Food in the spotlight at Jewish Renaissance

Jews raising chickens, building relationships with other foodies and sampling Israeli wines are all part of An Evening of Jewish Renaissance.

My own cousins and an uncle owned three or four egg farms when I was growing up, and we would stop at a couple of them whenever we traveled through New Jersey. Shortly after I got married, we lived in Vineland, N.J., where even neighborhoods near downtown were dotted with chicken coops, many owned by survivors of the Holocaust.

Rabbi Aaron Philmus continues this Jewish tradition in East Greenwich and will offer a session at An Evening of Jewish Renaissance, on Nov. 14, titled, “Rabbi! Your Chickens are Loose at the Shul Again!”

Louis Raymond, of the South Side Land Trust, and Rob Yaffe, owner of local vegetarian restaurants, will, together, offer a program, “The Eating is just the beginning.” They will explain how healthy food expands your options far beyond what’s on your plate:Making healthy choices can create new friendships and new connections with your neighbors and your local shopkeepers.  

Shaul Katz, of the Brookline Liquor Mart, a four-generation family business, will discuss the amazing improvements that have taken place in Israeli wine in the last decade, resulting in a much higher-quality product at a more reasonable price. Several wines will be sampled.

Stephen Sherman, who is returning to his Rhode Island roots, will present “Ancient Agriculture and the New Jewish Food Movement.” He is a Jewish farm educator and an alumnus of the Adamah Jewish Farming Fellowship, in Falls Village, Connecticut. Sherman will discuss how we can use the lessons of our agrarian heritage to give fresh responses to the social and environmental problems of our time.

All of these sessions and many more will be part of An Evening of Jewish Renaissance: Redesigned, brought to you by the Judge Marjorie Yashar and Dr. James Yashar Fund of the Jewish Federation Foundation. The evening begins at 7 on Nov. 14,at the Dwares Jewish Community Center, in Providence.

For more information, visit the Jewish Alliance’s website, www.jewishallianceri.org or contact Jana Brenman at jbrenman@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 181.