Ben Murane is formerly the Communications Coordinator at Hazon. He is new to the intersection of Jews, food and contemporary life and in particular he is new to vegetables which are not microwaved and relishes this learning experience.
Ben Murane was also the Executive Director of Jewish Student Press Service/New Voices Magazine in 2005-2006. He serves on the organizing committees for Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the New Israel Fund, the National Havurah Committee's Summer Institute and Matzat; and is a proud resident of Crown Heights. He is also a contributing editor to Jewschool, and has written for New Voices, PresenTense, Jewish Currents, Ameinu.net, and The Forward.
Ben Murane's Website »
This Friday, DC’s rockin’ progressive havurah is taking on Jewish food issues!
Tikkun Leil Shabbat is a songful, soulful, Friday evening services featuring a teaching about a social justice issue and followed by a potluck vegetarian dinner. This Friday July 13, the “dvar tikkun” will be introduced by Hazon’s very own Laura Bellows and feature:
Aliza Wasserman (also one of our fabulous “The Jew & the Carrot” bloggers!), from Community Food Security Coalition, will talk about a progressive Jewish take on national food policy and the pending Farm Bill.
Melissa Byrne will talk about the benefits of eating locally grown food, and provide information about the DC-area farmers’ markets (and maybe a sweet taste-test of local berries!)
Services begin at 6:45 at the Religious Action Center at 2027 Massachusetts Ave NW (21st & P) near the Dupont Circle metro, North exit. Services will be accompanied by instruments; please bring a vegetarian entree or salad to share, and a percussion instrument if you’d like.
More information about how they’ve “greened” their potlucks, and other details about this metro-fabulous havurah, at www.tikkunleilshabbat.org.
(Thanks to Jo for this tip.)
Check out this video news from The Washington Post about Congregation Tifereth Israel’s offering kosher, organic meat in the DC area. Devora Kimmelman-Block is a mom and sustainable agriculture fan who is also Hazon’s Tuv Ha’Aretz Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) site coordinator for the congregation as well. Check out her interview on Hazon’s web page here!
Israel’s first Master Chef program opens at Hebrew U! Now perhaps we’ll have an answer to the Jewish culinary conundrum which has evaded us ever since the founding of the Jewish State!
I, like many of us I’m sure, have often been frustrated, confused and heart-broken by the discrepancy between American and Israeli culinary specialties, despite their both hailing from the same gene pool, particularly on the bagel-falafel front. Many a New York, Chicago and LA bagelry produce soft, fluffly and blessed with that slightly crispy crust in a perfect “O” in which the hole is really an afterthought. And many a Tel Aviv and Jerusalem falafel stand can likewise fry with ease bodiful, caramel-colored husks of green-tinted chickpea interiors that, even for this meat-eater, could stand in for a burger patty any day.
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China is the red elephant in the room when issues of food safety and food security arise. Last month’s pet food poisoning debacle highlighted the all-but-absent Chinese equivalent of the FDA. Which isn’t saying much, because the Food & Drug Administration itself is woefully unprepared and underfunded (LA Times) to protect the public.
The Economist weighs in and this morning, KosherToday (below) takes a harsh look at China’s lax infrastructure in keeping up to par on American kosher standards as well. Read more »
I was priviledged to work at New Voices magazine, the only national magazine written by and for Jewish college students, and truly support their work — the magazine is free free free so suscribe yourself or your synagogue’s students today — getting the voices of the next generation of Jewish writers, editors and thinkers out into the community. This month’s excellent issue — The Body Issue — contains a superb wrap-up by Michael Croland (read his blog here) of the controversies facing the kosher industry and a humane treatment of its animals:
“The kosher meat industry of today is not the perfect, painless slaughter that is alluded to in the ideals of shekhita. The industry’s future success and its treatment of animals may depend upon how consumers react now that the spotlight is shining.”
Read the full article.
Courtesy of Elisheva Kaufman:
Abundant remains of wheat were found by in the early 1970s by Prof. Yigal Yadin (translator of the Dead Sea Scrolls) at Masada, overlooking the Dead Sea in the Judean Mountains. The grains were stored in earthern jars when Masada was the royal palace of King Herod, from -37 to 73 CE. It is rare to be identify archeobotanic material to the level of a specific variety. The shape of the carbonized wheat rachis, the inner spin that holds the kernels and the kernels themselves from Masada were identified by Israeli plant-archeologist M. Kislev as Jaluli and Hourani.
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Christians get the rap from other faiths for eating “bunny eggs” on Easter, for the reason that rabbits and eggs have more to do with pagan symbols of fertility and cycles of life than with Jesus’ story. But I recently discovered that Jews have a few seemingly amusing food associations as well.
Apparently, the Lord Almighty put before the Israelites at Mt. Sinai the law of the Torah and held above them…a cheesecake? Where did that come from? Thanks to Eric for his excellent post on why cheesecake has become a symbol of Shavuot and the giving of the law. But in embracing our own funny food moments, here’s to things that God gave us, like Jewish senses of humor:
One of my co-workers decided it was time to shed some excess weight. She took her new diet so seriously that she even changed her driving route to avoid her favorite bakery. One morning, however, she arrived at work carrying a gigantic cheesecake.
We all scolded her, but her smile remained cherubic. “This is a very special cheesecake,” she explained. “I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning and there in the window was a host of goodies. I felt this was no accident, so I prayed, ‘Lord, if you want me to have one of those delicious cheesecakes, let me have a parking spot directly in front of the bakery.’ ”
“And sure enough,” she continued, “the ninth time around the block, there it was!”
Hag sameach.
The first kabbalistic restaurant in the world is in…Ft. Lauderdale? And run by a Chabad rabbi?
Cafe Emunah is, says The Forward, a new beachfront restaurant in this South Florida city is billing itself as the country’s first kabbalistic restaurant which has already distinguished itself with its holistic approach to kosher food — combining organic chic with a dash of Jewish mysticism.
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This is a friendly public service message from The Jew & the Carrot: eat your vegetables!
In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.
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Now you can imbibe and toast to a healthier ecosystem! From MSNBC.com, watch the video report here or read more below:
“Having fun, brewing world class beer, promoting beer culture and being environment stewards,” Kim says, recounting the rules.
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JTA reports that in his speech Monday to the Conservative Movement’s Rabbinical Assembly at its annual convention, the new chancellor Arnold Eisen directed the Conservative Movement to build community first, and stress less Jewish law as commands over individual behavior. Indeed, the effect of his speech was to wake Conservative members to the theory that community is necessary to give life to Jewish tradition first, and meaningful excitment about halakha will follow. Excerpt in part:
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Via Jewschool, via Treehugger:
Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye — everyone in the Middle East. Saddle your camels – Israel is announcing that it is to open the largest health food store in the region and among one of the largest in the world, reports Israel Today…
Eden Teva Market, a $6 million project invested by businessman Guy Provisor is expected to open this June in Netanya. On its shelves will be stocked more than 14,000 products in 20 different departments, which will include a bakery, a deli, an organic hummus stand, and an ice cream parlor – to name a few. Organic will be a focus but also specialized products manufactured by small companies will be kept in stock.
Full story.
This September will mark the beginning of shmitta, the period every seven years where soil in the land of Israel must be left uncultivated, which until 2007 has raised an important question among the ranks of observant Israeli farmers: “Oy, whattam I gonna eat?”
The answer apparently has been provided by Israeli high (low?) tech:
(JTA) An Israeli company has found a way of circumventing a religious injunction to let agricultural land lie fallow: fake soil.
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Too funny:
