Center for Jewish Food Ethics

Claims with No Content: How “Humanely Raised” Labels Fail Consumers and Animals | Publications | Farm Forward For decades, the meat industry has worked overtime to persuade consumers that the animals who end up on their plates are not the products of factory farming. Its most effective tool in that endeavor is humanewashing: misleading marketing and language, often built around nice-sounding labels that cre...

DAF Day is almost here! 👏

Do you have a donor-advised fund? Put it to work for Jewish food ethics.
On Thursday, October 8, people across the country are activating their DAFs to support the causes they care about.

We’d be grateful if you’d consider recommending a grant to the Center for Jewish Food Ethics.

Your support helps us provide the resources, education, and advocacy needed to help Jewish communities align their food choices with Jewish values.

To recommend a grant, find CJFE on the DAF Day website or give directly through your DAF provider, including DAFgiving360 and Fidelity Charitable.

Legal name: Center for Jewish Food Ethics

EIN: 61-1527792

Link in comments for DAF Day and our 2027 giving pledge.



🔗 Find CJFE's DAF giving donation link in our bio!

Shana tovah--happy New Year--from CJFE!

💌 Share some New Year cheer with our punny e-cards.

We hope you have a meaningful Rosh Hashanah celebration and the year that follows is sweet.

Last week the Adamah Jewish Green Business Network hosted a gathering for Jewish climate leaders and a conversation with Joel Makower.

This event included a delicious plant-based default spread, and is a great example for other Jewish community events who are driven by Jewish values as champions of sustainability and climate advocacy.

Talya Herring, Co-Director of JGBN shared, "At Adamah's Jewish Green Business Network events, we strive our gatherings with the values we seek to advance in the world in serving primarily plant based foods.

This choice reflects our commitment to climate responsibility, as plant-based meals generally have a lower environmental footprint and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with food production. It also reflects our commitment to inclusivity. Plant-based offerings can be enjoyed by people with a wide range of dietary needs, cultural backgrounds, and levels of kashrut observance, making it easier for everyone to feel welcome at the table.

Most importantly, serving plant-based food is an expression of Jewish values. Judaism calls on us to be stewards of creation (shomrei adamah), to avoid unnecessary waste (bal tashchit), to protect health and well-being (pikuach nefesh), and to ensure that our choices contribute to a more just and sustainable world. By choosing food that nourishes people while reducing our impact on the planet, we seek to embody these values in practice."

To learn more about sustainable food strategies or for support on aligning your Jewish community's events with Jewish values please visit our website (linked below) or reach out to our team at [email protected].

Shabbat shalom and happy 🐾

No matter where you live, you share a neighborhood with wildlife. Being a good neighbor means treating these animals--and your shared environment--with compassion and respect.

In fact, showing compassion for animals is a foundational Jewish value called tza'ar ba'alei chayim. Learn more here: https://www.jewishfoodethics.org/learn/tzaar-baalei-chayim

We’re reflecting on the wonderful events we’ve shared so far in 2026 with Jewish communities across Colorado.

From learning together, gathering outdoors and connecting with the land, to sharing delicious food while welcoming Shabbat and holidays, these gatherings have been opportunities to explore what Jewish food ethics can look like in practice. All of these moments add up to something bigger: building knowledge, cultivating community, and advancing sustainable dining across Jewish Colorado.

🌱June: Mayim L'Chayim with Farm and Jewish Climate Action
🌱July: 20s/30s Shabbat Dinner with JCC at Milk and Honey Farm
🌱August: Denver Community Shabbat: Holy Cow it's Elul

These programs—and more to come—are made possible by a generous grant from Rose Community Foundation. Thank you Rose Community Foundation for your support.

Our 5786 Annual Report is here!

In just the past year, we:
⭐ Scaled our Sustainable Dining Training program to reach 86 participants through live trainings and a new e-course—building a growing network of community leaders equipped to transform communal food practices.
⭐ Helped Jewish institutions translate values into action by partnering with organizations like Eden Village West to develop and share practical, scalable models for more sustainable, inclusive, and values-aligned dining across entire sectors of Jewish life.
⭐ Brought Jewish food ethics into national conversations through coalition advocacy and public education—including a front-page op-ed in The Progressive Magazine on the moral stakes of the Farm Bill that extended our message to millions of readers nationwide.
⭐ Expanded a growing community committed to change by engaging more than 400 participants through educational programs, interfaith conversations, and local partnerships connecting Jewish values with food system transformation.

Thank you to all of our supporters, partnering organizations, board members, program attendees, and all other members of the CJFE community for making this work possible!

Check it out for more highlights from Fall 2025-Summer 2026: https://www.jewishfoodethics.org/annual-reports

To help us sustain this work in 5787, please consider becoming a recurring donor: https://www.jewishfoodethics.org/support

We had a great time at our Rosh Hashanah LaBehemah Shabbat celebration last week!

This wonderful crowd enjoyed a tasty plant-based meal and guided ritual activities to celebrate the Jewish New Year for Animals and Rosh Chodesh Elul.

If you're hosting a Shabbat or holiday meal and are looking for tips on how to make it more sustainable and aligned with Jewish values, let us know. We'd love to help!