Dining

A Flavorful Celebration of Jewish Culinary Identities

By |

Despite making up just about two percent of the U.S. population, Jews remain keepers of an incredibly varied culture. We see this first-hand in the wide range of Jewish identities which exist in America alone — an Israeli Jew may arrive in the U.S. cooking with chickpeas and pomegranates, only to balk at the copious amounts of “white food” which many Ashkenazi Jews consume. Likewise, latkes and gefilte fish may seem so intrinsically Jewish to these Eastern European Jewish communities that shunning them is to eschew Judaism entirely. Jewish culture is, therefore, dependent upon the interpreter’s own experiences, creating a collection of identities as varied as its people. Yet despite their differences, these groups unite themselves under the larger “Jewish” title, celebrating tradition and commitment to the community in similar ways: Through food.

shabbat

Shabbat Dinner: Cornell Edition

By |

Around 6:30 p.m. on a Friday, if you walk past 102 Willard Way, you’ll see a group of men with thick beards armed with Kippahs and prayer books. At this time, they’re deep in focus, unified in prayer, speaking the Hebrew words that welcome in the Shabbat — the holiest day of the week. Around the world, thousands of synagogues join. Walk past the same building an hour later, and the sights and sounds of 102 Willard Way will be those you can’t find in synagogues anywhere else. Friday night Shabbat dinner is a culinary and cultural spectacle only the Chabad at Cornell can do.