167032 Fri Feb 07 06:50:47 -0800 2003 12 14 Washington DC & Baltimore Area 0 892776 I was in Stacks, the new Kosher deli at 11th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, and it was pleasant enough with excellent chicken soup and fine hot dogs. The hostess told us that Archives, the high class Kosher restaurant, attached to Stacks would be closed for two weeks. Although there may be an obscure Jewish holiday that I haven't heard about, I wonder if any chowhounds have the inside story. Fri Feb 07 06:50:47 -0800 2003 0 Monblatt 1 892778 I'll bet it's probably not doing very good business. Fri Feb 07 08:18:54 -0800 2003 892776 0 no one 1 892779 I'll bet it's probably not doing very good business. Fri Feb 07 08:18:54 -0800 2003 892776 0 no one 1 892785 no obscure jewish holidays, archives is just closed for remodeling. i was there last night. they were out of chopped liver! and rye bread! the pastrami was just ok, sliced very thin, and pretty lean. the service was kind of odd and spacey. but the free valet parking can't be beat. and they have beer, wine, and a full bar. Fri Feb 07 11:03:30 -0800 2003 892776 0 rachel 2 892786 When a place is closed for remodeling two months after it opened, it could be an excuse for something worse. I do agree about the wait staff. I had been led to believe that they were typical of the insulting waiters at New York delis, but they were a bit too polite. Fri Feb 07 11:24:03 -0800 2003 892785 0 Monblatt 1 892804 The obscure Jewish holiday you inquire about is Pursachs, sometimes transliterated as Poorsox. It commemorates the victory of the Brooklyn Dodgers over the New York Yankees in the year 5717 (48 years ago). Although the triumph took place early in the Christian month of October, that works out to the 12th of Adar, the current month, thus shutting down the kosher part of Stacks at this time. Are there any questions? Fri Feb 07 16:58:54 -0800 2003 892776 0 StephenB 2 892805 lol! what are the rituals associated with this holiday? the eating of kosher hot dogs? Fri Feb 07 17:23:24 -0800 2003 892804 0 rachel b 2 893005 since I do timesheets for certain employees in my office. We have some summer-only law interns. They only work for us 6 weeks so they only get sick leave. Any AL & it's LWOP. We had an intern ask for a day off in July or August for religious comp. Said it was "a Jewish holiday." I asked another Jewish attorney about it. 1-2 employees only take off for Rosh Hoshannah and Yom Kippur, MAYBE 1 day of Passover. It's so they can go to the synagogue mid-day. They don't take off normally for Hannukah. The attorney said there's a very minor holiday in the summer, something about a harvest? She was surprised & suspicious the intern was actually taking off a whole day for it. She said the holiday doesn;t warrant it, and it sounded like the intern was using the excuse to get a day of "summer vacation" in there without it being LWOP! Thu Feb 13 11:47:19 -0800 2003 892804 0 LooLoo 3 893010 Could be for Shavu'ot, which falls in June this year. It's one of the holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, etc.) during which work is not permitted. Thu Feb 13 12:00:27 -0800 2003 893005 0 butterfly 3 893031 or it could be tisha b'av, a holiday that falls in the middle of the summer that not everyone observes, but is a pretty serious holiday--fasting, etc--for those who do. i don't think she was making something up--and i don't think your suspicion of her using her religion to make stuff up and get out of work is fair, or warranted. Do you remember when in the summer it was? There are more then just Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for Jewish holidays. and Chanukah's not that important at all, although several others are. Thu Feb 13 16:49:15 -0800 2003 893005 0 adam 4 893066 This was maybe 2 years ago. I wouldn't have been the wiser, except the Jewish attorney who told me herself it was a minor holiday & who really questioned the intern taking the whole day off - she NEVER takes off a summer Jewish holiday, and neither do the few other Jewish employees in our office. But they always take off for Rosh Hoshannah and Yom Kippur, they go to temple every Sat., etc. And nobody has taken it off since, incl. a later intern who wore his yamulka daily. I guess it would be the equivalent of a Catholic taking the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25) or Ascension Thursday (in the summer) - both minor religious holidays - off from work to go to mass? Fri Feb 14 14:51:46 -0800 2003 893031 0 LooLoo 5 893069 Sorry, I realize this is entirely off-topic, but I feel like I should respond... > I guess it would be the equivalent of a > Catholic taking the Feast of the Annunciation No, it's not the same--and I know about this first hand, having been raised both Catholic and Jewish (long story!). It has nothing to do with getting an hour or two off to go to temple. Many devout jews are required by their faith to NOT WORK on certain holidays. As I remember, there are about ten (including, off the top of my head, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shimini Atzeret, Simhat Torah, Passover, and Shavuot). I'm sure you could easily look this up online and find out the exact dates for 2003. There are several different branches of Judaism: reform, conservative, orthodox. Each has a different interpretation of what the rules mean. This would account for why one jew might treat a holiday differently, have different dietary restrictions, etc. And then there are those, like myself, who consider themselves culturally Jewish, but don't necessarily ascribe to the religion, and still feel it's their duty to spout off about talmudic issues on a food forum... Fri Feb 14 15:09:10 -0800 2003 893066 0 butterfly 2 893021 I can't quote it for you, but the obscure Jewish holiday is a recurring theme in Joseph Heller's very funny novel "Good As Gold." I seem to remember a scene that involves Gold and a student whipping out date books to try and top the other's list of dates. If you haven't read this one and enjoy satire and political humor, give it a shot. Chowhound content: The book is based in DC and there may be a knock or two to DC deli's in it. Thu Feb 13 15:30:58 -0800 2003 892804 0 joanek