Being a Jew in C-U: I say C, U say U

The bagel chain bearing Albert Einstein's name is coming to town - and we'll have a sneak preview soon.

by Laura Weisskopf Bleill

If you read my bio on this site, it says that I’ve lived in Champaign for most of my life with the exception of a 10-month stint in Urbana. That was because I let my husband, bless his heart, pick the first apartment we lived in after we were married.

Luckily, they let us out of the lease early.

One of the reasons I insisted we be in Champaign is because that is where the synagogue is located, and our apartment in Urbana was about as far away as possible without being in St. Joseph. Going there once a week was a haul. And I knew that I wanted to get more involved there, and that wasn’t going to work.

Sinai Temple has an interesting history – its first location, built south of West Side Park in downtownish Champaign, burnt down in 1971. At the time, the members had the foresight to rebuild a new synagogue at the very southwest edge of town. There wasn’t much out there then. Southwest Champaign has grown up around it.

So we bought a house, and it happens to be just about a five-minute drive from the synagogue. In fact, every local Jewish institution is located in Champaign.

Flash forward to yesterday, when I had my first meal at Black Dog Smoke and Ale House, the uber-popular barbeque/bar in downtown Urbana. Black Dog is best know for its ribs, burgers, and other smoked meats. Because its menu is full of items I don’t eat (Exhibit A: beef and Exhibit B: pork), it took me awhile to venture on over there, despite hearing the ravings of my friends (Exhibit A). (And for the record, I had the pulled chicken sandwich. Yummy.)

Once I got there, I was astounded and excited to see that Black Dog is in touch with the chosen people, despite its emphasis on all things treyf (that’s Yiddish for not kosher). The ale house has an extensive beer list, often featuring small batches of brews from around the country. And one of its featured beers on the list was one called Rejewvenator, brewed from grape juice of all things. It was noon on the hottest day of the year, so I refrained from ordering the Judaic-themed sud.

Also coming to Urbana — opening next week to the excitement of many in this household and county-wide — is Einstein’s Bagels (we’ll have a sneak preview on chambanamoms.com coming SOON) named after perhaps the smartest Jew in history. Although I haven’t tasted their bagels in many years, I’m sure they will be more authentic than any commercial bagel we’ve seen around here in years.

So maybe I was wrong about Urbana. Next year, perhaps we’ll see Urbana start a Jewish Brews and Bagels Festival. Maybe it is C-U’s Jewish Capital after all.

Laura Weisskopf Bleill, a co-founder of chambanamoms.com, will never understand why Champaign and Urbana aren’t one city. She writes “Being a Jew in C-U,” a column about being a Jewish suburban girl in a cornfield, on Thursdays. You can reach her at laura@chambanamoms.com.

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