Mark, who leads the new English Speakers Group, reports:

Havruta is thrilled to announce our new English Speakers Group. Last Thursday night, 18 English speakers came together in Modi'in for a great evening. We introduced ourselves, some already old friends, some new.

We talked about the goals of the group, and then, in preparation for Shabbat Parshat Noach, we decorated cupcakes using frostings, fondants, and candies representing all the colors of the rainbow. Decorating cupcakes is usually a pretty low-stakes activity, but the event took on a bit of a competitive edge when we decided to make a contest out of it and judge the best-decorated cupcakes. The submissions ranged from minimalist versions of the Israeli flag to over-the-top unicorns and clowns dressed in pretzel-made turtle necks. No matter what, everyone enjoyed the opportunity to be creative and laugh at the edible art. The voting was a little intense, but in the end, our decorators all came out victorious because they got to eat their own delicious creations.

Havruta's English Speaking Group will hold regular, monthly meetings and activities in Modi'in and other central locations.