Jewish, Purim and …. Sushi? Oy vey, what would the Rebbe say? In the case of Rabbi Berry Farkash of the Chabad of the Central Cascade’s, he’d say: “I’ll have three more lox rolls and remember to rap your noise maker when you hear Haman’s name.”

The story of Purim is about Queen Esther who risked her own life to inform King Ahasureus of Persia that his evil Prime Minister, Haman, was plotting to kill all the Jews in one day. She also revealed her true identity as a Jew and that her cousin Mordechi was the one who overheard Haman’s plans. The King executes Haman and promotes Mordechi.

On Monday, March 9th, at 6:30 PM, to commemorate the story of Purim and to remind us that Jews live in every corner of the world, the Chabad celebrated Purim with an Asian flare. Approximately 120 community members nestled into Issaquah Highland’s Blakely Hall for hours of fun and entertainment. The evening started with spirited chatter and warm hugs as friends exchanged Purim greetings. As the hall filled up all eyes focused on the delicately
embroidered silk robes and fluttering fans of the traditional dancers from the NWCS Performing Arts Troupe, led by Rong R. Bian, who graced the crowd with four authentic songs, dances, and instrumental pieces.

When the stage cleared, out popped a projection screen, a Rabbi, and a megillah – “the scroll of Esther”. As the Rabbi read from the megillah, the audience watched a humorous home made silent animation slide show depicting the story of Esther. The video was created by Meir Geisinsky form New York and the students of the Chabad Hebrew School in Issaquah.

To further embrace in the spirit of community all characters in the production were students and friends of the Chabad. By then the crowd was ready for sushi, and lots of it. Rice rolls, lox rolls, veggie rolls, soy sauce, Chinese salad, won ton soup, fortune cookies, and of course, hamantashen. A special thanks to: Highlands Council who donated Blakely Hall, Paul Dean for use of the PA systems, Sheila Abrahams and The Putterman’s for rolling 75 rolls of sushi. Inbar Gazit and Jason Shindler for setting up and decorating the hall, Allen and Lynn Feldhammer for all the support, photographer Barry Hartman, Lauren Segal, Mitch Setlow, Cynthia Rosonova, and Rick Pezzner!!!

For more information about the Chabad, please contact:

Chabad of the Central Cascades
24121 SE Black Nugget Rd, Issaquah WA 98029
Tel: (425) 427-1654
E-mail: Rabbi@ChabadIssaquah.com
Website: www.ChabadIssaquah.com

One of our wetlands is getting a boost towards a healthier future. Port Blakely Communities recently began a project to establish approximately 11,000 native plants in a local wetland. New plants include redstem dogwood, ocean spray, Pacific ninebark, wild lily of the valley, hazelnut, and Nootka rose. The project, located south of Park Drive at 10th Street, will continue through May 2009. In the coming months, you will see an above ground irrigation system working to give the new plants a good start. This is a temporary system that will be removed once the plants are well established.

Monitoring of the wetland will continue over the next 10 years. The survival of the new plants and the overall wetland health will be documented as a resource for the design and maintenance of wetlands in years to come.

Contractor Tera Dynamic Inc. was selected for the project due to their years of experience with wetland construction. The design of the project was completed by Sarah Cooke PhD. of Cooke Scientific. It was also reviewed by the City of Issaquah’s Major Development Review Team (MDRT) and the Rivers and Stream Board.

Volunteer to Help Wetlands

Would you like to lend a hand in preserving and protecting our wetlands? The Issaquah Highlands’ award-winning Adopt-A-Wetland program welcomes new volunteers throughout the year. Adopt-A-Wetland volunteers lead bi-monthly work parties to perform preservation and maintenance of local wetlands. They also help to educate the community about the region’s wetlands. To learn more, please contact the IHCA at 425-427-9257.

When newlyweds Bill and Patricia Pedersen began shopping for their first home as a couple, they didn’t anticipate their search would end up on national television. But on April 23, the Pendersens will have their home buying experience revealed for all to see when HGTV airs the episode “Searching for a Million Dollar Green Home in Suburban Seattle.”

House Hunters, a popular TV show on Home and Garden Television (HGTV) takes the audience behind the scenes as individuals and families search for a new home. Three homes are highlighted in each episode and by the end of the show, the chosen home is revealed. Scott Gibbons, owner of Plateau Real Estate, was asked to represent Issaquah Highlands on the show.“When I was asked to appear on HGTV’s number one TV show House Hunters, I was ecstatic!” said Gibbons. “What real estate agent wouldn’t be?” Gibbons, charged with the task of choosing a client to appear in the show with him, approached Bill and Patricia with the idea.

“When Scott asked us to be on House Hunters, we had never even seen the show before,” said Patricia. “Filming was a funny process, after a while all our comments started sounding the same.” Patricia had lived in the Highlands
with her daughter Savannah before meeting Bill and knew she wanted to stay in the community. “We both love the Highlands,” said Patricia “We like the idea of the master-plan community, the ability to walk to shops and parks and the wonderful people.”Gibbons, a long-time resident and Real Estate agent, was honored to represent the  community. “Living here and owning the Plateau Real Estate Group in Issaquah Highlands has been a dream come true for me,” said Gibbons. “Daily I’m reminded how fortunate I am to be a representative of this wonderful community to future homeowners.”

The episode will be featured during HGTV’s “Green Week,” which highlights environmentally friendly design. The Issaquah Highlands community, which prides itself on sustainable living, was a perfect fit. All three homes featured in the episode are in Issaquah Highlands. Patricia, who has allergies, said the green factor was very important to them. “Green homes, like those in the Highlands, are cleaner and are built with high-quality and sustainable materials,” said Patricia. Gibbons agrees, “A built green home in Issaquah Highlands is cleaner and healthier, costs less to operate, holds its value and protects the environment,” he said.

The episode airs April 23 at 9:00pm on HGTV. Check your local listings for updates on the show or go to www.HGTV.com.