Afikomen Judaica in Berkeley

Perched near the top of Claremont Avenue is a strip of locally-owned shops that echo of some idyllic time gone by. I hate to use the word quaint, but if I were ever to employee it this would certainly be an apt place. There are a couple bookstores, (one with a comic and scifi fantasy focus), an elegant flower shop, a small grocer complete with a butcher, a bread bakery, and among the row the most complete Judaica shop in the Bay Area and beyond. Unlike the gift shops associated with specific congregations, this place is open to all variations of Judaism, and, in fact, is popular among non-Jews.

Afikomen is an open place, full of special things – from prayer shawls to Israeli hip-hop, ancient temple incense and oils to kosher wines, Yiddish primers to hand-crafted jewelry… Nell Mahgel-Friedman, who runs the shop with her husband Rabbi Chaim, says people of many faiths use the tallit, prayer shawls. Their collection rivals any on the West Coast.

Additionally, the blend of 11 herbs used in Solomon’s Temple in the Holy Land is sought after by Jews looking to rekindle their connection with the esoteric and historic aspect of their spirituality and people of any faith who connect with that sacred place. Afikomen carries each individual essential oil as well as the blend of 11: aromatic bark for understanding, balsam representing the crown, costus for wisdom, myrrh for mercy or greatness, cassia for strength, frankencense for knowledge, cinnamon for glory, spikenard for beauty, saffron for eternity, tziporen for foundation, and galbanum representing kingdom. They are each alluring in their own way – and give a fragrant intention to any meditation or practice involving focus on one or more of these areas.

People come here to find wedding and Bar/Bat Mitzvah gifts, to complete their celebrations, to prepare for an upcoming holiday, to read, and to attend community events. It’s also a popular place for those into Middle Eastern music; the CD collection runs the gamut and contains more genres than I thought possible for one area of the world.

I see the personal spiritual path like a flat pattern. Follow me for a moment… When entering an especially decorous fabric store, for instance, it is easy to get overwhelmed and lost by all the beautiful options. It can be hard to make choices that come together into one project, one that’s not completely overdone. Picking a pattern may narrow your scope – you wouldn’t buy magenta tulle if you were planning to make a sturdy rucksack – but it allows more creative freedom within your project, and can inspire appreciation for magenta tulle without needing to buy it then and there. If my analogy serves, the many spiritual paths can help direct human progress of the more subtle, internal type. Afikomen supports this searching for anyone interested in aspects of Judaism, whether it is meditation techniques, children’s stories, source texts, mourning resources, or LGBT perspectives. You can also come here with strictly cultural purpose.

Lighting the first Chanukah candle tonight was a new experience thanks to a recent find here: oil-burning cups with floating wicks for my menorah. The celebration of lights isn’t quite as glorious when my candles burn away quickly, so I was happy to find a safe, easy, and affordable way to transform my favorite menorah into one that burns local olive oil, incidentally a very clean-burning oil.

There are plenty of other goodies stocked for this 8-night celebration. The selection of menorahs is almost museum-like, including some modern brushed aluminum styles from Israel as well as fair trade South African ones made from repurposed soda cans.

Join Afikomen’s Chanukah festivities on Sunday from 11a to 5p for a free party, with kosher Chinese food and latkas available and live music from Octopretzel (children’s concert), Queen Makedah Zion Roots Reggae, and Middle Eastern Grooves with a public menorah lighting at 4:30.

Chaim and Nell offered this favorite recipe, one they love sharing with friends and family during this time of year, adapted from the book Spice and Spirit: The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook. They eat it with latkas or kugel on festive nights, or alone on busier nights. Salad makes a lovely side. It is easy to prep in the morning and then cook in the oven later, which makes it as easy as it is delicious.

Meat Tzimmes

1 lb. stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
dash nutmeg
1/4 cup water
1/2 lb. prunes (if desired)

Use: 2-quart saucepan, 2-quart casserole. Yields 4 servings.

In a 2-quart saucepan, sear meat in olive oil over medium flame. Add onion slices, then all remaining ingredients except prunes. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Pour into 2-quart casserole. Add prunes. (At this point you can refridgerate and cook later in the day or on the next day.)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.

Place in oven and bake until sweet potatoes become a little crusty and beef is done, about 45 minutes.

More photos, I couldn’t help it: