Food, Ethical Food

This post originally appeared at The Jew and the Carrot, a blog run by Hazon about Jews, food and contemporary issues.

As Jews, we have always cared about the food that we eat. Some of us choose to embrace traditional notions of kashrut - and many of us do not - but we can all agree that our food, and how we get it, plays an important part in our lives.

That's why Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, opened one section of his 2009 Biennial Shabbat sermon with these words: "Jewish history begins with a Jew - a new Jew, the first Jew - saying to others: come, eat with me. And ever since this first Jewish meal, Jews have believed that eating matters."

These words have never been truer than they are for us today. Our Jewish values - caring for our neighbors, being good stewards of our earth and its resources, valuing our family and our community - all point to the need to think critically about the way we eat.

The more we learn about the impact of our current industrial food system on our bodies, our communities, and our planet, the more we are challenged to reconsider our own food choices. Scientific studies, articles in almost every major news outlet, and dozens of recent films remind us how important our food decisions are - and how far we have strayed from sustainable and ethical eating practices. Earlier this [month], Washington Post food writer James E. McWilliams wrote, "...it's hard to avoid concluding that eating cannot be personal. What I eat influences you. What you eat influences me. Our diets are deeply, intimately and necessarily political."

Already, congregations across the U.S. and Canada are beginning these conversations, and many are beginning to grow their own food, build relationships with local farmers, and rethink how they serve synagogue meals - and what belongs on our plates in our congregations and our homes. The Reform Movement's new Shulchan Yarok, Shulchan Tzedek (Green Table, Just Table) initiative challenges us all to discuss, debate, and decide what lives up to our standards of ethical eating as Jews in the 21st century.

Rabbi Yoffie spoke specifically to Reform Jews in his sermon, but ideas about ethical eating that he espoused are ones that resonate with Jews of all denominations. That's why the Union for Reform Judaism has partnered with Hazon to put together the resources to help you start the conversation and, when you are ready, to take action. The options are almost endless: you can consider (or reconsider) your synagogue's food policies with an eye to ethical eating concerns; work with a local farmer to form a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project or start a synagogue garden; or run an adult education course on Jewish food choices. We hope all food-conscious Jews, Reform and otherwise, will take time to explore the incredible resources available on the Shulchan Yarok, Shulchan Tzedek initiative homepage, and to let us know how you and your congregation are getting involved.

As Rabbi Yoffie said in his Biennial speech, "Reform Jews are ethically aware, ecologically responsible, and sensitive to matters of physical and spiritual health. We know that our Jewish tradition speaks to these issues, and that our young people care about them. At such times, Reform Judaism does not remain silent."