New B’nai Sholom Course Examines “Ethics of Eating”

What do Jewish values – and in particular Reform Jewish values – have to offer about elevating the ethical, religious and spiritual level of our diet?

That will be the focus of a new course at B’nai Sholom Reform Congregation on the ethics of eating.

“The Ethics of Eating – or, Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” will be offered Mondays beginning October 22 at 7:30 p.m. at B’nai Sholom Reform Congregation, 420 Whitehall Road, Albany.

Led by Rabbi Don Cashman, B’nai Sholom’s spiritual leader, the 11-session course will consider how animals are raised and slaughtered, how vegetables are grown and brought to market, how workers on the farm and in the market are treated, and how what we eat may affect our health. What could be more “ripe” as a determinant of personal ethics than concern for what we buy, cook, serve and eat? “Ethics of Eating” will look at diet as an element of Jewish identity, traditional kashrut and the historical Reform attitudes toward it, and how an evolving Reform Jewish ethic may be something very different from grandmother’s two sets of dishes.

Registration for this course is required. Cost is $54; for B’nai Sholom members, it’s just $36. The required text, The Sacred Table: Creating a Jewish Food Ethic (CCAR Press, 2011), is an additional $20 if purchased through B’nai Sholom or $9.99 when bought as an e-book for tablets and smartphones.

For more information or to register for this course, contact the B’nai Sholom office at 518-482-5283 or e-mail office@bnaisholom.albany.ny.us.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary, B’nai Sholom Reform Congregation in Albany is a home for contemporary Reform Judaism in the Capital Region, creating a vibrant Jewish present that links ancient traditions with the promise of the future. More than 160 diverse households from six counties seek religious, educational and social fulfillment at B’nai Sholom.