Food For Thought

“Community is such an important Jewish value, and this is a way for people to gather, create, and celebrate.” —Jessica Siskin What happens when a Jewish artist meets crispy rice cereal and melted marshmallows? Oodles of edible creations emerge—from spot-on servings of bagels and lox to seder plates to a portrait of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “I’ve always loved creating,” says Jessica Siskin...

Amy Kritzer BeckerPhotos by Tim Kyle Photography Amy Kritzer Becker’s culinary roots first developed as a child, while she cooked side-by-side with her grandmother among the aromas and flavors of potato kugel and matzo ball soup. Years later, while working a corporate job, Amy fulfilled her passion for cooking by voraciously reading food blogs. “I thought, ‘Wait, I can do this,’” she recalls. “So I quit my job, and...

With tuition at public four-year universities having increased by 213 percent since 1988 (while family income has only risen by 11 percent) and with a vast majority of students now paying for some or all of their college education, more students than ever are left wondering when and how their next healthy meal will come. Two students and one alumni who participated in past cohort groups. As a result, nearly half of...

Last Fourth of July, more than 20,000 people showed up on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, to see Joey “Jaws” Chestnut chomp down a world-record 74 hot dogs (and buns) in just 10 minutes to win his 11th Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, while more than 1 million viewers from around the country watched on ESPN. The competition, which has become must-see holiday tradition for many Americans, has some interesting—and Jewi...

By Michelle Collins Michelle Collins My first memory of realizing I was different was in elementary school. I attended a public school, and we occasionally had catered lunches. I have a vivid memory of crying at the lunch table because everyone was eating hamburgers and I couldn’t. What a drama queen, amirite? I’m sure I didn’t go hungry that day. I’ve kept kosher my whole life. Even though I grew up in a subur...

Purim celebrates the bravery of a young woman named Esther who was chosen to be the wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia. When the King’s adviser, Haman, persuades him to kill all the Jews in the empire, Queen Esther’s cousin and adopted father, Mordecai, calls on her to use her influence and stop the plan. The tale is told in the Book of Esther, known as the Megillah, and ends with Haman’s hanging and the Jewish people saved...