Chabad of North Queensland has run an event at which participants learned how to mix, knead and shape their own traditional challah.
Guest Speaker Aliza Brown shared the history of the special loaves and their relevance to modern times.
Challah in its more widely-known usage refers to a braided bread traditionally eaten at Shabbat and other holidays and is considered one of the most famous Jewish foods. But in its more basic, biblical meaning, challah is the piece of dough that is traditionally separated and consecrated to G-d while baking bread, a custom that has been performed by Jewish women for more than 100 generations.
“Challah baking is an incredible experience, it is a time-honoured tradition dating back to our matriarchs,” said Mushkie Rubin one of the event organizers. “It is especially exciting to join Jewish women from around the world to celebrate our day of rest”.
The event was held in honour of the late Halina Lewenberg, a dear friend and member of the Cairns community who passed away three days before the event.