ILC

Student or Group Info

Name: Sarah Dyer
Term: Winter 2022
Credits: 16
Title of ILC or Group Project: They tried to kill us. We survived. Let’s eat. Exploring the History, Language, and Culture of Ashkenazi Judaism Through the Lens of Food, Faith, Farming, and Family

Field Supervisor

Field supervisor: Dr. Sarah Williams
Title: Food and Agriculture Pathway Faculty
Organization: The Evergreen State College

Program of Project Description

Narrative: This one-quarter project, titled ‘They tried to kill us. We survived. Let’s eat.’: An Exploration of Ashkenazi Jewish Culture Through Food, Faith, Farming, and Family” is designed to examine the history and culture of Ashkenazi Jews through the lens of food, cooking, and land stewardship. Specific learning objectives are to learn more about the cooking of and philosophy behind Ashkenazi Jewish food, to examine the connection of cooking, eating, land stewardship to Ashkenazi Jewish spiritual philosophy, and to explore my family history through genealogical research, with a special focus on my own Ashkenazi heritage. I will explore Ashkenazi cooking through practical application, studying traditional recipes and producing at least one dish per week. I will travel to Alabama and interview members of my family to preserve stories and recipes. I will additionally enroll in A Seat at the Table: A Journey into Jewish Food and Discovering Ashkenaz: Jewish Life in Eastern Europe, two online courses developed by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, in order to provide perspective for my research. Texts to be studied include: Feasting and Fasting: The History and Ethics of Jewish Food edited by Aaron S. Gross, Jody Myers, and Jordan D. Rosenblum, The Sacred Table: Creating a Jewish Food Ethic edited by Mary L. Zamore, A Kabbalah of Food: Stories, Teachings, Recipes by Rabbi Hanoch Hecht, The Kabbalah of Food by Rabbi Nilton Bonder, In Search of Plenty: A History of Jewish Food with Recipes by Oded Schwartz, The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York: A Cookbook by Claudia Roden, as well as the Torah, Tanakh, Zohar, and other pertinent rabbinical writings. In addition to meetings to discuss work with faculty, the student will post weekly progress to a WordPress ePortfolio.

Learning objective	Activity	Deliverable
To learn more about the history and cooking of Ashkenazi Jewish food.	I will cook at least one traditional Ashkenazi dish per week utilizing recipes from the texts In Search of Plenty: A History of Jewish Food with Recipes by Oded Schwartz and The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York: A Cookbook by Claudia Roden.	Notes and progress posted to an ePortfolio with weekly blog posts and consistent documentation.
To examine the connection of cooking, eating, and land stewardship to Ashkenazi Jewish spiritual philosophy.	I will research the deep connections between the Jewish faith and food utilizing the texts Feasting and Fasting: The History and Ethics of Jewish Food edited by Aaron S. Gross, Jody Myers, and Jordan D. Rosenblum, The Sacred Table: Creating a Jewish Food Ethic edited by Mary L. Zamore, A Kabbalah of Food: Stories, Teachings, Recipes by Rabbi Hanoch Hecht and Kabbalah of Food by Rabbi Nilton Bonder, as well as the Torah, Tanakh, Zohar, and other pertinent rabbinical writings.	Notes and progress posted to an ePortfolio with weekly blog posts and consistent documentation.
To explore my family history through genealogical research, with a special focus on my matrilineal Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, food, cooking, and farming. To conduct interviews with the elders of my family in order to preserve stories and recipes.	I will utilize genealogical tools, historical documents, and research databases to trace my family origins. I will examine my ancestors through the lens of history, faith, food, and farming. I will travel to Alabama and interview the elders of my family with an eye toward preserving family stories and recipes.	Notes and progress posted to an ePortfolio with weekly blog posts and consistent documentation.
To trace the Ashkenazi migration and study its history in order to understand the experience of Jewish life in Eastern Europe.	I will study Ashkenazi Judaism through a historical lens utilizing the text, The Distinctive Life of East European Jewry by Dr. Samuel Kassow.	Notes and progress posted to an ePortfolio with weekly blog posts and consistent documentation.

Evaluation of Work

• WordPress ePortfolio
• Final week ten presentation
• Narrative evaluations from field supervisor
• Narrative mid-quarter and final self-evaluations