It’s officially the Omer, the gap between Passover and Shavuot, in which Jews are commanded each night to count one more day. Excited? No? Well Jewcy has just the motivation: a Pop Culture Omer.

You see, there’s a pretty strict rule against mentioning the number of a certain day early or, you know, you’ve counted it. So we have combed through Jewish history and pop culture to find stand-ins for each of the 49 nights, and we’ve already started tweeting them (#PopCultureOmer). Think of it as an update of the above image, an Omer calendar from 1850.

Anyway, here is the full list in all its glory, questions and answers laid bare. Study up, and follow @JewcyMag for your daily cryptic reminder of what you’ll be counting any given night.

1.  How many Jewish women have held the title of Miss America?
2.  Count the bestie broads on Broad City.
3. How many Oscars does Steven Spielberg have?
4. Brian Epstein was the manager for the most famous band in history, known sometimes as the Fab _.
5. How many Marx brothers were there (don’t forget Gummo!)?
6. How many productions of Fiddler on the Roof have played on Broadway?
7. This year of the Tony Awards was great for Jews, with Arthur Miller winning best play for The Crucible and lots of Jews winning for musical Wonderful Town.
8. How many Jews have served as U.S. Supreme Court Justices (sans Merrick Garland)?
9. How many seasons of Seinfeld were there?
10. For this answer, fill in the blank for the title of the Paddy Chayefsky play: The ____ Man.
11. How many Olympic medals (of any rank) did Mark Spitz acquire in his career?
12. The Producers holds the record for the Broadway musical with the most Tony Awards. How many?
13. What’s the name of a Jason Robert Brown musical involving a kid prepping for his Bar Mitzvah?
14. How many studio albums does Bette Midler have to date?
15. At this age Drake’s career began, with his acting role on Degrassi: The Next Generation.
16. This was Natalie Portman’s age when she played Anne Frank on Broadway.
17. Joseph Gordon-Levitt celebrates his birthday this day in February.
18. This was Aly Raisman’s age when she won an Olympic gold medal.
19. At what age did Barbra Streisand make her Broadway debut (in I Can Get it for You Wholesale)?
20. How many seasons of Judge Judy have there been (so far)?
21. The age at which an American Jew can have a legal L’Chaim!
22. How many feature-length films did one or both Coen brothers write and/or direct?
23. How many years has the Notorious RBG served on SCOTUS?
24. Barbra Streisand celebrates her birthday this day in April.
25. Rashida Jones celebrates her birthday this day in February.
26. Mel Brooks (may he live until 120) was born in 19__.
27. How many novels or novellas has Philip Roth written?
28. How many films has Judd Apatow produced to date?
29. What is Sheldon Adelson’s net worth, rounded to the nearest billion?
30. At what age did Marilyn Monroe convert to Judaism?
31. What is Scarlett Johansson’s current age?
32. What was Sandy Koufax’s baseball jersey number?
33. How many countries voted for the 1947 U.N. partition plan?
34. How many studio albums does Barbra Streisand have to date?
35. How many years ago did Simon and Garfunkel record their famous Central Park concert?
36. Keeping Up with the Steins had this (unfairly low) percentage on RottenTomatoes.
37. What was James Franco’s age at his Bar Mitzvah?
38. What is the number of the next World Zionist Congress, scheduled for 2020?
39. What was the number of weeks The Chosen was on the New York Times bestseller list?
40. What was Yentl‘s Box Office gross, rounded to the nearest million?
41. How many years ago did Jewish-directed films Funny Lady, Young Frankenstein, and Jaws all premiere?
42. In the Hebrew numerical code of gematria, what is the value of Google? Hint: It’s the answer to the Life, the Universe, and Everything.
43. How many years ago did the Jewish film The Way We Were premiere?
44. How many years ago did Bette Midler release her debut album, The Divine Miss M?
45. What is Idina Menzel’s current age?
46. What is Jack Black’s current age?
47. Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: Millennium Approaches won Best Play in this Tony Year.
48. What is Judd Apatow’s current age?
49. Not to end on a low note, but how many years ago did Paul Muni die?Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

The post The Pop Culture Omer appeared first on Jewcy.

The minor (but very fun) Jewish holiday of Lag B’Omer begins this Saturday night! What better way to celebrate than by eating some delicious, gooey s’mores by a bonfire? There is no better way, trust.

If you’re a little confused as to what this holiday is all about, you’re not alone—its origins are kind of vague. The literal meaning is straightforward: “Lag” is simply the acronym of the Hebrew letters ‘lamed’ and ‘gimmel’, which have a combined numerical value of 33, and the Omer is the period of 49 days between Passover and Shavuot that we count and observe as a period of semi-mourning. It’s said that 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died during this period—either as part of the Bar Kochba revolt (132–136 CE), or in a plague wrought by God as punishment for sinat chinam (baseless hatred)—and that Lag B’Omer, the 33rd day, marked a respite from battle or disease.

Anyway! The TL;DR version of the story is that Lag B’Omer is a day for weddings, first haircuts (upsherin), festivities, and bonfires. Which means bonfire food! Which means S’MORES. Thank you for being patient. Here are your recipes.

1. Not Your Bubbe’s Peanut Butter Lag B’Omer S’mores: Your basic s’more, with a PB & Oreo twist.

2. S’mores Rugelach: Old country, meet new country. These look amazing, taste amazing, and are ridiculously easy to make.

3. Homemade Whole Wheat Graham Crackers S’mores: Real balabostas bake from scratch; everyone else should just feel very bad about themselves. (Kidding!)

4. S’mores Cheesecake With Summer Berries: Because Shavuot is just 17 days after Lag B’Omer, and you need to perfect your Cheesecake-making skillz, right?

5. Banana Boat S’mores: They’re healthy…ish! Wrap in aluminum foil and throw onto the edge of fire—just close enough to get melty and gooey.

6. Martha Stewart’s Matzo S’more: Old matzah is transformed—transformed, I tell you—by the s’morification process. I made these on Saturday night. I wouldn’t lie to you.

7. Summer S’Mores Martini: Because we wouldn’t want you to get thirsty.

Image: Shutterstock

The post 7 Decadent S’mores Recipes For Lag B’Omer appeared first on Jewcy.

Among the many perks of attending my Jewish day school in Ohio was the school-wide color war known as Maccabiah. An artful blend of competition, education, and student leadership, it was the perfect way to celebrate spring’s arrival and, of course, Lag B’Omer—the 33rd day in the annual counting of the omer between Passover and Shavuot. I still remember my first year participating, dressed head-to-toe in green and cheering nonsensically in Hebrew. My cousin, a sixth grader, was one of our team captains and when we won, he lifted me on to his shoulders in celebration—I had never felt so cool in my seven years of life.

While its contemporary manifestation, which takes place this Sunday, is largely characterized by similar celebrations, mostly in the form of outdoor bonfires, Lag B’Omer has a complicated history. In the Bible, this period between Passover and Shavuot was marked by a barley offering made at the Temple in Jerusalem, which permitted ancient Jews to eat grains from the new harvest. In the first century, the omer period was characterized by a plague that decimated Rabbi Akiva’s students. There are various opinions, but either the deaths stopped on the 33rd day or there were only 33 days of death, but Lag B’Omer, or the letters lamud and gimmel which add up to 33 in gematria, was designated as a day of celebration.

But the Lag B’Omer traditions don’t stop there. After the death of thousands of his students, Rabbi Akiva chose to only teach five men; one of them, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the author of the Zohar, died on Lag B’Omer. To this day, per Shimon bar Yochai’s request, thousands converge on his grave in Meron to celebrate his life with bonfires, singing, and eating. The bonfire is said to be attributed to the idea that his spirituality was a light to the world that he left behind.

Though Lag B’Omer has plenty of stories behind it, unlike every other Jewish holiday, it doesn’t have much of a food tradition. Capitalizing on the festive spirit and bonfires, I’m going to start a new food tradition here and now: the Lag B’Omer s’more. Anyone who has gone camping knows the diversity of delicious foods that can come from cooking over an open fire. From assorted vegetables and cheese wrapped in tinfoil to hot dogs grilled on a stick, the possibilities are numerous and delightful. But, of course, the quintessential bonfire treat is the s’more.

There is a fine art to roasting the perfect marshmallow. I say art because there really is a range of tastes—some like it charred, others prefer a pale golden hue, and there are those who like a robust brown. A lot of people hate on Kosher marshmallows, but I’ve found that there’s little that can ruin the graham cracker-melted chocolate-toasted marshmallow combination. But there are certainly ways to take it to the next level. Peanut butter is a natural friend of the graham cracker and with all of the childhood memories coming up, the most fantastic innovation that came to mind: adding peanut butter and Oreo to the mix, a la Parent Trap. As if s’mores weren’t already sweet and sticky enough! The warmth of the marshmallows softens the peanut butter into a salty-sweet mess and the Oreos add extra crunch … and chocolate.

Not Your Bubbe’s Lag B’Omer S’more
Ingredients:
4 marshmallows, toasted
1 bar dark chocolate
8 graham crackers, broken in half
4 Oreos
Peanut butter, as desired

Assembly:

Method 1: Place one square of chocolate on half of a graham cracker and top with toasted marshmallow. On the other half of the graham cracker, spread a thick layer of peanut butter and sprinkle with crushed Oreos. Put the two halves together.

Method 2: Place one square of chocolate on half of a graham cracker and top with toasted marshmallow. Spread a thick layer of peanut butter on an Oreo. Put the Oreo, peanut butter face down, on top of the marshmallow.

Also try:

Not Your Bubbe’s Spelt Honey Challah

Not Your Bubbe’s Modern Gefilte Fish Fillet

Not Your Bubbe’s Kosher for Passover Flourless Cake

The post Not Your Bubbe’s Recipe: Peanut Butter Lag B’Omer S’mores appeared first on Jewcy.

Counting the Omer is so last year (and every year before that). Our new favorite Tumblr takes inspiration from The Wire for the annual countdown between Passover and Shavuot——but not from shady lawyer Maurice Levy. It’s Counting the Omar, and it’s pretty much the best thing that’s ever happened (h/t Miriam Krule).

Behold, an Omar Little quote for each of the 49 days:

Counting the Omar

The post Count the Omer With Omar From ‘The Wire’ appeared first on Jewcy.