In a change from most of the meat-filled Jewish holidays, Shavuot is typically celebrated with an array of dairy delights. Though no one is complaining about a full day of blintzes, cheesecake, and creamy ice cream, the hard and fast biblical explanation as to why this day strays from the traditional brisket and beef menu remains to be seen. Though many Jewish laws have different interpretations or translations in modern society, the rule prescribing the consumption of dairy on Shavuot is particularly interesting …More

Eating kosher can be difficult for seniors and low income Jews living on a tight budget. Now a new bill backed by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Representative Joe Crowley may help make it easier for food pantries to stock kosher fare. Currently, the Department of Agriculture purchases and provides some kosher food for distribution to the nation’s food pantries through its TEFAP program. However, once the food is purchased, there is no way of tracking to make certain that kosher food is reaching the …More

As Danny Kaye’s centennial year approaches, the legacy left behind by this ultimate entertainer includes a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, extensive tributes from UNICEF for his humanitarian work, a Kennedy Center Honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and an immeasurable impact on the acting and singing community. But no amount of awards can measure up to his most recent posthumous addition to culture and Jewish life: New York’s famed kosher-style Carnegie Deli has added a new sandwich to its …More

Ken and Daniel Hechtman, two Jewish brothers who own a kosher diner in Illinois, saved several people from a fiery car crash in Chicago. While driving back Sunday night from their diner in Skokie, a truck in front of them on the Edens Expressway in Northfield swerved into another car, causing an explosion. Daniel Hechtman, 54, ran to the vehicle and pulled a passenger from the truck. Ken Hechtman, 60, pulled a mother and her 10-year-old daughter from the car, which was under the truck. Both sustainted more …More

Dorina Pilipovsky has been cooking since she was a little girl. She learned about Jewish food from her Russian Babushka, and has modernized the kosher classics just for you. Stay tuned for more recipes for the Jewish kitchen. Crepes are delicious by themselves. But when you stuff them they become even better. This is my childhood comfort food. Crepes 3/4 cup flour 3 eggs 1 tsp salt 1 1/4 cup water, milk or rice milk 3 tbsp butter or margarine grapeseed oil Instructions: 1. Blend flour, eggs, salt and …More

Dorina Pilipovsky has been cooking since she was a little girl. She learned about Jewish food from her Russian Babushka, and has modernized the kosher classics just for you. Stay tuned for more recipes for the Jewish kitchen. Okay, the first time I heard of this I wasn’t so thrilled about it. But, then when you think about it, potato chip schnitzel is pretty genius—especially during Pesach. Who doesn’t love potato chips? And you know everyone loves chicken. Put them together and your kids will …More

Swarms of locusts have invaded Israel in the past few weeks, destroying crops and causing the Israeli government to launch all-out aerial assault to destroy the pests. While most Israelis consider the locust storm a menace, some with adventurous palates have decided to turn the invading bugs into tasty, and arguably kosher, snacks. Chef Moshe Basson points out the bugs, which are mentioned in the Torah as being kosher, are not subject to rules of ritual slaughter, thus making them easy to prepare. Basson suggests …More

Gamliel Kronemer, JNS.org Not long ago, kosher wine sales in America were dominated by wines from California, New York and France, but in the last decade wines from Israel have become dominant in the kosher wine sector. Walk into almost any wine shop with a kosher section, and you will likely see a selection of mostly Israeli wines. Indeed, for many consumers, “Israeli wine” has become synonymous with “kosher wine”—and Joshua Greenstein wants to change that. Greenstein is the …More

One of the most famous American candies of all time, the Tootsie Roll, was invented by an Austrian immigrant named Leo Hirschfeld who came to America in the late 1890s. Jews have always played a large role in candy making of yore, as Tablet magazine explains: “One hundred years ago, most confections were generic, sold as penny candy from jars on shop counters. They were usually distributed by peddlers, most of them Jewish immigrants from Europe who sold a variety of goods on their rounds. Some of those …More

A viral outbreak among chickens in the United Kingdom has the kosher community worried about a chicken shortage for Passover. Kashrut supervisors are reporting “up to 80 percent [of the chickens] treifoth,” rendering most of the birds unsuitable for use at the Passover table. The virus is similar to a 2012 outbreak in which a virus caused the chicken’s tendons to stiffen and break and impacted approximately 25 percent of the bird population. In the London outbreak, kashrut supervisors are noting …More

On any given day, a wind might blow through the farmlands of South America, pick up an errant grain of barley and deposit it nearby among the vast rows of cultivated quinoa. If that barley manages to make its way into a sifted batch of quinoa, and avoid detection during repackaging, it could wind up gracing your seder table on Passover night. However dubious it might seem, the scenario is among the reasons that the world's largest kosher certification agency is refusing to sanction quinoa for Passover …More

President Obama may not take a planned visit to Israel later this month, if Netanyahu’s coalition is still not officially formed. [Times of Israel] Beverlywood Supper Club has hired a New York City rabbi to oversee its newly developed kosher dinner. [LA Times] John Kerry is criticized for seeking a final agreement between Israelis and Palestinians during his term as Secretary of State. [Times of Israel] American Israel Public Affairs Committee requests that the US not include Israel’s grant package …More