Strizhevskaya Poem by gershon hepner

Strizhevskaya likes food that fresh,
as do so many of her friends,
eschewing fish and cattle flesh,
which carnivores who don’t offends
until they see that ethics may
be quite compatible with taste,
which she believes to be the way
demanded by the Torah, laced
with wine, and many kinds of cheese,
which both de rigueur are for her
and all her friends who’re glad to seize
the Sabbath as a friendly burr,
the special holy moment when
Jews should be eating only food
that turns young Hebrew boys to men
and makes sure that the girls are Jewed
with eco-friendly partners who
to Torah words are most attentive.
Food-consciously she gives this crew
to be good Jews a great incentive
that I applaud although I eat
dead fish, dead cows, dead fowl, dead sheep,
which help me greedily to greet
the Sabbath bride before I sleep.
replete with meat of beasts that chew
the cud and have a cloven hoof,
which matters greatly to this Jew
before he takes his shabbos schluf.

Inspired by an article in the LA Times, May 9,2009 by Mary MacVean and Duke Helfand (“‘Eco-kosher’ Jews have an appetite for ethical eating, ” describing the food habits of eco-friendly kosher Jews, including our friend Nadya Strizhevskaya:

As is the custom, the guests observed the holy day of rest with a meal, but with a twist: They were sharing a 'sustainable' Sabbath dinner on this Friday evening, with food that was locally grown, mostly organic and intended to elevate their practice of Judaism.
Arch and her husband, David Andorsky, passed around goat cheese - made at home - sprinkled with oregano, thyme and chives. Sarah Newman brought ratatouille made with her home-canned tomatoes and vegetables from a farmers market. The others, too, prepared food that was not only kosher and vegetarian, they explained, but provided a way for them to strengthen their ties to their faith and to live out a Jewish imperative to protect the Earth. The dinner reflected a powerful current in Jewish culinary consciousness: Growing numbers of people are choosing to express their values through the food they put on their tables, altering the most basic day-to-day decisions about nourishment. It's why Jenna Snow picked loquats from her yard - rather than buying them at the store - for the custardy cake called clafoutis that she made for the Sabbath potluck….
Strizhevskaya displayed her quiche, made with kale, peppers, onions, rosemary and marjoram - all from the Culver City market. 'When we go through this very long process of preparation, we become more at one with the creation all around us, ' Strizhevskaya told the group. 'We stop taking God's gifts for granted. For me, that's what Judaism is all about.'As dinner drew to a close, the friends sang the 'grace after meals' in Hebrew:

Because of His great goodness, we have never lacked food.... You are blessed, Lord, who provides food for all.

5/9/09