Challah bakers of all ages, accompanied by their parents, gathered on on Martin Luther King Day and had “loaves of fun” baking challah from scratch along with friends from across the county.
The Kids Mega Challah Bake was organized by Chabad of Orange County, led by Rabbi Pesach and Chana Burston, and was held at the Monroe Lakeside Fire & Rescue Co.
A group of Chabad Hebrew School students directed the baking process via a special video. Participants were excited to receive Mega Challah Bake customized aprons, hats and silicone Challah brushes.
A big highlight was meeting and honoring our local fireman. Chabad presented them with a beautiful card, signed by all the participants, and homemade challahs. The Firefighters expressed their appreciation by distributing gift bags to all the kids. They also gave the kids the opportunity to climb into the firetrucks.
While waiting for the yeast to bubble, Chana Burston, along with some Hebrew School students, led Shabbat songs and Rabbi Pesach shared a humorous but meaningful Challah story.
While waiting for the dough to rise, before getting to braid the Challah bread, the “Ballooner Rebbe” entertained everyone with fantastic, twisted balloons creations.
Once the dough was ready, all joined together to recite the special blessing on the challah dough. Chana, along with her daughter Rivkah, led the blessings, and we paused for silent prayers as this powerful point of the mitzvah. Bakers then had a blast braiding and choosing favorite toppings for the challahs.
It was a day to remember, filled with a sense of unity as a community united to do a mitzvah together.
Wendi Graves of Central Valley, who attended the event with her son, Matthew, as well as her dad, later said, “Thank you so much for the event. We all had so much fun. It’s amazing how every event you outdo yourself… everything was beautifully done and so organized!”
Chabad expresses their gratitude to the sponsors for their generosity in making the event possible: The Hoffman family, the Sentell family, the Deskin family, the Johnson family, the Greenberg family and Janisa Brunstein.
