In the past few years, a new awareness of the realities of the industrial food system we live in, and the harms to the earth and to workers because of those realities, has led many Jews to practice what is known as "ethical kashrut."
Ethical kashrut takes the idea of "kosher" and runs with it: It suggests that for foods to be truly kosher or "fit to eat," (the literal translation of the Hebrew word "kosher"), they need to be produced in a way that is fair to farm workers, to the land, and to the plants and animals we consume. According to traditional kashrut laws, all fresh, unprocessed, uncut produce is kosher. But when you bite into a tomato picked by modern-day slaves, how kosher is it?
In the latest Hot Topics: Ethical Kashrut, helps students understand kashrut laws and decide what maeks something truly kosher.
This new resource will help students:
- Study texts related to kashrut, and will understand the concept of ethical kashrut
- See food choices as a way to live out their personal and communal values
- Put forth guidelines for a personal ethical kashrut certification
You can download Hot Topics: Ethical Kashrut on Monday, November 16th.
Each Hot Topics edition includes an article, a lesson plan for a 50 minute class, and a glossary of terms. A new topic will be available every two weeks for $3.99.
Did you miss the previous series of Hot Topics? You can find all twelve here. (Type 'Hot Topics' in the search field.)
Do you have a hot topic you want to address with your high schoolers? Let us know!
