Mission

A project supported by Be’chol Lashon, this cookbook aims to celebrate the racial and ethnic diversity within the Jewish community. We want to celebrate the myriad unique experiences that each of us has as a product of our identities. We will pair recipes with poems, stories, essays, and photographs from submitters so that it becomes more than just a cookbook but also a mosaic of experiences from a plethora of backgrounds. 

 

Submissions for Tlaim:

The Patchwork Cookbook

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Meet the Team

Alana Chandler

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Alana Chandler

Alana Chandler (she/they) is a Chicagoan and Japanese-Jewish student studying Materials Science and Engineering. Chandler is interested in cooking and food justice. Since their first year of high school, Chandler has run a baking blog @chow.by.chandler and especially loves making babka, granola and anything with matcha powder.

Having experienced feelings of both invisibility and hypervisibility as a Jew of Color, they hope this cookbook will serve as a resource for others to connect through and celebrate our multifaceted identities.

 

Dammara Rose Kovnats Hall

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Dammara Rose Kovnats Hall

Dammara Rose Kovnats Hall is an educator and entrepreneur. She grew up in the Canadian prairies and completed a degree at the University of Winnipeg before moving to New York where she received a degree in Childhood Education and Jewish Studies. Dammara then studied at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Israel for two years and she holds a Masters in Jewish Education from Hebrew College. Dammara taught at Rodeph Sholom School as the head Elementary Jewish Studies teacher and received the 2021 Robert M. Sherman Young Pioneers Award for her innovative and inclusive approach to teaching. Deeply committed to the future of Jewish education, Dammara sits on the board of directors for the Jewish Education Project and is a part of UJA’s Jewish Life Shared Society Committee.

Dammara trained with The National SEED Project (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) at Wellesley College and is also the Person Of Colour belonging-space creator/facilitator for At the Well. She also serves as a mentor for the Senior Educator Learning Fellowship for Pardes. Dammara founded Jewish Cocktails, a fun and exciting kosher cocktail business where she teaches Torah through mixology. A graduate of culinary school, she has worked at Jean George’s ABCv and Eleven Madison Park, including their Rethink team which serves marginalized communities.

Dammara loves to travel and has visited over 30 countries on five continents. She enjoys hosting Shabbat meals and riding motorcycles. Dammara splits her time between Israel and New York.

Léa Jean-François

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Léa Jean-François

Léa Jean-François (she/her) is a Caribbean-Jewish recent graduate of Barnard College where she studied Environmental Science and Biology. Léa has spent her summer after college studying organic farming and is now conducting research investigating diseases related to the essential tissue barriers. Léa values growing, cooking, and eating food that is supportive of the land, closely connected to the local community, and shares nourishment. Léa has long awaited a JoC cookbook to share/learn of one another’s culture, and hopes this cookbook will allow JoC to find comfort through cuisine.

Healy Shir Slakman

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Healy Shir Slakman

Healy Shir Slakman is a Tisch Fellow and 5th-year Rabbinical Student at Hebrew Union College in New York. She is serving 4th year as the Student Rabbi at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue and leads the community’s young professional musical Shabbat series called The Other Friday Night. She has also worked as the rabbinic intern at Temple Micah in Washington DC and plays musical Shabbat services for communities across Brooklyn. Raised in a Sephardic/Ashkenazi Israeli/American Jewish home, Healy has been compelled by Jewish music, food, community, and ritual from a young age. In her studies, she explores biblical commentaries, customs, and characters through the creation of multimedia art and paintings. She is also interested in approaching the complexities of Jewish culture, identity, and tradition through cooking, sharing recipes, and telling stories.

Yishaq Ofori-Solomon

Yishaq Ofori-Solomon

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Yishaq Ofori-Solomon

Yishaq Ofori-Solomon (they/them, he) is an African Jewish undergraduate student at Warren Wilson College. They are interested in history, politics, culture, and food. Yitshaq has been published by various Jewish publications and was even shortly an editor at TribeHerald.

Support

Hover over name for bio.

Arielle Mindel (Jan-June 2021).

Zandra Campbell (Feb-May 2021).

Jess Cohen

FAQ

What is the inspiration of the cookbook?

There are few cookbooks that reflect the historic and contemporary diversity of the Jewish community, which we hope to do with Tlaim. Recipes serve as the vehicle for connection and story-telling. We want to share our stories and help create a new way of connecting communities through the Jewish kitchen.

Our team has joined our passion for cooking and our love of Jewish community to create an cookbook inclusive of world Jewry that can be found on the bookshelves of stores across the globe; a cookbook where all Jews can feel seen, appreciated, and welcomed.

We want to use recipes as a “vehicle to confront injustices to prompt meaningful action,” to quote chef and writer Tunde Wey. We invite you to use these recipes as a stepping stone for learning about diverse Jewish practices and experiences to prompt further discussion.

Who can submit?

Anyone with family origins in African, Asian or Latin American countries or those who identify as Black, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, African, Arab, Persian, Indigenous, Sephardi, Mizrachi, or of mixed heritage are encouraged to submit. We, among many, sometimes use the term Jews of Color to invite submitters, but we are aware that this term does not fit everyone who we hope will submit. Race is ultimately a social construct, so this is a complex term to define. If you have any questions, feel free to email us!

Our goal is to use this cookbook as an opportunity to showcase the recipes, experiences, and stories of communities that have historically been excluded and/or marginalized from the Jewish space.

What should I submit?

We are looking for recipes that represent the intersectionality of Jewish identities. The goal is to understand what foods are part of your Jewish experience. We invite you to also submit additional content along with your recipe, such as a poem, photo, drawing, or short essay. If you need some inspiration, here are a few prompts:

    1. When have you felt most comfortable and loved in the Jewish community?
    2. What does being Jewish look like for you?
    3. Have you struggled with your Jewish identity? What did that look like?

In order to submit supplemental pieces, you must submit at least one recipe. Feel free to fill out the form more than once if you would like to contribute multiple submissions!

 

What is the submission process?

Submit a recipe using this form or by clicking on the “Submit” button above; along with any supplemental art or writing if you wish. The priority deadline is May 2023, and we will be expecting to get back to you by December 2023 about the selection of your recipe.

How will I know if my submission is accepted?

If your submission is selected for the cookbook, you will be notified via email once the submission window closes and will receive a free copy of the cookbook once it is published.

What will the cookbook look like?

The cookbook will be professionally designed and published by our organizer team. The content will feature the diversity of the Jewish community through the recipes and personal narratives of the submitters.

What organizations are involved with the cookbook?

We are partnering with Be’chol Lashon to make and publish the cookbook using a grant from the Jews of Color Initiative.

When will the cookbook be published?

We’re currently planning for a three year timeline, so we hope to have the cookbook published by 2024. We will notify you when we have a release date!

How can I meet other submitters?

By submitting, you will automatically be added to a short mailing list. We may occasionally send emails inviting submitters to attend virtual meet-ups, Shabbat dinners, and cooking classes. We hope that these meet-ups will allow other submitters around the world to come together in celebration of their food-related traditions. You can also subscribe to the Be’chol Lashon newsletter to hear about upcoming events in the global Jewish community.

What do I gain as a contributor to the project?

All contributors will be credited on our website and in the cookbook with their name and desired affiliation. They will also receive a free copy of the cookbook once produced. Contributors will also be included in the decision-making process in helping choose a charity to donate to our cookbook profits.

If I have any more questions or want to get involved beyond being a submitter, who can I contact?

Feel free to reach our cookbook team at tlaim.cookbook@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.