Jewish Holiday Style
"In Judaism, since the spiritual and the physical are intimately connected, each has the power to enhance and infuse vitality into the other, creating a divine partnership. This concept of beauty and spirituality is most attainable during the Jewish holidays." So writes Rita Milos Brownstein, in the introduction toJewish Holiday Style, a Martha Stewart-esque treatment of the Jewish holy days. The book is a colorful step-by-step guide to making the highlights of the Jewish calendar as chic and elegant as they can be. Although Brownstein sometimes gets carried away with her rhetoric (Yom Kippur becomes "a day spa for the soul"), her ideas and instructions (such as making your own Chanukah menorah, or celebrating Rosh Hashanah by tasting various honeys) will add some zest to the oldest Jewish traditions. And even Brownstein's excesses have at least this to redeem them: they always encourage the biblical virtue of hospitality.