halakhically sound ketubah texts to geeks across the spectrum in a respectful and inclusive manner. Find them here [https://geekcalligraphy.com/] and take home some unique Jewish art today! Hire Terri to wrangle your arts and crafts https://www.artistwrangling.com/ [https://www.artistwrangling.com/] A brightly hued circular stained glass window that centers on a star of David medallion on a turquoise background. The surrounding rays of the stained glass sunburst are lemon yellow, bottle green and cherry red. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Stanton-street-shul-restored-stained-glass-window.jpg?resize=127%2C127&ssl=1] SYNAGOGUE Papa observes the tradition of going to synagogue [https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/2024/10/13/the-tenement-synagogues-that-filled-in-the-streetscape-of-new-yorks-jewish-neighborhoods/] on Friday night. He most likely also returns to synagogue on Saturday morning and may also return Saturday evening to say the combined afternoon and evening prayers. Papa belongs to the Orthodox tradition of Judaism, where in this time period women generally didn’t attend regular prayer services. A light skinned dark haired woman in a fancy hat and ruffled dress with a large shoulder yoke looks directly into the camera through the dramatic sweep of her asymmetrical hairstyle which highlights her left eye dramatically. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1-924056888_06935a1603_o.jpg?resize=131%2C193&ssl=1] ELLA’S FUTURE ACTING CAREER Real-life Ella Brenner was a performer and singer throughout her life, performing in vaudeville in her late teens and twenties before her first marriage. Ella’s forays into the theatrical life are more thoroughly chronicled in Ella of All-of-a-Kind Family, the fifth and last book in the series. Sydney Taylor’s notes show that she intended to write a book for each of the Brenner daughters featured in the original books, but her untimely death means we’ll never be treated to what would doubtless have been the shenanigan-filled Henny of All-of-a-Kind Family. Maybe there’s a draft somewhere? The cover of the popular anthology book The Joys of Yiddish by Leo Rosten. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/The-Joys-of-Yiddish.png?resize=134%2C211&ssl=1] YIDDISH ACCENTED ENGLISH Not just the accent [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vIcw3tT49iI], but also syntax, word order and word choices make up the familiar eastern-European dialect of a generation of Jews who were parents and grandparents in the era from All-of-a-Kind family through the period of our own childhoods in the 1970s and 1980s. Hear the sound in Yiddish [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk6WRpTxmcs] here. This is also the sound of early North American Jewish humor and shows up in the telling of a huge number of Yiddish inflected jokes [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdTr5REbalM]. (Content warning for farcical violence, bathroom humor, holocaust reference). A female coded anime character with red hair and pale skin responds with surprise by displaying an exclamation point above her head. Her mouth is open and her eyes are wide blank circles. She is also depicted with diminutive stature indicating a state of high emotion. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/surprised-anime.gif?resize=134%2C135&ssl=1] REGIONAL ACCENTS AND HOW THEY REFLECT CULTURAL MARKERS THROUGH SPEECH There are a huge number of UK English [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9W6eBWFuzI] accents alone, as well as regional accents in North America and everywhere else English is spoken, which connote class and cultural markers to the listener. When doing translations, it’s common practice to substitute one set of regional markers for another so that the same kinds of cultural assumptions are evoked. The hand of a light skinned child, probably age 3-6 covered in blue paint and held palm up displaying the fingers splayed out. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/6-cylPETXS7is.jpg?resize=134%2C89&ssl=1] GIVING KIDS PERMISSION TO BE THEMSELVES Setting up kids for success by encouraging them not to hide personality traits is a key foundation of a lot of modern programs for children, founded predominantly in movements like Montessori [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_education] which teach kids the fundamentals of life not through drilling on facts but through gentle exposure to the parts of life they’ll experience as bigger kids and adults. Taylor frequently projects the educational cutting edge of the 1950s back into the 1910s of her childhood setting, giving agency to Mama and Papa that they probably didn’t have in real life. Two braided "challah" egg breads nestled under an embroidered velvet challah cover with white tassel fringes. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/1-4606369784_0eb646020a_o.jpg?resize=134%2C84&ssl=1] DOUBLE PORTION FOR THE SABBATH In the biblical narrative of the first shabbat spent in the Sinai desert the man, or manna [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manna], which fell from heaven during the first week fell in a double portion on the day before shabbat, allowing the people to gather enough that no labor would be necessary on the sabbath and the former slaves from Egypt could know their first true day of rest. Modern Jews symbolize this bounty by including a second braided bread for the blessing on Friday night and throughout the sabbath. A shaded pencil drawing of Sherlock Holmes by Sidney Paget from a 1904 edition of the original stories. Holmes wears a suit and neckerchief and smokes a pipe. His hands are by his side and his head is raised and his eyes alert and wary. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Sherlock-Holmes-by-Sidney-Paget-from-1904.jpg?resize=134%2C175&ssl=1] DOYLIST AND WATSONIAN EXPLANATIONS This term is taken from discussion of Sherlock Holmes stories, as a way of illustrating two perspectives. One is that of our narrator, Dr. John Watson; the other is that of the author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. While Doyle would be able to talk about his own choices as an author in creating the narrative, Watson’s perspective is within the narrative, and cannot include the existence or motivations of an author. (Two good sources for learning more: the TVTropes [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WatsonianVersusDoylist] and Fanlore [https://fanlore.org/wiki/Watsonian_vs._Doylist] pages on the subject.) A lacy challah cover in white with a star of David and other symbols sits on a white tablecloth, a table set for the sanctity of shabbat, frequently emphasized with white linens. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1-423741216_13ab55f60c_o.jpg?resize=134%2C100&ssl=1] GUT SHABBES AND SHABBAT SHALOM Sabbath greetings vary from community to community, including the familiar shabbat shalom [https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/what-does-shabbat-shalom-mean/] (“sabbath of peace” or “a peaceful sabbath”), and the traditional Yiddish gut shabbes which means simply “good sabbath.” Almost all of these greetings are a form or blessing or wishing the other person to experience the blessing and rest brought by the sabbath.  A shabbat candle and its reflection in the glass of the window. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1-490886286_3fce356a91_o.jpg?resize=134%2C89&ssl=1] WHAT IS SHALOM ALEICHEM? Long before it was the pen name for a Yiddish writer [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sholem_Aleichem], it was a common greeting [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalom_aleichem] in Hebrew and Yiddish — and in the 16th or 17th century it was written into this liturgical song [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalom_Aleichem_(liturgy)] for Friday nights. In this video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-wAAtCvPnQ] you can hear a traditional melody to this song, composed in 1918 by Brooklyn resident Israel Goldfarb, and an explanation of the tradition of angels visiting to see whether preparations for the sabbath have taken place. The song has four phases, a greeting, a welcoming, a request for blessing, and a goodbye, so that the angels who have come to visit are properly acknowledged. There are many more tunes [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5U0q7d423A] for Shalom Aleichem, and you can hear some of them at The Song Shul [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q3LcFpMYNQ&list=PLiFtNW8VZXXyWFk2VmkOJvoBTEQ-5MRCD]. Shalom Aleichem is traditionally sung before Friday night kiddush [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiddush], the prayer over wine. In many households, in between Shalom Aleichem and kiddush comes the Eishet Chayil, a a passage of verses from Proverbs (not Psalms, oops) in praise of one’s wife. A curly haired person reads in a cozy upright armchair in a softly lit room. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/6-q9pB_UQQ8Io-e1769039921162-286x300.jpg?resize=134%2C140&ssl=1] READING TOGETHER ON FRIDAY EVENINGS In many families that observe shabbat, Friday night after dinner is an excellent time to catch up on reading. Once the food is put away, people settle into comfortable chairs and sofas and quietly read together, sometimes reading aloud profound or more often funny passages, as laughter indicates that there’s something to be shared with the larger group. Reading is done by whatever light is available until bedtime. A traditional pair of shabbat candles, a large silver plated kiddush cup and a white covered challah board indicate that shabbat is being observed in a traditional manner. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Shabbat_Candles.jpg?resize=134%2C100&ssl=1]   KEEPING SHABBAT AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF STRICTNESS What does it mean to keep shabbat [https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/95907/jewish/The-Shabbat-Laws.htm]? Many families put away electronics, put on special clothes, eat special meals, and attend synagogue on shabbat, but some people observe shabbat in their own ways [https://www.reddit.com/r/Judaism/comments/15rubk8/non_orthodox_jews_are_there_any_activities_you/], choosing to spend the time with family and friends, and certainly away from their daily grind, whether that’s a job or school. All levels of shabbat observance [https://www.exploringjudaism.org/holidays/shabbat/] can be meaningful with intention and a sense of why you keep the tradition. The front cover of In My Father's Court by Isaac Batshevis Singer. The cover is black with graphics of people in outline, both inside and outside of a house lit in a solid grey. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/In-My-Fathers-Court.jpg?resize=134%2C204&ssl=1] RABBINICAL FAMILIES AND INTERSECTION WITH DIFFERENT JEWISH TRADITIONS What is a rabbinic lineage? In Chassidic dynasties and often in other Jewish traditions there are families where one rabbi trains and teaches rabbis for the next generation. This could be a blood relative like a son or nephew, or a person from outside the family with the affinity for the kind of practical and mystical work inherent in the rabbinic role. You can read about this kind of family in Isaac Bashevis Singer’s In My Father’s Court [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/224269.In_My_Father_s_Court]. Dazzling light streaming out from behind a tree in wide rays illuminating foliage in a numinous way. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/6-Dnb0iVe16Bs.jpg?resize=134%2C172&ssl=1]   UNDERSTANDING THE “FEELING” OF SHABBAT THROUGH TRADITIONAL STORIES Many Chassidic stories and songs center on shabbat. Themes include the mystical “sabbath bride”; the powerful idea of the impossible made possible by faith (such as spending shabbat in Jerusalem by means of impossibly fast travel from Safat, in a tale told by followers of the Ari [https://www.hidabroot.com/article/17799] and Baal Shem Tov [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal_Shem_Tov]); and a profound inner understanding of shabbat having a fundamentally different nature. This last is illustrated by one tale of a small boy knowing it must be shabbat “because the light was different,” and by this classic [https://jebd.org.il/resource/spice-of-shabbat/] about sharing the “taste of shabbat” with someone from outside our tradition.   A braided yellow havdalah candle is held up in the center of the photo above a crowd of thousands of people who are looking up at its light. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1-31686713640_b855aa8d57_o.jpg?resize=134%2C89&ssl=1]   USING THE HAVDALAH CEREMONY TO SEPARATE THE SABBATH FROM THE WEEKDAYS Havdalah is the last part of the sabbath, and the transition is marked, just as the start is, with good smells, fire and wine. While shabbat ends at nightfall (when the sky is wholly dark), some people like to extend shabbat further into Saturday night and not make havdalah until later. There is a tradition that you can extend shabbat as far as Wednesday — but only as far as Wednesday, since you need to leave time on Thursday and Friday to prepare for next shabbat!   A child's sandy hands held in the hands of an adult. Image by ika-ika from unsplash. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Adult-friends-ika-ika-2x-s8iKJfrI-unsplash.jpg?resize=134%2C89&ssl=1]   GIVING HONORARY FAMILY STATUS TO ADULTS CLOSE TO THE FAMILY Did you grow up calling someone “Aunt” or “Uncle” only to be confused when you grew up and discovered that they weren’t a blood relation? This is a reasonably common phenomenon in many families, and speaks to the reality of adult friendships growing to include their entire families, acknowledging the shared importance of that bond.   In a black and white photo, several young girls play with a dollhouse a few inches off the ground. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Dollhouse-in-NYC.jpg?resize=134%2C98&ssl=1]   TENEMENT SHAPED DOLLHOUSES IN LOCAL PARKS Personal toys in this era were few and far between. Remember how Sarah is saving up for a doll in chapter 1? As a result, the public parks movement and the NYC Department of Parks took it on themselves to provide toys to spark imagination in the public spaces, from climbing equipment to dollhouses that resembled the tenements children lived in.   A young adult curled into themselves in a bathtub, facing away from the camera with a large neon yellow tile texture surrounding the photo giving the impression of a snapshot or a book cover. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/1-26378541_82b13dcdb4_o.jpg?resize=134%2C89&ssl=1]   BODY SHAMING AND “ACTING LIKE A LADY” While we don’t see a lot of body shaming [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_shaming] in our text, the All-of-a-Kind Family books model a behavior set for both mother and children, but a lot of us grew up with the double standards of “clean your plate” and “you’re putting on weight!” These kinds of comments from parents and other family members can instill lifelong shame and feelings of inadequacy, and in extreme cases lead to eating disorders [https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/eating-disorders/symptoms-causes/syc-20353603] or self-harm [https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/self-harm/]. When deeply internalized [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o6S-l0mWyY] you may even find them coming out of your own mouth and directed towards others who don’t meet your parents’ standards.    A handsome, young, blond man, standing in for Charlie, the non-Jewish, heart-throb romantic hero of All-of-a-Kind Family. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/7aad096d-f6eb409d-pixander230906604.jpg?resize=134%2C178&ssl=1]   COMPOSITE CHARACTERS IN STORIES Sometimes the truth doesn’t make the best story, and in order to tell a better one, we take pieces of real events and bring them together to support the narrative through-line [https://www.masterclass.com/articles/through-lines] of what we want to say. This can mean combining [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_character] people we’ve known in real life into composites or cognate characters, where we smash together different elements from real people to make an imagined person with more deliberately chosen plotlines and characteristics than their real life inspirations.

Episode 005 - The Sabbath - Part 1 + Show notes

---------------------------------------- The one where the family prepares for Sabbath.   LISTEN TO THE EPISODE Join hosts Merav and Batya as they delve into all things All-of-a-Kind Family.  This two-part episode features special guest Terri Ash of Geek Calligraphy, talking about bundle buggies, pickles, the kashrut and sanitary concerns of an open air market, using the library as a transition point, and the priest that lives in Terri’s house (hint, it’s her husband!)  Hear the episode [https://www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/episode-005-part-1-the-sabbath.mp3]     OUR CHAPTER IN SUMMARY Just this once, Mama takes all the girls to market with her on a Thursday afternoon to shop for the Sabbath. The family stops in the library, then spends a busy time at the market seeing all the offered goods at shops and pushcarts and making their purchases. Then Friday comes, and the family brings in the Sabbath together. Read the chapter [https://pjlibrary.org/books/all-of-a-kind-family/if9]     NO TIME TO LISTEN? We understand that podcasts aren’t always going to be a good fit for your schedule, but you don’t have to miss out. Catch up on all the latest episodes from the All-of-a-Kind Podcast starting with this full transcript of the episode one. Check out the index page for season one to get all of your favorite episodes and transcript in one place.  Read the episode [https://www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/episode-005-part-1-the-sabbath.pdf]   SHOW NOTES: The Geek Calligraphy logo, designed by artist Ariela Housman and professional killjoy and artist wrangler Terri Ash. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GeekCalligraphyLogoColor_transparentbg.png?resize=134%2C90&ssl=1] TERRI ASH: GEEK CALLIGRAPHY Geek Calligraphy is a woman-owned business co-founded by Ariela Housman (she/her) and Terri Ash (she/her) in 2015. Ariela and Terri are committed to providing high quality art, exceptional customer service, and halakhically sound ketubah texts to geeks across the spectrum in a respectful and inclusive manner. Find them here [https://geekcalligraphy.com/] and take home some unique Jewish art today! A black and white photo showing people walking on Rivington street, where pushcarts with large wheels are set up displaying wares for purchase. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Sunday-morning-at-Orchard-and-Rivington-New-York-City.jpg?resize=134%2C107&ssl=1] RIVINGTON STREET MARKET HISTORY A nickel for a shtickle? Only at Rivington [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivington_Street] Market. This landmark space was a daytime home to Jewish peddlers, pushcart owners and shopkeepers, where haggling was common, chickens and were sold fresh from the chopping block, and fish from a tank or bucket. In the latter case you could take them home to wiggle in your bathtub until it was time to make the gefilte fish [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gefilte_fish]. You can see period footage of Rivington Street here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOPMIhEM6OY], starting around 1:26 in D.W. Griffith’s A Child of the Ghetto. While we’re not big fans of Griffith, who was an early champion of the KKK, credit for capturing a vanished Jewish world. A black and white photo of Jewish comedian George Burns with a large cigar in his mouth, holding a magnifying glass and draped in a reel of film, with the canister propped up in front of him. He is clad in a suit and tie and his hair is mostly grey. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/George_Burns_1961.jpg?resize=134%2C171&ssl=1] GEORGE BURNS GREW UP ON RIVINGTON STREET Well known Jewish comedian and television personality George Burns [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Burns] grew up on Rivington Street, going from chocolate syrup slinger to street singer to the vaudeville theaters. It’s not surprising, as his synagogue, the First Romanian-American Congregation [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Roumanian-American_Congregation], was known as Carnegie Hall for Cantors, and had a reputation for great acoustics. Burns had a long and fruitful career in radio, television, movies and as a double act with his wife, comedienne Gracie Allen [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gracie_Allen]. As far as we know, no relation of our Miss Allen! A color photograph of two glossy braided eastern European egg breads lying in parallel on a metal cooling rack, the lower bread is slightly more in focus. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/1-671970657_544beba4ec_o.jpg?resize=134%2C107&ssl=1] TRADITIONS AROUND CHALLAH Challah [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challah] as we know it has come from a variety of sources. From the “show bread” of temple [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Temple] times in ancient Jerusalem, to the familiar braided egg loaf that we call “challah” today which has its roots in eastern Europe, “challah” or “taking challah” refers to a practice where a portion of the dough the bread is made from is reserved for the local priest. Today these portions are discarded, but in the time of an active priesthood, they would been part of a system [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terumah_(offering)] that allowed landless priests to subsist on portions from the community. An illustration by Hannah Robinson for an article in the New Yorker depicts a man with a blue jacket and a white hat and pale skill with an oversized fork tucked under his arm confronting a giant plate of golden noodle pudding covered in Hebrew letters. To one side is a blue hamtzah with the eye of fatima. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Trillin-Yiddish-Robinson.png?resize=134%2C75&ssl=1] GALITZIANER AND LITVAK JEWISH PRONUNCIATIONS Kugel or kigel? Regional differences in Yiddish present us with a Venn diagram around the vowel in the middle of this Jewish culinary favorite dish, but what is the root of the Galitzianer vs. Litvak [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jewish_cuisine#Litvaks_and_Galitzianers] pronunciation? Some of it is linguistic vowel drift, some of it is culinary regionalism, and some of it is good old fashioned Jewish stubbornness. But who doesn’t like a nice noodle k*gel [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kugel]? A color photo of a silver bundle buggy full of green packages. The person holding the handles at waist height wears a blue floor length dress. In the background is a double doored closet and a tile floor. A heart overlay centers on the bundle buggy. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/1-9453401247_c10bdd99a0_o.jpg?resize=134%2C134&ssl=1] BUNDLE BUGGY / “BUBBY CART” / BABY CARRIAGES IN THE 1910S Retractable folding metal structures were starting to come on the scene shortly after the advent of the folding perambulator, which is a fancy baby stroller. These devices have remained pretty much the same, a metal cage on wheels that folds flat for storage, much like a folding stepstool, ladder or stroller. Largely used in urban areas for ease of carrying home parcels without arm fatigue, they are common in the Jewish populations in the New York City area, and in Israel, where they are often called “bubby carts” because they were something your grandmother had. Bundle buggy is apparently a Canadianism [https://dchp.arts.ubc.ca/entries/bundle%20buggy]. A color photo of five parallel candied tangerine pieces, each one on a stick. The candy coating has been allowed to dry in long strings, and some of it coats the top of the stick where it intersects with the bright orange fruit. The candy is laid out against what might be a greyish marble counter. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/candied-citrus-pops-h.jpg?resize=134%2C89&ssl=1] CANDIED GRAPE AND CANDIED TANGERINE Candied fruit on a stick just feels like a decadent little treat, especially in winter when fruit is more scarce. We know Mama’s girls are frequently eating preserves for their fruit course, so a little piece of fruit on a stick that isn’t mushy is a treat. Even so, these fruits may been prepared or picked ahead of being candied for sanitary and longevity reasons. And you can make your own [https://www.101cookbooks.com/candied-citrus-lolipops/]! A black and white photo of a woman in a gingham dress buying pickles from a pickle vendor's pushcart. The cart, which is wooden and has large wheels is covered in half-barrels presumably full of his wears. The peddler wears a flat cap that obscures much of his face. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/pickle-cart.jpg?resize=134%2C168&ssl=1]  THE PICKLE STAND Everyone loves a nice fresh pickle from the barrel, as seen in this photo (Photo by Irving Browning, 1930, via @NYHistory on X). Whether you like a full sour pickle, a half-sour, a kosher dill, a gherkin, a pickled tomato, or a pickled watermelon rind, the pickle vendor has you covered. In modern times there are also olives, tapenades, stuffed grape leaves, and even kombucha and brine by the quart available from online pickle vendors. And for Lower East Side authenticity, Guss’s Pickles [https://www.gusspickle.com/] is still going! A color photo of gefilte fish on a blue and white plate. The fish which is a uniform beige color from being boiled, is cut open showing a meatball-like texture. In the foreground is beet-dyed chrain, a horseradish condiment traditionally eaten with gefilte fish. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/1-281072833_43cd89e581_o.jpg?resize=134%2C101&ssl=1] WHAT IS GEFILTE FISH? Depending who you ask, gefilte fish is either chopped fish or stuffed fish. The former is more common in North America, the latter calls back to the European subtleties of court life in 1400-1700s where the height of the art would use the skin or even the feathers of an animal to make it look lifelike for a dramatic presentation on a formal table. Most stuffed fish recipes today are cognizant of modern sanitary ideas and steam and cook the chopped fish in the skin so that everything is cooked to modern standards. Read more here [https://jewishviennesefood.com/old-vienna-gefilte-fish-recipes/]. A picture of pink and white marshmallow twists with a four lobe structure so that the cut cross section shows a checker-board-like array of pink and white squares. Marshmallows and red dye are both top culprits for secret non-kosher ingredients. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/6-_lGjRM5XVBQ.jpg?resize=134%2C179&ssl=1] GELATIN AND RED DYE Bundle buggies aren’t the only bugs in this episode. In this not-for-the-squeamish look at how beetles [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal] were used in the production of red dye, you can start to understand why Merav’s family read labels very carefully for ingredients from non-plants sources. Frequent offenders were gelatin, and some mono-and-diglycerides. If you’ve ever looked closely at a bag of Passover marshmallows, you may notice the unique use of fish gelatin which made them permissible for use with dairy cocoa and after a meat meal (but on a separate plate!). A man and a young woman stand in an outdoor setting in what looks like an archeological site in Israel. In front of them is a table with an open hand-written torah scroll. They are both wearing prayer shawls and he is wearing a visible head covering. She is pointing to a passage in the torah. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/BatM_1.jpg?resize=134%2C145&ssl=1] HISTORY OF THE BAT MITZVAH In modern times, the coming of age-ceremony for Jewish children is often abbreviated to B-Mitzvah [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_and_bat_mitzvah], but originally people who identified female and non-binary weren’t often recognized as needing a formal recognition of adulthood. Starting as early as the 18th century some communities called for the recognition of all parties. However, it wasn’t until the advent of the Reform Movement that Judaism started celebrating the Bat Mitzvah [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Kaplan_Eisenstein] as well as the more traditional Bar Mitzvah.  A black and white photo of a group of school children thronging in front of a New York City public school, circa 1910. Many of the children in the foreground are dressed in white. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/First-Day-of-Public-School-1915-NYC-Bain-News-Service.jpg?resize=134%2C99&ssl=1]   WHAT WERE SCHOOL HOURS LIKE IN 1910S NEW YORK CITY? According to our research, school hours in New York City in the era of All-of-a-Kind Family varied a lot. The New York City School Board wanted to offer classes not just for children whose parents could afford to keep them out of the workforce, but also for children whose jobs at factories and sweatshops kept them for long hours, but who still wanted to learn to read and do math, so they went to school at night, after their bosses had gone home. Talk about a long day.  [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/tin-tub.jpeg?resize=134%2C84&ssl=1] SABBATH TRADITIONS – BATHING, CHANGING CLOTHES Ushering in the sabbath comes with a lot of traditions, including taking a bath or shower as a form of self-preparation and even meditation around the transition from chol, the days of the week, to shabbat, the sacred space we create for rest. Not every family was lucky enough to have a secret mikvah [https://tilesinnewyork.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-mikvah-under-5-allen-street-and.html] under their tenement, but there were Jewish owned bathhouses [https://intothegloss.com/2014/12/russian-bath-house] or you could always take a bath in the tin tub, after Papa was done cleaning the fish. A Jewish woman wearing a head covering covers her eyes with her hands while she lights as many as five visible shabbat candles in a variety of single candlestick holders. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GOOD_SHABBES_-.jpg?resize=134%2C190&ssl=1]   TRADITIONS AROUND LIGHTING SHABBAT CANDLES TO REPRESENT FAMILY MEMBERS In our modern age of mass-produced shabbat candles [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbat_candles] it’s easy to forget that these were once a hand-produced item, artisan goods like bread and wine and part of the cost of producing a spotless shabbat table. The modern tradition of lighting one candle at a young age is often attributed to Chabad pre-schools where young girls are taught the shabbat candle blessing as a way of instilling tradition. They are often gifted a small brass candlestick and sometimes a box of candles to help form the habit of lighting, with the intention that they light a pair of candles when they marry, and sometimes a candle for each child or each absent living family member. As with many Jewish traditions, once you take on an obligation, you are obliged to keep performing it at the same level, so count your candles before lighting.   A black and white photograph of a luminous painting where a father dressed in traditional polish garb, now thought of as a classic Hassidic suit blesses white clad girl children with a hand on each of their heads, while the other adults look on and two boys patiently wait their turn for blessings. Their mother is serene across the table in a white dress. All the surfaces are luminous with candle light and reflective white cloth. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/freitag-abend.2e16d0ba.fill-883x588-c100.jpg?resize=134%2C89&ssl=1]Detail from “Freitag Abend” (1882) by Moritz-Daniel Oppenheim   BLESSING THE CHILDREN, AND EISHET CHAYIL Upon returning from synagogue the head of the household, in our stories that’s Papa, blesses the children and sings a song of praise [https://www.zemirotdatabase.org/view_song.php?id=92#rec] from the book of Proverbs for his partner, in this case Mama. The children are blessed according to a gendered formula, the girls are blessed to be like their fore-mothers, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, but boys are blessed to be like Ephraim and Menashe the two sons of Joseph, the one son of Jacob who did not give his own name to one of the tribes of Israel. According to tradition the girls are being blessed with strength and fortitude and the boys with the wisdom and peace-loving natures of Joseph’s children. Check out a modern interpretation of eishet chayil [https://savethemusic.com/video/lea-kalisch-eshet-chayil-of-hip-hop-music-video/] here. NB: Many women chose not to have their partners recite eishet chayil.   A colorful stack of books. [https://i0.wp.com/www.all-of-a-kind-podcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/6-lUaaKCUANVI-200x133-1.jpg?resize=134%2C89&ssl=1]   OTHER BOOKS WE MENTIONED As we often do, we brought up other books in this episode — this time, other authors talking about similar experiences. In particular, The Carp in the Bathtub [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1066033.The_Carp_in_the_Bathtub] by Barbara Cohen, Everything But Money [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1722327.Everything_but_Money] by Sam Levenson, The Discworld books [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld], by Terry Pratchett, the Little House books [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_House_on_the_Prairie] by Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Pushcart War [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/219557.The_Pushcart_War] by Jean Merrill.