“Ethics of Eating” Examined in Course at B’nai Sholom

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 course offered at B’nai Sholom Reform Congregation.

“The Ethics of Eating – or, Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” will be offered Mondays beginning Oct. 30, 10:30-11:45 a.m. at the synagogue, 420 Whitehall Road, Albany.

Led by Rabbi Don Cashman, B’nai Sholom’s spiritual leader, the seven-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?  “The 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 is required.  Cost is $48; 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 for print version, $13 as a PDF or $10 as an e-book.  Order through B’nai Sholom by Oct. 16.

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

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Founded in 1971, B’nai Sholom Reform Congregation in Albany is a home for contemporary Reform Judaism in the Capital Region.  Nearly 130 diverse households from eight counties seek religious, educational and social fulfillment at B’nai Sholom.  For information about B’nai Sholom and the benefits of belonging, visit www.bnaisholomalbany.org  or contact the B’nai Sholom office at 518-482-5283 or office@bnaisholom.albany.ny.us.

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