Center for Jewish Food Ethics

10/14/2026

The true cost of fishing is always higher than it appears. 💰 🎣

Over the past few years American consumers have broken seafood consumption records. Although much of the seafood category is treyf, or non-kosher to observant Jews, cured salmon is a significant part of those statistics: Americans eat on average over four pounds of canned and cured fish alone per person every year.

What most of these consumers don’t realize is where that fish comes from. Just as we’re fed images of grass-fed cows, we’re led to believe that fish are taken from the ocean.

According to reporting from Los Angeles Times via Yahoo News, "As of 2022, more than half of the seafood eaten worldwide was farm-raised rather than caught at sea, a fact that has been praised as evidence that fish farming can meet a growing demand for seafood while slowing the collapse of the oceans. But the unbridled embrace of aquaculture as a sustainable answer to feeding the planet ignores some very real costs."

There are many Jewish values-based reasons to commit to sourcing and serving food that is not a product of industrial fishing. From preserving wild habitats and species to caring for vulnerable workers and planetary health, it's up to our communities to better align our food practices with our ethics.

Fish farming has been marketed as a sustainable answer to overfishing. But an investigation found that the feed behind much of modern aquaculture is driving ocean depletion, labor abuse and unrest far...

10/12/2026

Creating change can feel like a big, abstract concept. We often weigh the impact of individual changes against systemic ones, but it's important to remember that you can not have the latter without the former.

As Aubrey Golding frames it, we all have an opportunity to create change one plate a time.

Perhaps the change comes from shifting what food is on the plate you serve yourself today, or what you serve to someone in your greater community next month. Maybe the change is sparked from a conversation happening at the table those plates are enjoyed around. All change starts somewhere.

From education around Jewish food values to culinary trainings to formalizing your food practices into a tailored policy, we are here to support your community at every stage of progress and at any scale.

To learn more about the strategy that guides our work, check out the resources linked in the comments below.

10/06/2026

For decades, the meat industry has worked overtime to persuade consumers that the animals who end up on their plates are not the products of factory farming. Its most effective tool in that endeavor is humanewashing: misleading marketing and language, often built around nice-sounding labels that cre...

10/05/2026

DAF Day is almost here! 👏

Do you have a donor-advised fund? Put it to work for Jewish food ethics.
On Thursday, October 8, people across the country are activating their DAFs to support the causes they care about.

We’d be grateful if you’d consider recommending a grant to the Center for Jewish Food Ethics.

Your support helps us provide the resources, education, and advocacy needed to help Jewish communities align their food choices with Jewish values.

To recommend a grant, find CJFE on the DAF Day website or give directly through your DAF provider, including DAFgiving360 and Fidelity Charitable.

Legal name: Center for Jewish Food Ethics

EIN: 61-1527792

Link in comments for DAF Day and our 2027 giving pledge.



🔗 Find CJFE's DAF giving donation link in our bio!

09/10/2026

09/10/2026

Shana tovah--happy New Year--from CJFE!

💌 Share some New Year cheer with our punny e-cards.

We hope you have a meaningful Rosh Hashanah celebration and the year that follows is sweet.

09/09/2026

Last week the Adamah Jewish Green Business Network hosted a gathering for Jewish climate leaders and a conversation with Joel Makower.

This event included a delicious plant-based default spread, and is a great example for other Jewish community events who are driven by Jewish values as champions of sustainability and climate advocacy.

Talya Herring, Co-Director of JGBN shared, "At Adamah's Jewish Green Business Network events, we strive our gatherings with the values we seek to advance in the world in serving primarily plant based foods.

This choice reflects our commitment to climate responsibility, as plant-based meals generally have a lower environmental footprint and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with food production. It also reflects our commitment to inclusivity. Plant-based offerings can be enjoyed by people with a wide range of dietary needs, cultural backgrounds, and levels of kashrut observance, making it easier for everyone to feel welcome at the table.

Most importantly, serving plant-based food is an expression of Jewish values. Judaism calls on us to be stewards of creation (shomrei adamah), to avoid unnecessary waste (bal tashchit), to protect health and well-being (pikuach nefesh), and to ensure that our choices contribute to a more just and sustainable world. By choosing food that nourishes people while reducing our impact on the planet, we seek to embody these values in practice."

To learn more about sustainable food strategies or for support on aligning your Jewish community's events with Jewish values please visit our website (linked below) or reach out to our team at [email protected].

09/04/2026

Shabbat shalom and happy 🐾

No matter where you live, you share a neighborhood with wildlife. Being a good neighbor means treating these animals--and your shared environment--with compassion and respect.

In fact, showing compassion for animals is a foundational Jewish value called tza'ar ba'alei chayim. Learn more here: https://www.jewishfoodethics.org/learn/tzaar-baalei-chayim

09/02/2026

We’re reflecting on the wonderful events we’ve shared so far in 2026 with Jewish communities across Colorado.

From learning together, gathering outdoors and connecting with the land, to sharing delicious food while welcoming Shabbat and holidays, these gatherings have been opportunities to explore what Jewish food ethics can look like in practice. All of these moments add up to something bigger: building knowledge, cultivating community, and advancing sustainable dining across Jewish Colorado.

🌱June: Mayim L'Chayim with Farm and Jewish Climate Action
🌱July: 20s/30s Shabbat Dinner with JCC at Milk and Honey Farm
🌱August: Denver Community Shabbat: Holy Cow it's Elul

These programs—and more to come—are made possible by a generous grant from Rose Community Foundation. Thank you Rose Community Foundation for your support.

08/31/2026

Our 5786 Annual Report is here!

In just the past year, we:
⭐ Scaled our Sustainable Dining Training program to reach 86 participants through live trainings and a new e-course—building a growing network of community leaders equipped to transform communal food practices.
⭐ Helped Jewish institutions translate values into action by partnering with organizations like Eden Village West to develop and share practical, scalable models for more sustainable, inclusive, and values-aligned dining across entire sectors of Jewish life.
⭐ Brought Jewish food ethics into national conversations through coalition advocacy and public education—including a front-page op-ed in The Progressive Magazine on the moral stakes of the Farm Bill that extended our message to millions of readers nationwide.
⭐ Expanded a growing community committed to change by engaging more than 400 participants through educational programs, interfaith conversations, and local partnerships connecting Jewish values with food system transformation.

Thank you to all of our supporters, partnering organizations, board members, program attendees, and all other members of the CJFE community for making this work possible!

Check it out for more highlights from Fall 2025-Summer 2026: https://www.jewishfoodethics.org/annual-reports

To help us sustain this work in 5787, please consider becoming a recurring donor: https://www.jewishfoodethics.org/support