Many people complain that it’s difficult to find a synagogue to join in New York City. There are just so many options, that none of them feel exactly right - you might call it The Shul-Goers Dilemma. These days, however, I’m feeling pretty good at Temple Bet Pollan.

Michael Pollan gets his fair share of love on this blog, and his new book In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto has already joined its predecessor, The Omnivore’s Dilemma as a New York Times Best Seller. Pollan is in the middle of his second whirlwind book tour in two years (I guess he sleeps on the plane) – and I hear the same account every where he goes. Huge venue, sold out show, knockout performance.

Like any effective leader - Martin Luther King included - he’s charismatic and big on the big ideas that change the way we think - or in this case how we eat. But as I devoured (pun intented) Pollan’s new book on my subway commute, I wondered what, if anything, does his worldview offer to the Jewish community? And, perhaps more interestingly, what wisdom does the tribe have to offer back to him?

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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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The first Jewish CSA, Tuv Ha’Aretz, gets a shoutout in PA’s Jewish Exponent:

Part of the process is “to examine our thoughts about food and examine what’s been taught in Judaism” on the subject, she said. [organizer Robin Rifkin, a nutritionist] The group plans to schedule discussions on conservation; what it means to say blessings before and after meals; and why organic and local foods are so crucial these days. The Jewish heritage of farming and Jewish agricultural holidays will be examined as well.

In addition, the role of charity and food will be explored. Jewish law is very specific about how much land and foodstuffs go to the poor, she noted. Kol Ami will be donating any extra or unused shares to the Mitzvah Food Pantry, a program run by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.

Still, Kol Ami will face some real challenges. Learning to eat “seasonally” can be daunting for families, especially when they have never used exotic ingredients like dandelion greens and Swiss chard in cooking before. To help participants prepare meals with these new ingredients, Kol Ami will also be holding cooking classes.

(xposted by Lenny on jspot.org)

Related to thoughts about fruit platters, wedding foods, and such, jspot.org recently highlighted a program in Washington DC called Ethical Smahot.

Ethical Smahot is a project initiated by Rabbi Alana Suskin and Rabbi Joshua Ginsberg as an attempt to control the excesses of some Jewish lifecycle celebrations and infuse them with an ethical, meaningful spirit. The project took inspiration from an earlier statement by some Orthodox rabbis in New York City regarding the necessity to control conspicuous consumption during lifecycle celebrations.

In its current incarnation, Ethical Smachot centers on a statement of seven principled elements that should be reflected in every Jewish lifecycle celebration: Tzniut (modesty), Kavod HaBriot (respect for one’s fellow human beings), Talmud Torah (study and learning), Seudah (festive meal), Tzedakah (charity), Tzedek (righteousness and justice), and Shomrei Adamah (guarding the Earth).

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This morning my mom and I were drinking coffee, talking about food. She has followed my interest in local and sustainable food, and often writes to me to tell me about something new she’s just learned, or the local food organizations doing good things in Vancouver. I love it! She used to do a lot of cooking and planning kiddush for our synagogue, and was telling me about the fruit platters she used to make.

“I used to make a big platter — watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, and pineapple — sliced thinly and fanned out, and then tuck “bunchlets” of red and green grapes all over the platter, and strawberries. It looked really nice.

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