Our Shabbos Story

How did A TASTE OF SHABBOS come about? For the answer we go back to the Fall of 1991 when the Schwimmer family was first invited for Shabbos Dinner at the home of Rabbi Zushe and Rebbetzin Esther Winner of the Sea Breeze Jewish Center. As Lubavitcher Chassidim who practice outreach, the Winners graciously welcome into their home Jews of all backgrounds. I had never met the Rabbi and Esther before, but that evening I became an extended member of their family.

Over the next few years, we looked forward to the special celebrations the Winners always had planned for the holidays. But it was the special taste of Shabbos that I experienced in the Winner home that inspired me to approach Esther with the idea of producing a Jewish cooking video. Always eager to try anything new, whether it's a recipe or recreating a Shtetl Village in her synagogue, Esther was enthusiastic about combining her expertise as a Rebbetzin with my expertise as a writer. And so A TASTE OF SHABBOS, the video, was born.

This has been a wonderful journey of discovery and rediscovery. In the Fall of 1952 a young refugee child attended her first Simchas Torah celebration in a neighborhood synagogue. That synagogue was the Sea Breeze Jewish Center and that child was me.

With a deep appreciation for all Jewish mothers, we dedicate this video to our mothers Hena Sperlin Wineberg and Dora Zegerman who gave us our first taste of Shabbos.

Helen Zegerman Schwimmer
Rebbetzin Esther Winner