On Tuesday evening, Hamilton Hillel welcomed students and faculty into the Azel Backus House, Center for Jewish Life, to bake Hamantaschen cookies. The group collaborated to roll and cut the dough, fill the cookies with fruit preserves and chocolate, and eventually bake the dozens of cookies. By the end of the night, after nine trays of cookies had been baked, everyone was excited to dig in, trying every filling combination that the Hamantaschen cookies held. The night was filled with lively laughter and chatter, and proved to be a good way to ease back into the life after break.
Built in 1802 and standing as one of the oldest buildings on campus, the Azel Backus House, Center for Jewish Life, has long served as a place for gathering. The house was originally situated a bit further down College Hill Road to serve as a boarding house for students of Hamilton-Oneida Academy. After moving up the hill to its current location, the house served as home to its namesake and the college’s first president, Reverend Azel Backus. Today, the house serves as a gathering place for Hamilton Hillel, a tight-knit community that provides a space for students interested in Judaism. Hamilton Hillel hosts educational and social events. Additionally, the group offers community services opportunities as well as weekly Shabbat dinners and services in celebration of High Holiday. Hamilton Hillel welcomes all students, regardless of their faith, to learn about and celebrate a wide array of Jewish traditions. Hillel hosts challah and cookie bake sales, bagel brunches and even bowling events. Students and faculty cherish Hillel as a space to gather with other members of the Hamilton community from a wide array of cultural backgrounds.
On Tuesday students baked Hamantaschen cookies, which proved to be another successful community event for the group. The traditional Hamantaschen cookie is a Jewish delicacy, often baked in preparation for the Jewish holiday of Purim. Purim celebrates the saving of Perisan Jews, and its traditions are carried on today. These triangular dough pastries are typically filled with an assortment of fruit preserves, chocolate, or poppy seeds.
Within the walls of the Azel Backus House, Center for Jewish Life, students gathered to craft nine trays of hamantaschen cookies. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder around a table clad in a plastic tablecloth, the group rolled up their sleeves and used large rolling pins to meticulously roll out the hand-crafted Hamantaschen dough.
In the following stage of the baking process, the group utilized circular cookie cutters to prepare discs that would soon contain an assortment of chocolate chips chocolate spread, fruit jams, gargantuan marshmallows, and rainbow sprinkles. From lemon and chocolate to raspberry and sprinkles, each unique flavor made for a delicious pastry. Soon, an endless array of Hamantaschen dough discs topped with a collection of fillings topped the table top.
While the cookies baked, participants engaged in lively conversation. The group meticulously folded three corners of each disc to form a filling-contained Hamantaschen triangle. Next, each Hamantaschen triangle was nimbly placed onto large metal baking trays, which were carefully loaded into the oven. Sweet scents of Hamantaschen wafted through the house as students came in and out of the Center say hello to the group.
After fifteen minutes in the oven, the Hamantaschen cookies were ready for the group to enjoy. Still warm, the pastries were bursting with flavor. The Hamantaschen was evidently baked to perfection. Despite the fact that some cookies were misshapen, or had filling spilling out, there is no doubt that each homemade cookie was delicious.
As the group tasted the cookies, members were invited to pack up cookies in containers to share with their friends across campus. The energetic and positive atmosphere of the center community made this baking event joyful and enriching. The Azel Backus house will host a Shabbat dinner on Friday at 6:00 PM.
