Wherever Jews have spread throughout our complex and storied history, we’ve carried a simple Shabbat stew with us, adapting it to the local ingredients and tastes. A culinary history of this most Jewish of dishes that will whet your appetite, but not sit heavily in your stomach. Kiddush Luncheon following morning services. (The fee below offers reserved seating.) Part of […]

What makes a food Jewish? Are there any foods that are Jewish without a doubt? Do we ask these same questions about other people’s cuisines? And most importantly, why does it matter what foods are or are not Jewish? A teen program, followed by an informal discussion about life in Israel. Part of a Scholar-in-Residence weekend.

From oranges to chocolate, wine to sugar, most foods today have spread beyond their birthplaces. How did they get from place to place, when, and who brought them? From ancient times until modernity, Jews have been disproportionately involved in transporting ingredients and dishes from place to place. This talk tells the surprising stories of the wandering Jew’s gastronomic impact, and […]

An exploration of the symbolic foods eaten on Rosh Hashana, accompanied by an informal pre-Rosh Hashana "seder," in which we will eat these different foods. Part of a two-day Scholar-in-Residence program.

Jewish Food reflects our cultural and experiences, and unfortunately ansemitism has been a constant challenge for us. Despite that, however, we have triumphed time and again, persevering while our enemies have disappeared to history. And our foods reflect that as well. Jewish Food has served as a coping mechanism, and at times formed the literal means of how we have […]