Spinning the Driedel for Chocolate Gelt

Spinning the Driedel for Chocolate Gelt Why Choose Fair Trade Chocolate Gelt

Middle School Program and Educator’s Guide

Table of Contents Welcome Letter........................................................................................................................ 1 Spinning the Dreidel for Chocolate Gelt................................................................................ 2 Program Overview ............................................................................................................................ 2 Advance Preparation ........................................................................................................................ 2 Materials ............................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Timing ................................................................................................................................................................................. 2 I. Introduction to Why Choose Fair Trade Chanukah Gelt? (5 minutes)........................................ 2 II. Cocoa Seed to Chocolate Bar: Chocolate Production (15-20 minutes) ..................................... 3 III. Defined: Fair Trade (5 minutes)................................................................................................... 4 Lesson Extensions ........................................................................................................................................................... 4 IV. Fair Trade and Jewish Values (10-15 minutes) .......................................................................... 5 V. Fair Trade Chocolate Tasting (5 minutes) ................................................................................... 6 IV. Take Action and Closing (5-10 minutes) .................................................................................... 6

Educator’s Guide...................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction to Why Choose Fair Trade Chocolate Gelt ................................................................ 7 The origins of Hanukkah Gelt ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Cocoa Seed to Chocolate Bar: Chocolate Production..................................................................... 8 Chocolate Production and Children......................................................................................................................... 8 Defined: Fair Trade............................................................................................................................ 8 Fair Trade Defined........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Benefits of Supporting Fair Trade ............................................................................................................................. 9 Fair Trade Logos ............................................................................................................................................................10 Other Common Fair trade Foods.............................................................................................................................10 Other Useful Definitions .............................................................................................................................................10 Fair Trade and Jewish Values .........................................................................................................10 Fair Trade Chocolate Tasting..........................................................................................................11 Take Action and Closing .................................................................................................................11

Continue the Conversation................................................................................................... 13 Next Time Your Students Meet ................................................................................................................................13 Additional Program Ideas ..........................................................................................................................................13

Chocolate Production Activity Sheet ................................................................................... 14 Fair Trade Logos Worksheet ................................................................................................. 15 Fair Trade and Jewish Values Worksheet ............................................................................ 16 Hazon Jewish Food Educational Resources......................................................................... 17

Welcome Letter Dear Educator, Chag sameach! Happy Chanukah!

During this Festival of Lights, when we celebrate with light, generosity and song, the Kavana Cooperative, Hillel at the University of Washington, Fair Trade Judaica, and Hazon are pleased to offer this Chanukah program: Spinning the Driedel for Chocolate Gelt.

Gold- and silver-wrapped chocolate coins are now universally associated with Chanukah, but you may be surprised to learn that they weren’t actually introduced until the 1920s. Now that chocolate gelt is so closely linked to the holiday, it offers us an opportunity to learn more about chocolate, where it comes from, who produces it, and how choosing the type of gelt you eat during Chanukah is a process that can be informed and enlivened by Jewish values.

In this program, your students will consider the following text: There is nothing in the world more grievous than poverty – the most terrible of sufferings.

Our teachers have said: if all the troubles of the world were assembled on one side and poverty on the other, poverty would outweigh them all.

Exodus Rabbah 31:12 As your students grapple with the discovery that most chocolate production includes forced child labor, they will also learn that Fair Trade certification provides a means to keep children out of the chain of industrial production and helps empower them, their families, and their communities to rise out of poverty.

And so, as we illuminate the darkness together this Chanukah, we wish you a holiday filled with light, joy, and delicious chocolate, and we thank you for bringing this important program to your students and your community.

Judith Belasco Director of Programs Hazon

Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum Executive Director The Kavana Cooperative

Rabbi Oren Hayon Greenstein Family Executive Director Hillel at the University of Washington

Ilana Schatz Founding Director Fair Trade Judaica

Spinning the Dreidel for Chocolate Gelt was made possible by funds granted by The Covenant Foundation.

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Spinning the Dreidel for Chocolate Gelt Why Choose Fair Trade Chanukah Gelt Program Overview Every Chanukah, Jewish children of all ages receive chocolate gelt as a treat to enjoy during the holiday. Our consumption of chocolate gelt offer us an opportunity to learn more about chocolate, where it comes from, who helps produce it, and how choosing the type of chocolate gelt you eat during Chanukah can connect with your Jewish values. As your students’ grapple with learning that most chocolate production includes forced child labor, they will also learn that Fair Trade certification provides a means to keep children out of chocolate production, helping to support the children, their families, and their communities to rise out of poverty.

Advance Preparation Materials Chocolate Production Activity Sheet - one per student Fair Trade and Jewish values handout - one per student Fair Trade logo - print large copy Fair Trade chocolate for tasting!

Paper, pens, markers Timing 45 – 60 minutes

I. Introduction to Why Choose Fair Trade Chanukah Gelt? (5 minutes) Open the program by asking the students if they get chocolate gelt (or got gelt when they were younger) during Chanuakh and if they know why we give out chocolate gelt.

Sample Answers: Gelt are the coins used for playing dreidel, kids used to get money for Chanukah and now we get presents and chocolate money, etc.

See Teacher’s Guide for background information on the relationships between Chanukah and chocolate get.

Today we are going to learn more about chocolate, where it comes from, who helps produce it, and how choosing the type of chocolate gelt you eat during Chanukah can connect to Jewish values.

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II. Cocoa Seed to Chocolate Bar: Chocolate Production (15-20 minutes) Chocolate bars are always made out of cocoa and cocoa butter. Depending on the bar, sugar, milk, and other ingredients may be mixed in. Today we are going to learn more about the cocoa that goes into chocolate.

Chocolate first starts from cocoa beans, which grow in seed-pods on trees.

We are going to figure out how we start with cocoa seeds and end with chocolate.

Handout the Chocolate Production Activity Sheet (pg 14) and scissors. Have students work in pairs to cut out the cards and put in them in the right order.

Alternate Activity: Provide the students with only the text portion of the cards. They can paste the text on a large sheet of paper in the proper order and then make their own drawings for each step of the process.

Come back together as a class and go through the chocolate production process to ensure that all students have the correct order.

1. Growing and Harvesting Cocoa grows on trees, which can be up to 50 feet tall. Cocoa trees can only in hot, rainy environments, usually near the equator. Cocoa trees take five years to produce their first crop.

The trees produce beans in large pods shaped like a football. In the winter and in the summer, when the pods are ripe, they are cut down from the tree.

2. Fermentating Farmers cut the cocoa pods in half with machetes. Inside each pod, there is a white pulp that contains as many as 45 cocoa beans. Farmers wrap the pulp in banana leaves and leave it to ferment for about five days. Over this time, a chemical reaction occurs in the beans so that the first of the chocolate flavors is brought out.

3. Drying Workers then spread the cocoa beans out on mats and leave them to dry in the sun for about a week. The sun dries out any moisture so the beans shrink and become hard. Workers need to turn the beans every few hours to stop them sticking together in clumps, picking out poor quality beans as they go along.

4. Transporting Cocoa farmers weigh and sell the cocoa beans to local buyers. The local buyers sell the beans on to international buyers. The beans are transported to factories in countries like all over the world where they will be made into chocolate.

5. Processing The beans are roasted to bring out the chocolate flavor and color. The shells are removed from the beans and the beans are then milled to create liquid called cocoa liquor. Some of the liquor is then pressed to form cocoa butter.

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6. Making Chocolate Cocoa butter is mixed with cocoa liquor and sugar to make dark chocolate. Milk is added for milk chocolate. White chocolate is made with cocoa butter, milk and sugar. The mixture is then refined to a smooth paste. Finally the chocolate bars are then formed by pouring liquid chocolate into molds, and sent down the production line to be wrapped and packaged.

7. Distributing and Selling The packaged chocolate is then transported to a shop near you – yum! Lots of hard work has gone into your chocolate bar. It takes 30-40 beans, or one whole cocoa pod, to make a regular sized bar of chocolate.

Discussion questions: • Who do we see in the pictures doing this work?

• While these photos show adults - maybe moms and dads - doing this work, more than half of the chocolate in America comes from a few countries in West Africa where there is rampant forced child labor. Children are taken from their homes and made to work. Some estimate that more than 100,000 children, including children as young as seven years old, are forced to work in the cocoa industry (see Teacher’s Guide for background information on chocolate production and children).

• If you were working all day, what are you not doing? o Sample Answers: These children aren't going to school, playing with friends, seeing their parents, etc.

III. Defined: Fair Trade (5 minutes) On some chocolate bars, you can find a “Fair Trade” symbol. This symbol means that people are checking where the chocolate comes from to ensure that no forced child labor is involved.

Just as a kosher symbol, or hecksher, on food means that it has been monitored and is up to kosher standards, the Fair Trade symbol means that food is up to Fair Trade standards, which include no forced child labor. Sometimes Kosher food can be more expensive because you are paying for the food to meet higher standards, Fair Trade food might be more expensive but you are ensuring it meets higher standards, too.

Pass around the Fair Trade logo sheet (pg 15). These are the symbols you will find on foods that are Fair trade. Just like there are different kosher certifications, there are different Fair Trade certifications but they all represent a similar standard.

Lesson Extensions Review other foods that are commonly found with Fair Trade seals. See the Teacher’s Guide section on Other Common Fair trade Foods (pg 9).

Design your own Fair Trade logo for chocolate! Provide the students with paper and markers or crayons. Encourage them to let their imagination go wild to think about how to convey that Fair Trade chocolate meets higher standards.

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IV. Fair Trade and Jewish Values (10-15 minutes) Judaism has a deep tradition of pursuing justice, helping those who are poor, hungry, or are in need.

Fair Trade values connect to Jewish values of helping others and working to overcome poverty.

Handout the Fair Trade and Jewish Values worksheet (pg 16). Students should work in chevruta (pairs) to study the text and answer the questions.

God upholds the cause of the orphan and the widow, and befriends the stranger, providing him with food and clothing. -- You too must befriend the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

- Deuteronomy 10:18-19 There is nothing in the world more grievous than poverty – the most terrible of sufferings. Our teachers have said: if all the troubles of the world are assembled on one side and poverty is on the other, poverty would outweigh them all.

- Midrash Exodus Rabbah 31:12 Discussion Questions: • As Jews, are we responsible to the poor? Why or why not?

• Based on these texts and your understanding of Fair Trade, what is Jewish about Fair Trade?

Bring everyone back together and ask each pair to share at least one idea they discussed in their chevruta.

If the students don’t make a connection between the Deuteronomy text and Passover, help to draw out this connection. We, too, have experienced slavery as a people and as we celebrate freedom, we should consider others who are still in slavery.

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V. Fair Trade Chocolate Tasting (5 minutes) Provide each student with a piece of Fair Trade chocolate gelt or a small piece of chocolate from a Fair Trade chocolate bar.

Allow them to enjoy the treat!

IV. Take Action and Closing (5-10 minutes) Now that the students are aware of the issues around modern chocolate production and that the Fair Trade certification is a response to the problem, it is important to now help them identify clear ways to take action based on what they learned.

Ask the students what they could do to raise awareness about Fair Trade gelt.

The ideas should include: • Buy Fair Trade gelt this Chanukah – Visit www.fairtradegelt.org to buy online or look for it at your local stores; • If your local stores don’t carry Fair Trade chocolate, let the store manager know that you want to buy this product in the store; • Make a Fair Trade pledge for the next year only buy Fair Trade chocolate. See how much Fair Trade chocolate you can enjoy!

To close the program, ask each student to say one word they think of when they hear the words “Fair Trade chocolate.” There might be a lot of “yummy” answers, but also some students who remember “children,” “West Africa,” “slavery,” “important,” etc.

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Educator’s Guide This Educator’s Guide provides background information focused on helping to prepare you to teach this program. While this information is for your knowledge, feel free to include as much – or as little – additional information as will be helpful and engaging for your students during this program.

Introduction to Why Choose Fair Trade Chocolate Gelt The origins of Hanukkah Gelt Before gelt (“money” in Yiddish) became synonymous with chocolate, it primarily referred to small amounts of money exchanged between friends, or gifted from parents to children during Hanukkah.

The exact origins behind this tradition are murky. Popular legend ties it back to the miraculous Maccabean victory over the Ancient Greeks, when the Hasmonean descendants minted national coins to celebrate their freedom. But in his book “Holidays, History, and Halakhah” Professor Eliezer Segal suggests the 18th-century Eastern European tradition of recognizing religious teachers with a token of gratitude around Hanukkah time as a more direct predecessor. “Before long,” he writes, “…this [custom] evolved into a quasi-obligatory gift of Hanukkah-gelt”— something akin to today’s custom of tipping the mailman at Christmas. The connection with the Festival of Lights was largely etymological, Segal writes, since the words Hanukkah (dedication) and hinnukh (education) share lingual roots. By the 19th century, the practice of giving gelt had, for unknown reasons, shifted from teachers to children…

Hoping to capitalize on the blossoming interest around Hanukkah, American candy companies like Loft’s first introduced gold and silver-wrapped chocolate gelt in the 1920s. Rabbi Debbie Prinz, who is researching the historical connections between Jews and chocolate, said that these companies may have drawn their inspiration from the chocolate coins (called “geld”) given to children as part of the St. Nicholas holiday throughout Belgium and the Netherlands in early December.

Today, the majority of the gelt eaten in the United States is not produced here. Journalist Amy Klein writes in ‘The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles” that, “[America’s] major kosher food companies — Paskez, Liebers, Manischewitz…import their chocolate coins from Israel,” where the Elite and Carmit brands are the major purveyors. The gelt churned out by these companies may score high on nostalgia, but — with its hyper sugary, faux-chocolate flavor and distinctively waxy snap — it lags on taste and quality.

Excerpted from “Deconstructing Chocolate Gelt” by Leah Koenig http://forward.com/articles/120106/deconstructing-chocolate-gelt/

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Cocoa Seed to Chocolate Bar: Chocolate Production Chocolate Production and Children More than half of the chocolate in America comes from a few countries in West Africa. In those countries, there is rampant child slavery. Some estimate that more than 100,000 children, including children as young as seven years old, are forced to work in the cocoa industry.

The following information is from the Raise the Bar, Hershey! campaign that pressed Hershey Chocolate to commit to sourcing 100% of its cocoa by 2020. http://www.raisethebarhershey.org/ The Payson Center at Tulane University, in its 2009 Assessment of Child Labor in the Cocoa Supply Chain in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, found that children are frequently involved in weeding, plucking cocoa pods, gathering and heaping cocoa pods, and other cocoa growing activities. They also reported that 15 percent of children surveyed reported forced or involuntary work in the past twelve months. In addition, they found that nearly 50 percent of children working in cocoa farming in Cote d’Ivoire and over 50 percent in Ghana reported injuries from their work in the past year.

In 2009, INTERPOL and Cote d’Ivoire police conducted raids on several cocoa plantations in Cote d’Ivoire. These raids identified scores of children who had been smuggled into Cote d’Ivoire from neighboring countries like Mali and Burkina Faso and were forced to work on cocoa farms.

One of the major factors underlying violations of labor rights on cocoa farms is the low price paid to farmers for their beans. Without receiving a fair price for their product, cocoa farmers do not have the means to hire adult workers whose rights are adequately respected, and who are in turn paid fair wages.

Defined: Fair Trade The key concept for your students to understand is that Fair Trade chocolate ensures that no children were forced to work in the production of the chocolate.

This section provides an in-depth exploration of the definition of Fair Trade, benefits of supporting Fair Trade, exploration of how Fair Trade ensures that no forced child labor is used, and other background information.

Fair Trade also covers gender issues, environmental impacts, fair pay and many other concepts. If your students have been introduced to these concepts at another point during the year, you should connect Fair Trade to these familiar concepts. If your students are not familiar with these concepts, you should maintain a focus on making key connections between Fair Trade and child labor without an expectation that they will understand the full range of implications that come with the Fair Trade insignia.

Fair Trade Defined “Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading Spinning the Dreidel for Chocolate Gelt Middle School Program and Educator’s Guide

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conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South. Fair Trade organizations, backed by consumers, are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade.” - World Fair Trade Organization Benefits of Supporting Fair Trade Fair Trade provides us the opportunity to spend our dollars where our values are, and at the same time, provide opportunities for people around the world to earn a living that allows their families to thrive. The following list was developed by Fair Trade Judaica, which is building a Fair Trade movement in the Jewish community, with a special focus on Fair Trade Judaica products (http://fairtradejudaica.org/) •

•

•

• • • •

•

Creating opportunities for low-income producers: Fair Trade producers decide democratically how to invest their Fair Trade revenues. Profits are re-invested in local community projects, like health clinics, childcare, scholarship programs, and organic certification.

Fair pay: Artisans and small farmers are guaranteed prices that exceed their production costs, providing them adequate income to feed their families, stay out of debt, send their kids to school, and keep their land.

Creating worker independence and participatory workplaces: Producers are able to reduce costs, gain direct access to credit and international markets, and develop the business capacity necessary to successfully compete.

Safe and healthy work conditions: Workers enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions, and living wages.

Gender equality: Women are assured equal rights and responsibilities Protecting the Youth: Forced child labor is strictly prohibited.

Environmental sustainability: Environmentally sustainable methods protect artisans’ and farmers’ health and preserve valuable ecosystems and natural resources for future generations Cultural identity: Identity is preserved through the production and development of products based on producers’ cultural traditions, as adapted for Western markets.

Fair Trade Ensures That No Forced Child Labor is Used in the Production of Chocolate Fair Trade certification ensures that the producers adhere to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. In addition, the producer follows national and local laws on the employment of children.

If there is any involvement of children in the production of Fair Trade products, such as learning a traditional art or craft, is always disclosed and monitored and does not adversely affect the children's well-being, security, educational requirements and need for play.

Buying Fair Trade means keeping children in the classroom, not in the fields.

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Fair Trade Logos Here are some examples of labels to look for to ensure you are purchasing and enjoying Fair Trade chocolate.

Other Common Fair trade Foods In addition to chocolate, there are a growing number of Fair trade products. Here are some products that you might find in stores in your neighborhood: bananas, coffee, tea, sugar, honey, and cotton clothing.

Other Useful Definitions Trafficking of Children: Recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, and/or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation. Though statistics regarding the magnitude of child trafficking are difficult to obtain, the International Labor Organization estimates that 1.2 million children are trafficked each year.

Slavery: System under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work.

Fair Trade and Jewish Values Judaism has a deep tradition of pursuing justice, considering the needs of those without means, caring for our community. From workers’ rights to protecting child labor, Fair Trade values are connected to Jewish values.

For a complete overview of how Fair Trade connects with Jewish tradition, visit http://fairtradejudaica.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/FairTradeJewishValuesMatrix.pdf During this section, two distinct texts are used. Based on your students’ comfort and familiarity with text study, you can choose to do one text or both of the texts.

For students that are more familiar with text study, you can provide the handout and ask them to work in chevruta before coming back together as a group to share their thoughts.

For students that are less familiar with text study, select one of the texts to learn with the students.

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Facilitate the discussion as a group and hopefully set the groundwork for a new enjoyment of learning directly from Jewish texts.

The first text is from Deuteronomy/Devarim, which is the fifth book of the Torah during which Moses delivers three speeches to the Israelites in preparation for entering the land of Israel.

God upholds the cause of the orphan and the widow, and befriends the stranger, providing him with food and clothing. -- You too must befriend the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

- Deuteronomy 10:18-19 The second text is from Midrash Exodus Rabbah. Exodus tells the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt after generations of being enslaved.

There is nothing in the world more grievous than poverty – the most terrible of sufferings.

Our teachers have said: if all the troubles of the world are assembled on one side and poverty is on the other, poverty would outweigh them all.

- Midrash Exodus Rabbah 31:12 Discussion questions: • As Jews, are we responsible to the poor? Why or why not? o Sample Answers: Yes, as God supports the poor, we are expected to support the poor.

Yes, we were slaves in Egypt and should remember and help others move from slavery to freedom. No, the Exodus Rabbah text is about how terrible poverty is, but doesn’t actually say we need to do anything about it.

• Based on these texts and your understanding of Fair Trade, what is Jewish about Fair Trade? o Sample Answers: Fair Trade helps children just as in Devarim text we are supposed to help the orphan. Fair Trade makes sure that children go to school and get an education as a pathway out of poverty.

Fair Trade Chocolate Tasting Provide each student with a piece of Fair Trade Chocolate gelt or a small piece of chocolate from a Fair Trade chocolate bar.

Allow them to enjoy the treat!

Take Action and Closing It is not the study that is essential, but rather the action.

Pirke Avot1:17 Now that your students are aware of the issues around modern chocolate production and that the Fair Trade logo is a response to the problem, it is important to now help them identify clear ways to take action based on what they learned.

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The ideas should include: • Buy Fair Trade gelt this Chanukah – Visit www.fairtradegelt.org to buy online or look for it at your local stores; • If your local stores don’t carry Fair Trade chocolate, let the store manager know that you want to this this product in the store; • Make a Fair Trade pledge – for the next year only buy Fair Trade chocolate! See how much Fair Trade chocolate you can enjoy!

To close the program, ask each student to say one word they think of when they hear the words “Fair Trade chocolate.” There might be a lot of “yummy” answers, but also some students who remember “children,” “West Africa,” “slavery,” “important,” etc.

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Continue the Conversation While your students only participated in this one time program, the impact of what they learned can be deepened in a number of ways. If the idea of becoming Fair Trade activists resonated with your students, there are many online resources for them to explore. In addition, here are a few ideas.

Next Time Your Students Meet The next time you meet with your students after this program, simply check in with them about what actions, if any, they have taken. You might be surprised by how many students are now noticing Fair Trade logos on food in the grocery store or who brought the learning home and enjoyed Fair Trade gelt with their family.

By just taking a few minutes during the start of your next class time, the impact of this program will become deepened.

Additional Program Ideas If you find that your students are eager to learn more or take action, here are some additional ideas and resources to continue their study and engagement.

Bring Fair Trade into Your Passover Programming: Freedom Shabbat is a social justice movement that asks Jewish communities to remember modern-day slavery during their Passover celebrations. freedomshabbat.org Organize a Fair Trade Shabbat Dinner: Use as many Fair Trade products as possible and have your students teach about Fair Trade during the meal.

Produce a Fair Trade Chanukah Cookbook: Gather together everyone’s favorite chocolate recipes and promote the use of Fair Trade chocolate.

Screen The Dark Side of Chocolate: A Danish journalist investigates if child labor and trafficking are really used in the production of chocolate. Run time: 45 min http://thedarksideofchocolate.org/. You can access a comprehensive screening guide with Jewish resources at fairtradejudaica.org Speak Out to Business: Chain Store Reaction connects consumers with companies. As consumers we are the last link in the supply chain. If you want to see slave-free products, send a letter to one of 2,000 companies that make popular brands that we use every day. http://chainstorereaction.com

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The packaged chocolate is then transported to a shop near you – yum! Lots of hard work has gone into your chocolate bar. It takes 30-40 beans, or one whole cocoa pod, to make a regular sized bar of chocolate.

DISTRIBUTING & SELLING

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Photo credit: QuintanaRoo on Flickr

Photo credit: Nestle on Flickr

Cocoa farmers weigh and sell the cocoa beans to local buyers. The local buyers sell the beans on to international buyers. The beans are transported to factories in countries like all over the world where they will be made into chocolate.

TRANSPORTING

Photo credit: IITA Image Library on Flickr

Photo credit: eekim on flickr

DRYING

Workers then spread the cocoa beans out on mats and leave them to dry in the sun for about a week. The sun dries out any moisture so the beans shrink and become hard. Workers need to turn the beans every few hours to stop them sticking together in clumps, picking out poor quality beans as they go along.

MAKING CHOCOLATE

Spinning the Dreidel for Chocolate Gelt Middle School Program and Educator’s Guide

Cocoa butter is mixed with cocoa liquor and sugar to make dark chocolate. Milk is added for milk chocolate. White chocolate is made with cocoa butter, milk and sugar. The mixture is then refined to a smooth paste. Finally the chocolate bars are then formed by pouring liquid chocolate into molds, and sent down the production line to be wrapped and packaged.

Photo credit: Bread for the World on Flickr

Inside each pod, there is a white pulp that contains as many as 45 cocoa beans. Farmers wrap the pulp in banana leaves and leave it to ferment for about five days. Over this time, a chemical reaction occurs in the beans so that the first of the chocolate flavors is brought out.

FERMENTING Farmers cut the cocoa pods in half with machetes.

Photo credit: Nestle on Flickr

Cocoa grows on trees, which can be up to 50 feet tall. Cocoa trees can only in hot, rainy environments, usually near the equator. Cocoa trees take five years to produce their first crop. The trees produce beans in large pods shaped like a football. In the winter and in the summer, when the pods are ripe, they are cut down from the tree.

GROWING & HARVESTING

Chocolate Production Activity Sheet

Fair Trade Logos Worksheet

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Fair Trade and Jewish Values Worksheet God upholds the cause of the orphan and the widow, and befriends the stranger, providing him/her with food and clothing. -- You too must befriend the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

- Deuteronomy 10:18-19 There is nothing in the world more grievous than poverty – the most terrible of sufferings. Our teachers have said: if all the troubles of the world are assembled on one side and poverty is on the other, poverty would outweigh them all.

- Midrash Exodus Rabbah 31:12

Discussion Questions: As Jews, are we responsible to the poor? Why or why not?

Based on these texts and your understanding of Fair Trade, what is Jewish about Fair Trade?

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Hazon Jewish Food Educational Resources How do you apply 3000 years of Jewish wisdom about food to contemporary food conversations?

As Jews, we’ve been thinking about kashrut – about what is “fit” to eat – for nearly 3,000 years. A growing number of people today realize that our food choices have significant ramifications – for ourselves, our families and the world around us.

Hazon uses food as a platform to create innovative Jewish educational programs to touch people’s lives directly, to strengthen Jewish institutions, and to create healthier and more sustainable communities in the Jewish world and beyond.

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Program Ideas, Activities, Curricula, and Sourcebooks

Institutional Food Change and Values

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