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"I feel stupid now"
--( posted on May 5, 2015, commenting on the post Final Web Project )
 
"Food to Fight Back If you live in New York you’ve most likely Jewish food at some point in your life. Jewish delis are quite common and certain Jewish foods such as bagels have become New York classics. But how many of you reading this have attended Passover dinner, braved the gefilte fish or baked your own challah bread? If you’ve done all three you’re probably fairly involved with the Jewish community, and you may have knowledge on some of the things I’m about to discuss. After speaking with several of my Jewish friends, family members, and friends of family members I began to notice some common themes about Jewish food and culture in our country or at least in New York. It seems that the preparation of Jewish food serves as a fun introduction into Jewish culture and a medium to commemorate events in Jewish history. When talking to my mother and our family friend Yvette, I noticed that they both saw the cuisine as an excellent way to introduce their kids to Jewish traditions. My grandmother had come from Vienna during World War II when she was very young. One of the only parts of Jewish culture she had really internalized was the preparation of Jewish food and celebration of the holidays. She then passed these things onto my mother. My mom felt that when she first wanted to introduce Jewish tradition into our family the more spiritual aspect intimidated her, and food was a familiar place to start. My mother said Jewish cuisine felt very non-threatening and she believed our family would more readily accept that part of the Jewish traditions. Also, she felt that food could be used as a springboard into further exploration of Judaism. My Jewish friends seemed to agree that food is one of the best starting points for learning about Jewish culture. In the words of my friend Shira, “Food is the first thing you learn to like about Judaism.” At the same interview table my friend Sarah nodded in agreement. Sarah and Shira told me about how they would make challah bread with their mothers from a young age, learning the different ingredients and braiding patterns of the dough. Both the parents and the children of Jewish families seemed to value food as a good segway into involvement with Jewish culture. So how exactly does food rope in all the other aspects of Jewish culture? When I asked my mother if cooking Jewish food helped her feel connected to Jewish tradition or our family history, she said that it helps her feel connected on a personal level to her mother and to Jewish tradition aside from attending temple. She likes learning about the symbolism of the foods and the holidays which they are prepared for. From the younger perspective, which I gained from the same two friends I mentioned before, food gives a similar connection to Jewish history. With Jewish history comes Jewish holidays and with Jewish holidays comes food. So we eat the food and learn about the holidays and thus our cultural history. From Seder plates to remember Jewish enslavement in Egypt, to honey dipped apples for a sweet New Year, food is there to teach Jewish traditions. Shira and Sarah said that Jewish holidays and the culture at large are centered around food. At all occasions it brings people together and shows prosperity and thankfulness. “Most of the Jewish holidays are about some form of oppression in the past, somebody tried to kill us or enslave us so we fight back with our food and celebration.” Jewish food seems to be a great way to keep Judaism thriving by providing an easy introduction to the Jewish faith and commemorating Jewish cultural history. Many Jewish families introduce the food and the holidays as a way to preserve the collective memory of the Jewish faith and to celebrate past oppressions and their thankfulness for their current freedom. Jewish cuisine allows Jews to dig into their meal and their culture simultaneously, and to fight back at their history of mistreatment with celebration and merriment."
--( posted on May 5, 2015, commenting on the post Final Web Project )