Kosher, Part III: Real People, Real Food: Rabbi Joel Mosbacher

Joel has served as the rabbi of Beth Haverim Shir Shalom in Mahwah, New Jersey, since 2001. He is the husband of Elyssa and the Abba to Ari and Lev.  Joel and his family have taken on issues of the environment, food, and sustainability in the most serious manner, and in the context of their … Continue reading →

Kosher, Part III: Real People, Real Food: Dan R. Weiss

Dan is the Middle School Judaics Principal extraordinaire at Gross Schechter Day School, in Pepper Pike, Ohio.  On a personal note, Dan has been an amazing teacher and mentor to my son Lev, who will be graduating from Gross Schechter in June (ACK!).  The Wikipedia entry for “mentch” has Dan’s picture on it.  He is … Continue reading →

Kosher, Part III: Real People, Real Food: Christine Weiss

This next post is by Christine Weiss, one of the true leaders of the Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple community, and woman I am proud to call my friend. Christine has done a lot of studying about Judaism in general, and this topic in particular.  She spent several months interviewing older women (14 of them) from … Continue reading →

Kosher, Part III: Real People, Real Food: Dr. Roxanne Sukol

My first “testimonial” for this kashrut (kosher) series is none other than Dr. Roxanne Sukol, physician extraordinaire!  She is board-certified in Internal Medicine, and is an expert on health and wellness in today’s crazy world of fast food and even faster-growing waistlines and blood-sugar levels.  She writes the blog, “Your Health is on Your Plate“, … Continue reading →

Kosher, Part II: Beyond the “No’s” or Why Should I Care if My Grasshopper is Sustainably Farmed?

So, what does Judaism bring to food and eating beyond the “no’s” – no shellfish, no pork, no cheeseburgers . . . ?  It brings a level of ethics that I personally feel is missing in today’s industrialized food production.  Judaism values not just what you eat and how it was killed, but how it … Continue reading →

How We Eat

Going through old posts, and I found this one from a couple of years ago.  Timely! Rachel Adler begins her d’var Torah on this week’s parasha with this: Just now, American society is reexamining the way it eats. Michael Pollan, in his best-selling book In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manefesto , advises distinguishing between … Continue reading →

Stuff Reform Jews “Don’t Do”, but Can, in the Context of Reform Judaism: Kosher, Part I

Whenever I meet new people, and they discover my level of observance, I get this comment: “Wait, you do X?  But you’re not Orthodox!” Which is, of course, true.  However, last I checked, Orthodoxy has not co-opted Jewish ritual and observance. One of the most meaningful mitzvot I observe is kashrut – keeping kosher.  Here … Continue reading →

Let the Cooking Madness Begin

Out comes the big soup pot, a gazillion foil pans in different sizes, a Costco-sized container of potato flour, a new mop and sponges and a huge bucket, and Cranky Momma appears.  MUST be time to clean and cook for Pesach! I have found that an excellent method for reducing stress while cooking for the … Continue reading →

Love in a Baking Dish

I am partial to Mr. Michael Ruhlman, as he is a native Clevelander and has chosen to *GASP* raise his family here, even though with his credentials he could live in any major food city of his choice and be very successful.  He is a fantastic cook, food writer and all-around food-and-fun loving guy (or … Continue reading →

Mmmmmmm. Shabbes on Wednesday.

Let me just say there is nothing, I mean NOTHING like swiping the bottom of the chicken pan with some gorgeous crispy bits of garlic, potatoes and onions.  Last meal on earth?  Not the chicken itself, just give me the cooking pan and some crispy roasted potatoes, onions and garlic.