OUR WORK
Our Approach
Food is central to Jewish life, and few actions impact our world as deeply as our food choices.
The Center for Jewish Food Ethics provides Jewish communities with the resources they need to understand a complex food system and make informed food choices that reflect a commitment to Jewish ethical principles.
By shifting communal food culture to promote more sustainable and humane food practices, we honor the Jewish values of protecting people, animals, and our planet.
Our Focus
FOOD POLICY
We provide expert consultation, practical training, and cultural support for communities to establish long-term commitments to ethical food.
CAMPAIGNS
Our campaigns encourage Jewish communities to embrace the wisdom of traditional teachings and confront difficult questions about our food system in relation to our values.
EDUCATION
Our educational programs and resources spark inquiry into how Jewish tradition informs our food choices and relationship to today’s complex food system.
Our Impact
Your gift allows us to further public awareness, guide communal policy, and mobilize Jewish leaders. Ongoing support ensures that we can offer free food policy consultations and accessible programs to all.
WE RAISE AWARENESS
48%
FALSELY BELIEVE
Our research exposed significant gaps in people’s understanding about animal agriculture and their expectations of kosher certification.
WE HELP CONSUMERS ALIGN THEIR VALUES AND PRACTICE
SAVES UP TO
2/3
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS & WATER USE
The primary strategy we advocate for and help communities adopt–plant-based defaults–is a set of subtle changes with big impact.
WE EMPOWER LEADERS
400+
JEWISH CLERGY & LEADERS
Our merging organizations have recruited hundreds of Jewish clergy and leaders who are calling for positive change to our food practices.
Over 400 Jewish clergy and leaders have called for more sustainable food practices that center plant-based food and avoid products from factory farms.
Shalom Begins on Your Plate
Our new video, “Shalom Begins on Your Plate,” features six of our Clergy Statement signatories passionate about aligning our community food choices with Jewish values to benefit our bodies, animals, and our planet.
These Jewish leaders speak to the importance of:
Bal Tashchit — Avoiding wasteful destruction
Tza’ar Ba’alei Chayim — Preventing animal suffering
Shmirat haGuf — Protecting the body
Kashrut — Jewish dietary laws
For Community Members
We invite you to share the “Shalom Begins on Your Plate” video to raise awareness about the transformative power of our food choices.
Please consider a gift to support our work helping communities transition toward more sustainable food practices.
For Clergy
We encourage you to join over 200 fellow clergy in signing onto our Clergy Statement, which supports a community-wide shift toward sustainable food practices.
You may view the current list of signatories here.
תן דעתך שלא תקלקל ותחריב את עולמי, שאם קלקלת אין מי שיתקן אחריך
“Make sure you don’t ruin or destroy My world, for if you ruin it, there will be no one to repair it after you.”
- Midrash Rabbah Ecclesiastes 7:13
