The five-year anniversary of the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States was last week. So many things went on pause or never came back after that.
One of the things that is finally coming back five years later is the Beth Israel Congregation Bazaar in Jackson.
The synagogue’s event, which this year is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 26 at 5315 Old Canton Road in Jackson, will feature traditional Jewish food, a silent auction, a timeless treasures sale, frozen take-home food, and a raffle is back for its 53rd edition and Rabbi Eric Gurvis said it is not a moment too soon.
“The thing is that the bazaar was not only for our congregation but for the whole city of Jackson,” said Gurvis, who was the full-time Rabbi during a stretch during the 1980s and ’90s and is back on an interim basis. “It was always such a huge event. People talked about it. People came in droves to attend. We would always invite the members of the local clergy to have lunch. It was always an opportunity to throw open our doors and invite the community to come in and share.”
This year, the bazaar’s hot food line will have a $20 taster’s plate with Jewish cuisine staples, cabbage rolls, noodle kugel, carrot tzimmes, matzo ball soup and rugelach.
One of the things Gurvis said was always popular before the hiatus was the take-out frozen foods. They will be back and available for purchase, with options of meat and vegetable casseroles and desserts homemade by congregants.
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“For months, the community has been cooking all sorts of classic Jewish food, and preparing for this,” Gurvis said. “In the old days, people would come and sit and have lunch and enjoy the congregation of the people. This time, no one know entirely what to expect, honestly. But there has been a lot of preparation, and I think the community will turn out.”
At the bazaar’s silent auction, find gift certificates, gift items, home decor and more donated by area businesses.
A timeless treasures sale offers what Gurvis calls, “gently used items” such as furniture, household items, jewelry, purses, tools, children’s toys and games, cookbooks and more.
Raffle tickets for $3 each and will be on sale at the bazaar. You can buy a chance to win a weekend beach house stay in Fort Morgan, Alabama, two season passes to New Stage Theatre next season or an overnight stay at Jackson’s Fairview Inn with breakfast for two and a $100 gift certificate for the Library Lounge.
Betsy Samuels, right, of Jackson, Miss., scoops a mixture of hamburger meat with rice, raisins, onions and spices onto a boiled cabbage leaf before rolling Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, as Beth Israel volunteers prepare for its upcoming bazaar in Jackson. Beth Israel Bazaar, the first since COVID-19 caused a five-year hiatus, will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26.
“This is really the first really big thing our community has been able to work on together since before COVID,” Gurvis said. “COVID really did a number on us as it did so many people. Now, people are seeing people they haven’t seen in a long time, because like in so many churches and synagogues, a lot of people never came back. They just watched on Zoom. So, for this, there is great energy in the congregation, young and old, working on getting this together and setting it up. It has been nice to see the energy in the community for this.”
For more information or to make a call-in order, contact (601) 956-6215 or email [email protected].
Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at [email protected] or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
Volunteer Cheryl Katz of Madison pours a tomato-based sauce over stuffed cabbage rolls Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, while preparing for the upcoming Beth Israel Bazaar in Jackson. The bazaar, the first when COVID-19 caused a five-year hiatus, will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Paused by COVID, Beth Israel bazaar is back with Jewish traditions
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