Big Tent Judaism

A Feast of Inclusion

The New York Times recently published a fascinating article on Jewish intermarriage from a point of view we have never seen before: intermarried chefs.

Framed around Hanukkah, the Times talks to numerous chefs who married into the Jewish community and finds out how they use their skills in the kitchen help bridge any gaps that might exist between family and traditions.

For example, Tom Colicchio, owner of Craft restaurant in New York City and head judge for Bravo’s “Top Chef,” holds an annual Hanukkah latke (potato pancake) party with his wife, Lori Silverbrush where family and friends come together in a “latke assembly line.” Julian Medina, owner of Toloache and Yerba Buena, cooking Hanukkah food “is a way to get closer to his wife’s family.” And Todd Gray, owner of Equinox Restaurant in Washinigton, D.C., bonded with his future Jewish father-in-law “over food” such as pastrami and gefilte fish.

We often use food as one of the ingredients, so to speak, in much of our outreach programming, particularly Public Space Judaism. Eight Days of Oil (Hanukkah olive oil tasting), Passover in the Matzah Aisle, and our free gourmet honey tasting on Rosh Hashanah are all, at their core, about giving people a literal taste of Jewish holidays. The idea is people stumble upon one of these programs in a public space – a grocery store or mall – and the food becomes a low barrier entry point for future engagement in the Jewish community.

Whether it’s latkes on Haunkkah or honey on Rosh Hashanah, Jewish holidays supply interfaith families with numerous opportunities to use food to bring people close together. Do you have any updated holiday recipes you would like to share? If so, we would love to hear from you! We invite you to post your own recipes in the comment section of this blog.

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