And Who Doesn't Love Food...?

By Jillian Zarem
Syracuse Univesrity

My family is spread out all over the world: Illinois, New York, California, Texas, and Israel, to name a few places. On the rare occasion that we are all together, we can always bond over food. It is apparent that food plays an integral part in religions and cultures around the world, and that is no different with my family.

When I was 7 years old, nearly my entire family gathered in my hometown, Sweet Home Chicago, for a mini-reunion. That cold Friday afternoon in December, my grandma and I stood in the kitchen with 14 potatoes on the counter. After what seemed like hours of peeling potatoes, shredding them and adding the proper ingredients to the mix, I noticed she had no recipe in front of her. I asked her how she knew if the recipe was accurate and she said, "I've made this latke recipe thousands of times. I made them with my mother, your mother and now you…it's pretty impossible to mess it up!"

Later that afternoon, my aunt asked me to help her prepare her famous coffee cake. We stood around the kitchen adding a pinch of this and a dash of that. And with the addition of each ingredient, she would share a story, about her childhood, about her home in Israel or about her favorite foods. And then she said, "One day, you'll be making this recipe for your family."

I didn't realize it then, but food plays such an important part in Judaism. It brings us together, holds us together and ensures that sense of togetherness in the future. Memories will start to be shared, laughs will be exchanged and soon, traditions, too.

Now, as a Conservative Jewish college student, I have found that food plays a more integral part of campus life. One of the greatest things about food is its ability to connect people and bring them together. In my opinion, one of the best ways to use food is in an interfaith setting. There is such a need for strong interfaith programming on campuses across the country. It is important to realize that we are not so different. We are disconnected. The more we become connected, even with food, the more we learn about ourselves and each other.

So whether you're making grandma's homemade latkes, Aunt Ruth's famous coffee cake or using food to bring different people together, remember what role food plays in your life and what new traditions and customs you can create with food.

Jillian Zarem, a junior at Syracuse University, is majoring in Public Relations and Entrepreneurship & Emerging Enterprises, with a minor in Fashion Communications. Zarem is a past KOACH Intern, immediate past President and the current Engagement Vice President of Hillel at SU and is an active member of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).

[Posted 1/25/09]