September 2023—August 2024
Introductory Letter: JIFA’s New Chapter
Collaboration and partnership are key to the effectiveness of any mission-driven organization, and they are also values at the heart of Jewish tradition.
The ideal format for learning rabbinic teaching is in chevruta, or in a pair—an Aramaic term that stems from the Hebrew root meaning “friend.”
In Kohelet/Ecclesiastes, the author writes that two people have a greater reward for their labor and have more capacity to recover when one person needs support—an echo of why one human needed a companion in our Jewish creation narrative.
JIFA has collaborated and partnered with a growing number of communities since its inception in 2016 while the number of Jewish organizations committed to teaching Jewish animal and food ethics has remained small.
JIFA and our long-standing partner in this work, Jewish Veg, have come to the exciting determination that we are more effective together in supporting the broader Jewish community in aligning its food practices with its Jewish values.
We are thrilled to announce that JIFA and Jewish Veg have decided to pursue a strategic merger that will continue to transform our dining practices and establish more sustainable and humane food sourcing as the norm in our Jewish spaces.
“There is a growing awareness that for our world to be a place of flourishing, we need to change how we consume our world’s resources, including and particularly, our food.
The Talmud says: ‘ O chevruta! O metuta! ’/ ‘Give me friendship or give me death!’ Dramatic no doubt, and at its heart, true. We grow through our relationships, partnerships and collaborations, and this critical moment calls for a pooling of our powers and expansion of capacity for our work. This new step for both organizations is a wonderful and necessary one in the evolution of a movement to transform practice and culture in the Jewish community.”
This past year, JIFA and Jewish Veg’s staff began taking important steps toward merging our team, our administration and operations, as well as board leadership.
We have set the stage for a new organization to launch with a mission and vision that reflect our shared values and commitment to supporting positive change in Jewish communal life.
“We are thrilled to announce that JIFA and Jewish Veg have decided to pursue a strategic merger that will continue to transform our dining practices and establish more sustainable and humane food sourcing as the norm in our Jewish spaces.”
LISA
Our programming will continue to spark inquiry into topics of food justice through the lens of long and evolving Jewish traditions and values while strengthening communities in the process.
Crucially, we now operate with an expanded and specialized team to deepen our connections and engagement with community members and leaders.
Like with Torah study—and with eating—we do not catalyze change alone. As we embark on this new chapter, it is heartening to have the support, creativity, and leadership of Jewish Veg to craft the next stage of our joint organization.
“Jewish Veg has always enjoyed partnering with other organizations that are working in the ethical and compassionate eating space.
This merger has provided us with an exciting time of combining our work, our team, and our followers with a Jewish organizational ally.
As a sharply focused organization, we are helping the Jewish community and our institutions shift away from factory farming and towards plant-based foods that are more sustainable, compassionate, and in line with our Jewish values.”
Rabbinical Assembly Partnership for Sustainable Dining
Our ability to support and strengthen communities multiplies exponentially when we collaborate with a broader village of members. Beginning this year, we formally partnered with the Rabbinical Assembly (RA) and the Conservative Jewish Movement on a groundbreaking cohort program to support 8 denomination-affiliated organizations in adopting sustainable kosher food policies. We expect each of these institutions to achieve, at minimum, a 20% reduction in the volume of animal products served.
we are so pleased that the Rabbinical Assembly has chosen JIFA as a primary partner in their effort to improve Jewish institutional dining. In 2022, following the run of JIFA’s kosher humanewashing campaign, the RA passed a resolution stating that “shifts to our institutional food practices, such as reducing factory-farmed animal product consumption, would help us to better achieve our values.”
The resolution also tasked the Social Justice Commission with creating a subcommittee that would “revisit [the RA’s] work in the area of ethical food consumption.” Rav Natan Freller, head of the aforementioned Ethically Sourced Food Subcommittee, is enthusiastic about achieving these goals with JIFA’s support:
“The Rabbinical Assembly has been looking for a partner, with knowledge and resources, to help us educate our communities about the important ethical challenges posed by industrial farming and the potential for plant-forward foods to better align our food choices with our values.
The Conservative Movement has passionately addressed the ethical implications of our food choices and production practices for decades—
This unique partnership between JIFA and the RA is exactly what we needed to get started on this long-term cultural change process, raising awareness about how we make better choices regarding the food we serve and eat. I’m very excited to see this pilot project in action soon and hopeful to see all the good it will disseminate in our communities.”
—Rav Natan Freller
Eight organizations committed to adopting plant-based defaults and creating a sustainable food policy.
“The Conservative Movement has passionately addressed the ethical implications of our food choices and production practices for decades—we are so pleased that the Rabbinical Assembly has chosen JIFA as a primary partner in their effort to improve Jewish institutional dining.”
Eating together is an opportunity for connection, fellowship, and significant conversations.
Through full cohort training and one-on-one consultation, JIFA will continue to help these eight institutions (through February of 2025) strengthen their connection to food, to Jewish life, and to one another as we collaborate on aligning communal food practices with Jewish values.
We are thrilled to see these communities set an example, not just for the larger Conservative movement, but for other denominations and the beyond-denominational Jewish world.
MELISSA
“JIFA’s programming to support sustainable dining is merely helping Jewish communities and leaders do what many have been wanting for years: to adopt food practices that reduce reliance on harmful, exploitative practices and contribute to a healthier, more resilient food system.
Expressing communal values through not just theoretical statements, but through actionable policies, is a key way that Jewish communities form and enact a brit—or covenant—with the people, animals, and land that nourish us.”
Sparking Inquiry & Inspiring Change through Communal Programs
A Tale of Two Flocks
To mark the Jewish New Year for Animals in 2023/5783, JIFA hosted A Tale of Two Flocks: The History of Jews and Chickens in the U.S. Advisory board member Dr. Adrienne Krone educated on the evolution of the American chicken industry and the seminal role that Jewish communities played in its development.
Jewish Agricultural History Resources
Zeder Cheder
In honor of Passover 2024/5784, JIFA and Jewish Veg hosted a “Zeder Cheder,” a learning and preparation-focused take on Jewish Veg’s community “Zeder” (Zoom seder). In our virtual cheder (literally “room,” and in Yiddish a school or place of learning), participants prepared for Passover with lessons about the seder plate, contemporary connections to worker justice, and demos of plant-based kosher-for-Passover recipes.
Animal & Vegan Advocacy Summit
JIFA hosted a communal Shabbat at the Animal and Vegan Advocacy (AVA) Summit in Washington, DC. The event provided space for Jewish attendees and friends of the Jewish community to enjoy sacred rituals together while honoring our shared commitment to building a better world.
Representatives from CreatureKind, Dharma Voices for Animals, Green Islam, Jewish Initiative for Animals, and Unitarian Universal Ministry, all embedded leaders in their respective communities, shared their unique approach to working within and with traditions to transform culture and cultivate justice, compassion, and respect for all animals.
JIFA and other religious organization speakers joined the AVA interfaith panel, Animal Advocacy in the Tapestry of Faith.
Expanding Digital Engagement
Expanding Platforms
We extended our presence to several new platforms—YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Threads—to increase awareness of our national work and impact. Thanks to a year of successful, organic social media strategy, we saw an increase of 182.2% in our engagement rate across all platforms showing greater interaction by audiences reached by our content. JIFA increased our total net audience by 395.8% with the majority of growth on Instagram, which increased by 1,043.8%.
Torah for the Animals
This new video series features our Executive Director, Rabbi Jonathan Bernhard, with novel lessons about Jewish food and animal ethics around current events and the Jewish calendar.
Influential Voices
Instagram Live collaborations have included influential voices, ranging from chefs to artists to rabbis. Each brings a unique take on values-based advocacy to the virtual table.
KAYLA
“Our commitment to accessible education has fostered positive growth in our virtual community through increased followers and engagement.
By leveraging new digital platforms and innovative content, like our ‘Torah for the Animals’ series and Live Chats with influential voices, we are effectively shifting communal culture and food choices towards more sustainable and ethical practices while cementing our leadership within the movement.”
“JIFA increased our total net audience by 395.8% with the majority of growth on Instagram, which increased by 1,043.8%.”
“We learn from the Maccabees to be willing to light one light, one day at a time.”
—Rabbi Jonathan Bernhard
Kayla Kaplan interviewed Chef Micah Siva, author of the Jewish recipe collection, Nosh
Media Highlights
Sukkot The Times of Israel
We need a new definition of Jewish continuity
“If more families and communities hold space for conversations about aligning values with institutional commitments, leveraging the power of Jewish teachings that already command us to protect the Earth, we might find that our goal of lowering our environmental impact actually converges, rather than competes, with the goal of fortifying Jewish tradition.”
Earth Day/Passover Green Matters
Passover and Earth Day Converge:
Jewish Climate Activists Share What This Means to Them
“This year, with the first evening of Passover falling on Earth Day, we are given an extra push to think about our holiday of liberation in more expansive ways.”
Passover Exploring Judaism
Embracing Change: A Call to Rethink the Passover Seder Plate
KAYLA & JONATHAN
“The idea of changing the items arranged on the seder plate may feel like a deviation from tradition; however, as our story has continued to evolve over thousands of years, so should our rituals and practices. We navigate this evolution with the blessing of modern sensibilities to honor our traditions in a way compatible with our developing values.”
Shavuot The Times of Israel [Featured Post]
Shavuot’s Dairy Dilemma
“Given the way factory farms produce milk, it begs the question of whether milk befits the symbol of compassion and life and is worthy of being the traditional food of Shavuot?”
Photo: Alexnow / iStock
Donor Appreciation
We at JIFA are grateful for the individual donors who have supported us throughout this year. Our work is made possible and sustained by you! Through tzedakah (righteous giving), our team can help communities promote tzedek: justice for the people, the animals, and the planet.
Andrew Berman
Louis Bernstein
Devora K-Block
Miriam Cantor
Patricia Carlton
Geoffrey Claussen
Katarina M. Despain
Lisa Edelstein
Ryan Guan
Arthur & Debra
Greenberg
Ira Halpern
Susana Hoffman
Alice Jena
Richard Katz
Carol L. Keator
Sarah Chee Imm Kim
Sarah E. Lux
Leora Mallach
Carol G. Newman
Parfait Studio LLC
Paul Pepperman
Jesse Potack
Danny Rosett
Charles Savenor
Cheryl Simonoff
Layn Smith
Gil & Judith Solomon
Cathy Wiser
Sarit Wishnevski
