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Title: Keeping Kosher in : Jewish Secular and Religious Identity in Author(s): Claudia Raquel Prieto Piastro Source: Graduate Journal of Studies, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Spring 2017), pp.11-18 Published by: Graduate Association for Food Studies

©Copyright 2017 by the Graduate Association for Food Studies. The GAFS is a graduate student association that helps students doing food-related work publish and gain professionalization. For more information about the GAFS, please see our website at https://gradfoodstudies.org/. community. and much-discussedpartofJewishdailylife,identity, and in differentways, kosher laws areafundamental,familiar, their religiousviews.Althoughinterpretedandpracticed depending onthetimeandplaceinwhichthey live and interpreted thissetofdietaryrestrictionsindifferentways, communities andindividualsfromaroundtheworldhave identity, bothcultural and national.Whileinthediaspora, highlight theirorigins inthediaspora, andtomarktheir to followthemasaway tocontinueJewishtradition, to divine commandment,secular JewsinIsrael mightchoose follows kosher laws becausethey perceive themasa to beJewishinIsrael. Whilethereligiouspopulation of politicalandcultural understandings ofwhatitmeans laws isnotasignofreligiousobservancebutreflection secular , thechoicetofollow ornotfollowkosher Jewishness andIsraeliness. Inthis article,Iarguethatfor identities, whichreflectdifferentways ofunderstanding of asingle,monolithicidentity, butrather aplurality of kosher illustrate thatIsraeli societyisnotcompromised they were.Thedifferent ways andmeaningsofkeeping others, italldependedonwithwhomthey ateandwhere , forothersitwasnoteatingporkorseafood,and many differentways. For someitwasseparating meatfrom strict separation ofdairyproductsfrommeat. of animalsthatarenotforbidden,andestablishthe ), prescribedistinctmethodsfortheslaughter laws forbidJewstoeatcertainanimals(mostfamously God gave toMosesduringtheExodus fromEgypt.These the Jewishpeople.They arebasedinthecommandments CLAUDIA RAQUEL PRIETO PIASTRO abstract and ReligiousIdentityinIsrael Keeping KosherinTelAviv:JewishSecular keywords lives. examine howdifferentpeopleinterpretandlivekosherlawsinIsraeltheimportancetheygivetothemtheireveryday identities thatarepresentinthecountry.Italsorevealspoliticalandsocialdivisionsdisagreements.Inthispaper,I ways ofconceivingJudaismandIsraeliness.HowIsraelisunderstandandollowkosherisareflectionthecollective be aclearidentifierorsignofbelongingtothenation.Themannerinwhichkosherlawsarefollowedalsoshowsdifferent the secondissecular.FollowingkosherlawsinIsraelcandemonstratecommitmentindividualshavetotheirreligionand Theinformantsinmy researchunderstoodkosher in Kosher laws areasystemoffoodpractices followedby | | 2

Two collectiveidentities,bothJewish,confronteachotherinIsrael:thefirstisanorthodoxreligiousidentityand

Israel, FoodStudies,Judaism,Identity,,Secularism 1 Jewish In somecases,my participantsdidnotspeak fluentEnglish friends, someof themspoke othermore familiar languages. Hebrew, inthe privacyoftheirhomes,withfamilyand Although inthepublicsphere my participantsspoke mainly than inHebreworthelanguage oftheircountriesorigin. of my participantsfeltmorecomfortablespeakingin English Israel. constantly remindedoftheimportanceimmigrating to as anewimmigrant and,becauseof my Jewishbackground, by SouthAfricanJews inIsrael. Iwasconstantlyperceived new immigrants, andparticipated inafewevents organized in Israel Iwasalsocloselylinked withtheolimhadashim Hebrew theirmothertongue.Nonetheless,duringmy time and mostofthemwereborninIsrael and considered participants camefrommiddleclass,educatedbackgrounds, writers, cookbookeditors,andhomemakers. Allofmy twenty-five non-structuredinterviewswithchefs,food in Central Israel, inTel Aviv andHaifa.Ialsoconducted between 2015and2016.Iworked withfive familiesliving religious identity. laws andhowthisdecisioninformstheirnational sections, Ianalyzewhy secularJewsinIsrael followkosher E. Gardinercalls“redemptive moments.” Inthefollowing a way tobreakhabitsandsocialconvention, whatMichael the Rabbinicalcontrolover governmental institutionsoras On theotherhand,notkeeping kosher canbeaway toresist a politicalpositionorcommitmenttoone’s Jewishroots. avoid assimilation.InIsrael, followingkosher canbeseenas Jewish secularpopulationshave kept kosher asaway to I conductedmy researchinEnglishandHebrew. Some METHODOLOGY Iconductedmy fieldworkinIsrael 3

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GRADUATE JOURNAL OF FOOD STUDIES 11 GRADUATE JOURNAL OF FOOD STUDIES 12 “doing,” not“being.” be dynamicandchangeable,” inwhichidentityisastateof strategic presentationofself[that]canbeconsideredto Yoram S.Carmeli’sresearch,Iunderstandidentityas“a Jewish identityinIsrael. Drawing fromJuliaBernsteinand also spoke French, Spanish,andLadino. communication, hadtobeused.Someofmy participants or Hebrew, soacombinationofboth,aswellnonverbal attention. of Israel’s nationalidentityhasreceived littlescholarly the relationshipbetweenkosher laws andtheconstruction and infoodpractices indiasporicJewishcommunities,but a vastexpanse ofresearchinreligiousdietaryrestrictions Starting withtheworkofMaryDouglasin1966,thereis ethnographic researchavailable inEnglishonthistopic. kosher isakey aspectofIsraeli foodculture,thereisno and seethisasadeeplypoliticalissue.Althoughkeeping secular, mostofthemfollowkosher laws to somedegree that whilemany ofmy participantsdefinedthemselves as food mean.Duringmy fieldwork,Iwasbaffledtodiscover in thedifferentunderstandingsofwhatIsraeli andJewish population ismirroredinthefoodcultureofcountryand within Israel isfarmorediverse. Thediversity oftheIsraeli bipolar societyismisleading—thespectrumofidentities nuanced assessmentreveals thatportraying Israel asa Orthodox Jewsshouldjointhearmy, forexample. Amore the religiousestablishmentinIsraeli publiclife,orwhether an Israeli newspaperisenoughtoobserve debatesabout Jewishness inIsrael have furtherdeepened.Simplyopening few years, thecontradictions betweensecularandreligious expected toconformasecularIsraeli identity. Inthelast discourses, andreligiouscelebrations; andyet, they are importance of“acting Jewish” througheducation,political Britain. is “flagged”incountrieslike theUnitedStatesandGreat reproduction ofnationalismin smalldailyactsandhowit coined theterm“banalnationalism,” referringtothe reproduced and“flagged”inthe everyday, MichaelBillig everyday. For example, focusingonhownationalismis have appearedthatrelatenationalidentity andthe movements. However, inrecentyears somenewworks life—especially offood—intheformationnational unwillingness torecognizethepreeminenceofeveryday actions formand reinforcenationalidentity. Edensor also gives aclearimageofhowquotidian andrepetitive everyday worldlike landscapeandobjects, TimEdensor LITERATURE REVIEWThereisnosingleIsraeli or This oversight seemsaconsequenceofscholars’ 6 Throughananalysisofdifferent aspectsofthe 5 4 Israelis areconstantlyremindedofthe independence ofthecountry. and nationalisminBelizehowithaschangedsincethe Richard Wilkalsoexplores therelationshipbetweenfood as SamiZubaida’s researchhashighlighted. are ablendofchangesinidentities,customs,andmigrants, culinary influence.Afterall,nationalcuisines everywhere have aprominentplaceattheIsraeli table,itisnottheonly Although whatiscommonlyknownasArab fooddoes the relationshipbetweenfoodandnationalisminIndia. the subjectoffoodandnationalidentitydemonstrated to eatandcook. is onefundamentalelementthatinfluenceswhatwechoose determines theway wefeedourselves andothers.Memory most renowned Israeli foodanthropologistisNir Avieli, Israel andhow thisreflectsaplurality ofidentities.The overlooked thevariousinterpretationsofkosher laws in national cuisineandfoodculture, buttheirresearchhas Israeli scholarshave startedexploring thesignificanceof a populartopicamongscholars. Inrecentyears some among them:theadherencetokosher laws. These Jewishcuisineshave onlyonecommonelement deep immersioninthecultureswithwhichthey lived. scarcity, andpersecutions,Sephardicdishes reflecttheir While theAshkenazi worlddeveloped acuisineofpoverty, identity. Israeli cuisineistheheirofcenturiesdiaspora. and governmental effortstocreateandrecreateanIsraeli the resultofpoliticalchanges,migration patterns,wars, as Europeanschnitzelorchicken soup.Israeli tablesreflect homemade mealmightincludeMiddleEasternfood,aswell a multitudeofpotentialities. conceives theeveryday asdynamic,consistent,andfullof dishes, suchasYael Raviv’s historicalstudy, Nation. the appropriationandconsumptionofArab traditional influences onIsraeli foodandhascenteredinsteadon The existing literature haslargelyoverlooked theEuropean the studyofcontroversial itemssuchashummus orfalafel. disgusting tothepalateofmany Mizrahi . and theGefiltefish loved bymany Ashkenazi Jewsis food forPassover iscompletelyunknowntoPersian Jews, is nottheonlydivision:whattraditional JewishMoroccan married toMizrahi mencannotunderstand. Holocaust relatetofoodinways thattheirgranddaughters consciousness: Ashkenazi grandmothers thatsurvived the Different generations inIsrael have adifferenthistorical in EuropethatispainfulandIsraelis wanttoforget. homes, ofcommunitieserased by wars,ofaJewishpast However, anationaldietisnottheonlyinfluencethat However, thestudyofkosher laws inIsrael isnot In thecaseofIsrael, someresearchershave focusedon 10 Certaindishescancarrymemoriesoflost 7 ArjunAppadurai pioneered 9

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of Israeli . Avieli hasworked onportionsizesasacharacteristic commemoration ofIsrael’s independence.Morerecently, symbolism embeddedinthefoodconsumedduring whose recentresearchhasfocusedonIsraeli foodandthe decisions.” life…makes decisions independentlyofhalakha secular Jewisthen“one who,atleastinsomeaspectsofhis Neither doesitmeanbeingindifferenttoJewishheritage.A religious orunfamiliarwithJewishvaluesandcelebrations. Being asecularJewinIsrael doesnotmean beinganti- only say they arehiloni others. by ourownideasoftheselfandthoseimposedonusby an essencebutaprocess,onethatisreshapedcontinuously more important.AsTimEdensordiscusses,identityisnot the context, differentcharacteristics ofone’s selfbecome such thingasapermanentidentitysince,dependingon no singleway tobeIsraeli orJewishinIsrael. Thereisno of nationalidentity. to thestudyofroleeveryday intheconstruction about consumptionofkosher foodinIsrael andcontributes on theproductionoflocalfoodsinIsrael. consumption oforganicfoodandtheimpactglobalization constantly moved betweena religiousandasecularworld, identity dichotomy. Allofmy secularparticipants not actingasJewishOrthodox. Nonetheless, 46percentconsideredthemselves secular. percent thinkitisvery important tobemarriedby aRabbi. of Israeli Jewsdefinethemselves primarilyasJews,and80 separate dishesfordairyandmeatproducts.Morethanhalf of Israeli Jewskeep kosher, althoughonlyhalfofthemuse Jewish citizensofIsrael celebrate , andtwo-thirds the Israeli Democracy Institutein2009,90percentofthe occasion. Accordingtothelatestsurvey conducted by or lunchwiththeirfamiliesandsaw thisasaspecial religious holidays, andmostofthemhadaShabbatdinner and theirfamilies. are—and basedontherelationshipthey have withtheirpast identity varies,dependingonwhereandwithwhomthey students, oracademics.TheirconnectionwiththeirJewish other occasions,theirmainidentitieswerehousemakers, religious holidays they emphasizedtheirJewishness;on So whenmy participantsdefinethemselves, they not RELIGION ANDSECULARISMINISRAELThereis This articlefillsthegapin existent Angloliterature However, itisnotonlythestatethatimposes this All ofmy participantscelebrated atleastthemain 17 Myparticipantshave fluididentities:during 19 Inthewordsofmy participants,itsimplymeans 15 RafiGroslikalsofocusesonthe (secular),they say Jewishsecular. 16

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and Ieatsomething.” and you knowIlove Asianfood,soevery Friday Igothere, Dizengoff Center, right?Well, thereisastallthatsellssushi, “You knowevery Friday morningthereisafoodmarket in one Friday shewasnotashappy asusual.Sheexplained, She wasalways willingtotellmestoriesofheryouth, but her family. from EasternEurope,whereshecouldtrace theoriginsof she hadpreparedstuffedcabbagewithgroundbeef, adish not surpriseme. Shehadfoughtwithhermother allofher herself. ones, asaway tomarkherJewishidentityandseparate Rahel followskosher laws forcultural reasons,notreligious afraid ofseafoodbeingunhealthy. Itispossible,then,that reasons butbecauseshe“dislikes thesmellofpork” andis from hermother, Rahelkeeps kosher notforreligious really good.Iamsurethey arefreshandclean.” Different a partnerincrime,andquietlysaid,“Oh whocares,they are does notknowaboutthis.” Ruthlooked atme,searchingfor the mall?Thatisnotright,MinisterofHealthprobably to ourconversation andasked her, “Dothey sellshrimpsin week, butItoldhimcouldnothave two,I onlyhave one.” them toldmetohave anotherone,heknowsmeasIgoevery one, andtoday, they werereallysmall.Theboy thatsells are reallygood,Ilike them,butIonlyallowmyself tohave everysmile andgiggled.“Well, Friday Ihave ashrimp,they favorite foodwasinfact“Asian.” Ashkenazi, althoughshetoldmemany timesthather brings atleastoneortwodishes.Hercookingistypically of Rahel,heroldestdaughter. Nonetheless,Ruthalways her husband,theseFriday dinnersarealways atthehouse spends every Friday nightwithherfamily. SinceRuthlost All ofherchildrenexcept onelive closetoher, andshe she wasabletobringhermotherfromtheUnitedStates. three daughtersandasonafterfewyears inIsrael, Friedman arrived inIsrael withherIsraeli husband.Shehad a secularidentity. Jewish religiouscharacter whilesimultaneouslypromoting mirror thecontradictions ofastatethatemphasizesits The contradictions betweentheirspeechandbehavior and cultural identity, butnotnecessarilyreligiousidentity. simultaneously kept kosher ,amarker ofnational them talked tomeconstantlyaboutbeingsecular, they but notsomuchintheireveryday lives. Whilesomeof distinguishing betweenthemclearlyintheirspeech, During almostevery Friday dinner, Ruthsatnext tome. The factthatRuth broke kosher laws every Friday did Ruth’s daughter, Rahel,suddenlyturnedherattention The caseofRuthbestillustrates thispoint. 21 Shethenlooked atmewithabig 20 ThatparticularFriday, In 1953,Ruth

GRADUATE JOURNAL OF FOOD STUDIES 13 GRADUATE JOURNAL OF FOOD STUDIES 14 conventions andrestrictions. intention ofcreatingaliberating spaceaway fromsocial action madeconsciouslyorunconsciouslywiththe I understandaredemptive moment asatransgressive by thestate,” ornot. between theindividualand “codes ofconduct preferred their routine.Breakingthesehabits mightresultintensions allows individualstochangetheirexperiences andshape not throughextraordinary events buteveryday actions, by thestate.Thepossibility ofbreakingfromthequotidian, does notnecessarilybreakthebehavioral codesimposed framework ofeveryday life,andtheredemptive moment these multipleregisters. Michael E.Gardiner’sdefinitionof“redemptive moments,” She eatsshrimptobreaksocialconvention. Following consistently vocal thatsheprefersTel Aviv toJerusalem. imposition toheridentity. Moreimportantly, sheis starts,RuthmightalsoberesistingaState table. identity toherfamilythroughtheprivacyofdinner the importanceoftransmitting cultural andnationalJewish of thediaspora andthetraditions developed initbutalso of Ashkenazi foodshowsnotonly“nostalgia” forthetimes shopping mall.Simultaneously, herunwillingness toletgo of lifeinTel Aviv by choosingtoeatAsianfoodina ones ofJudaism.Sheisalsoembracing thecosmopolitanism secular aspectsofherIsraeli identity, aswellthecultural her religiousEasternEuropeanpastandhighlightingthe breaking kosher laws, sheisconsciouslyrebellingagainst change any partofherlife. I metRuthshewasstilldriving,livingalone,andunwilling to Masters degree,andhadworked allherlife.Atthetimethat communities livingintheHolyCity. Shehadstudiedfora visiting ,asshefeltsuffocatedby theOrthodox arriving atthePort ofHaifaorTel Aviv. Shealsoavoided van, lookingforasenseofmodernityoranything new, traveled alonewithherbabiesaroundIsrael inapickup Ruth wasconstantlytryingtobreakwithtradition. Shehad alittletreat.Fromshe only“allowed ayoung herself” age, more), andbelieved eatingseafoodwaswrong,so traditional Ashkenazi food(althoughsheloved other was thatRuthinhereveryday lifekept kosher, cooked , orany otherreligiousritual.Whatwasbaffling and hadnever shownany interestinpraying, goingtothe adult lifeabouthowunpractical itwastokeep Shabbat, By consumingshrimponFridays, afewhoursbefore WhenRutheatsashrimpevery Friday, sheisnotsimply 24 Rutheatingshrimpresonates on 23 This spaceispresentinthe 22

family’s tabletoareligiousritualparexcellence.” woman intheworldunthinkinglydoestoputfoodonher out, “Kashrut fundamentally femaleduties.AsSusanStarrSeredpoints household, whichmakes cookingandkeeping kosher pray, women’s religious obligations arefocusedinthe women. Whilemenareexpected togosynagogueand most significantandimportantreligiousdutyofJewish completely changed theirdietandadoptednew foodways. However, fordifferentreasons,someIsraelis have them withlocalingredients,dishes, andtechniques. their foodtraditions, mosthave alsoblendedandmixed immigration. Althoughmostcommunitieshave preserved the immenseculinaryheritage broughtby eachwave of diet, saying, young daughterslivinginTel Aviv, opted foravegetarian orthodox individuals.Yael, awomaninherthirtieswithtwo the preceptsencodedinTorah thanthosefollowedby vegan participantswhofeltthattheirdietswerecloserto It wasnotuncommonformetoencountervegetarian and have alsosubstitutedthemwithan“ethical way ofeating.” to theirreligiousviewsandpracticality. Somewomen not tofollowthemorwillaccommodateaccording participants, arefamiliarwithkosher laws, butwillchoose dishes. However, most secularwomeninIsrael, includingmy household andhowtocookbothtraditional andkosher from theirmothersandgrandmothers howtokeep aJewish many suchrituals.Mostorthodox religiouswomenlearn , thoughorthodox womenareexcluded from has thesamerelevance asany ritualperformedby menin keeping kosher isadailytaskandkeeping akosher house celebration ofholidays, suchasPassover. However, RE-SIGNIFYING KOSHER Observingkosher isthe Throughout my timeinIsrael, Iwasabletoappreciate isespeciallyimportantandvisibleinthe better. ourselves. Maybethatwillhelpustosleepalittlebit also importanttochoosemore peacefulwaystofeed a societyasour[Israeli society]soviolent[sic],itis to interpret themasahealthandethicalcode.In Instead offollowingkosher lawsasliterally, weneed ancestors; itiseasierbecausewehave more options. eating. Nowadayswecandomuchmore thanour the dessert,buttohave anethicalapproach to only toguarantee thehealthofpeoplecrossing kosher meat.Theideabehindkosher lawswasnot It ismore importanttobuyfree range eggsthan raises foodpreparation fromataskthatevery 25

determined Noa’s cooking.Notonlydidshe followallthe laws, butfollowingthemkept herhusbandhappy: sometimes macho.” but you know, OrientalJewsarelike that,backwardand becomes religiousagain,itdoesnotmake any sensetome, eating cheeseburgersagain.Theminutewereturn,she on holidays withouthim,shestopsthisnonsenseandstarts is onlyreligiouswhenherhusbandaround.Whenwego observance ofreligioustraditions. “Look,” shetold me,“Noa assimilation toJewishTunisian culture,butalsoNoa’s she didnotapprove ofNoa’s lifestyle;notonlyhercomplete . Hersisterwasbotheredby had tolearnfromhermother-in-law howtokeep akosher it, soshehasadoptedhermother-in-law’s recipes.Shealso does notcookAshkenazi foodasherhusbanddoesnotlike forthestewsandgrillingsomepeppers.Noa to cookwithher, shehadalreadystartedpreparingthe out thatshesometimescookswithan“Asian” twist. She decidedtocookTunisian dishes,althoughshedidpoint secular woman,andhermother, whowasalsonon-religious. celebration andsecularones.Shealsoinvited hersister, a Shabbat andtoappreciatethedifferencesbetweenher family. Shewantedmetolearnhowcelebrate areligious to cookwithherandspendaShabbatdinner man andlived withherfamilyinJerusalem.Sheinvited me got marriedmorethantwodecadesagotoaJewishTunisian entirely erased EuropeanJewishdishesfromherdiet.Noa Noa, forexample, anAshkenazi womanfromJerusalem,has The tasteandpreferences ofherhusbandand children Noa toldmeshedidnotseetheimportanceofkosher When Iarrived atNoa’s houseonFriday morning not care ifIturnontheoven onaFriday afternoon. never foundoutthetruth,andIamsure Goddoes done it,wewouldnothave beenabletoeat!He he never realized Ihadbroken therules.IfIhadnot my husbandwenttopray Iturned theoven on,so turn theoven onsoIhadtomake adecision.When oven. Shabbathadstarted,anditisforbiddento dinner Inoticedthathadforgottentoturnonthe the oven onalowheat.Lessthananhourbefore the started, Iprepared everything andputachicken in some friendsforFriday dinner. Before Shabbat the house.For example, afewmonthsagoweinvited men donotnoticebecausetheyare notinchargeof for him.However, sometimesitisreally difficult,and things are importantandIdecidedtofollowthem He comesfrom areligious family; hebelieves these our conversation, as totally embeddedintheeveryday,” everything fortherestday. Inthissense,“theholyis she cooksforShabbat,cleansthehouse,andprepares her religiousduty. Whileherhusbandprays inasynagogue, preparation notonlyasherhousewifelydutybutalso cook onlydishesthatpleasedherfamily. Noatreatsfood or relevance ofsomethem,butshealsodecidedto kosher laws even whenshewasunabletoseethemeaning pub before,and they didnotknowthatmost ofthedishes other thankebabs inIsrael. They hadnever been to that wanted toshowmethatitwas possibletoeatsomething was inTel Aviv. They decidedtogoanIrishpub,asthey friends, includinghissister, invited meout oneday whileI nobody elseatthetableisdoing so.Heandagroupofhis to followallkosher rules,even if they areimpractical, or when heisonholiday outsideofIsrael, inTel Aviv hetends him. AlthoughYonatan willmixdairyproductswithmeat since hemoved inwithhissisterwhoismorereligiousthan designer inhisthirties,kept amainlykosher diet, especially restaurant, mostdidfollowkosher rules.Yonatan, agraphic shared amealwiththemintheprivacyoftheirhomesor admitted they didnotkeep kosher. However, whenI views aboutbeingkosher. Mostofmy secularparticipants not theonlyparticipantsinmy researchthathadmixed boundaries ofidentityarebothreligiousandnational. to take placeinthediaspora aswellinIsrael, wherethe Jewish identityshouldbelaid.” Jews andthecommunityover wheretheboundaries of eating is…a‘negotiation,’ astruggleonthepartofindividual assimilation iserasure. David C.Kraemer affirms,“Jewish world isaconstant,especiallyinIsrael wheretheriskof The struggletore-signifykosher laws inthemodern to modifyheridentityandunderstandingofJudaism. woman whodecidedtoenterareligiousword,shehashad but becauseherhusbandandhisfamilydo.Asasecular because shebelieves therearereligiouscommandments, observance. Noa,ontheotherhand,followskosher laws not she iscookingforacrowdofguestswithdifferentlevels of confrontation. Ruthwillputspecialemphasisonthemif also followkosher rulestopleasetheirguestsand avoid they arefundamentalforherhusband.RuthandRahel not convinced oftheirrelevance, sheadherestothem,as differently. Noafollowsthelaws strictly;even ifsheis grew up. separates herselffromthesecularJewishworldwhereshe Noa pleasesherfamilyandGod.Simultaneously, shealso NOT KEEPINGKOSHER Ruthandherfamilywere Noa, Rahel,andRuthunderstandlive kosher laws 27 Thisstrugglecontinues 26 andthroughcooking

GRADUATE JOURNAL OF FOOD STUDIES 15 GRADUATE JOURNAL OF FOOD STUDIES 16 flexible withtheother kosher laws. Israelis, hewillrejectporkonany occasionbutwillbe decide ifhekeeps kosher ornot.However, like many secular Depending onthecircumstances andthecompany, hewill Rahel, hisbehavior towardskosher laws isambivalent. identity andoffeelingconnectedwithhisancestors.Like nonreligious one.Following kosher laws isamatterof closer toany orthodox group. time hestoppedattendingreligiousservicesanddidnotget behavior andstartedtoeatkosher again,whileatthesame become anobstacle.BackinIsrael, hereturned tohisold only non-Christian,sohefeltthatkeeping kosher might needed tointegrate intoacommunity wherehewasthe closer tohisJewishreligiousidentity. Nevertheless, he Israel, Yonatan expressed hisnationalidentityby becoming consider himselftobereligious.Whilelivingoutsideof He hasconsidereddatingorthodox women,butdoesnot himself assecular, inothersasatraditional (Masorti) conflicting identity. Onsomeoccasions,hewoulddefine strictly kosher diet. any event withintheOrthodox community, hedidfollowa never wenttoasynagogue,kept Shabbat,orparticipatedin not keep akosher kitchen.However, inIsrael, althoughhe eating andsharedaflatwithnon-Jewishflatmatethatdid religiosity, hedecidednottoaskwhatkindofmeatwas communities. Andyet, duringthattimeofenhanced to servicesoftenandbecameclosermoreorthodox outside ofIsrael, Yonatan becamemorereligious.Hewent his attitudetowardsfoodcanbeambivalent.Whileliving identity, notnecessarilyreligiousbutcultural. However, later Iasked Yonatan abouttheincident.Heresponded, there wasnothingthey wantedtoeat.Afewdays because theplacewasnotkosher. They simplystatedthat None ofthempointedoutthatthey hadchosentoleave of lookingatthemenu,they decidedtogosomewhereelse. on themenuincludedbaconorham.Afterfifteenminutes Yonatan’s relationshipwithkosher foodispartofa Yonatan feelsthatkeeping kosher isakey marker ofhis keeping kosher here isextremely easy. my grandparents did.ItispartofbeingIsraeli, and it hastodowithwhoweare. Ikeep kosher because does nothave todowithreligion; itiscultural, and of theplacewasunpleasantformostus.Kosher the problem. We justdon’t like pork,sothesmell Well yes, theplacewasnotkosher, butthatwasnot Yonatan’s attitudetowardskosher is againa Israeli. kosher shouldbeacharacteristic ofIsraeli culinaryculture. means European Ashkenazi food), hedoesnotbelieve Although heenjoys Jewishcooking(by Jewishfoodhe that almostallIsraeli foodiskosher tobeproblematic. imposes onhim.Contrary toYonatan, Yariv findsthefact to resisttheregulationsJewish character ofthestate because helikes it,butalsobecausehebelieves itisaway qualification. Healsoconsumesporkregularly, notonly and avoids thefeesimposedby theRabbinatestogive this restaurants thatgives “community kosher certifications” Therefore, hesupportsaprojectmanagedby local determining whatisfineforhimtoeatandnot. democratic state.Hedislikes theideaofRabbinate government donothave alegitimateplaceinmodern kosher certificationandthereligiousinstitutionsof especially culinaryones.However, hefeelsthattheofficial Ashkenazi JewandproudofEuropeanJewish traditions, as wellthepoliticalproblemsitcauses.Yariv isan Yariv, aculinarywriterinhisthirties,explained: even statedthat“newIsraeli cuisine” hadtobenon-kosher. that Israeli foodwasnotnecessarilykosher. Someofthem eat bad,tastelesskosher food.” Allofmy informantsagreed be sureyou donotfind yourself inthesituationofhaving to Jerusalem, Ishouldcarrywithme“butterandbacon,justto of my youngest informantssuggestedtomethatwhilein one inJerusalemrequiresagoodknowledgeofthecity. One restaurant insecularTel Aviv isnotchallenging,butfinding Yariv highlightshispreferencefornon-kosher food, IS ISRAELIFOODKOSHER? Findinganon-kosher happy withhiscooking. is notkosher. Clearly, hisgrandmother wouldnotbe main influence.Hisfoodisthebestsimplybecauseit kosher. Thechefthere sayshisgrandmother washis in Tel Aviv thatserves Moroccan foodthatisnot leaving kosher behind.You have placeslike Rafael kosher certificates.Even Jewish restaurants are make peopletrusteachotherandgive community initiative called “communal kosher” thattriesto don’t cooperate withtherabbinate, sothere isan cuisine. Thankfully, there are restaurants that yes, thelackofporkisacharacteristic ofour married andhowwhatwecaneat.However, private lifeformoney. Theydecidehowweget I have anallergytoit.[TheRabbis]ruleover our cuisine, butitisastyle.However, Ihatekosher; Kosher isnotnecessarilyacharacteristic ofIsraeli Pork andseafood—thatisnewIsraeli cuisine! problems andcontradictions ofareligiousanddemocratic deep divisionsbetween thesecularandreligious, the also reflectsomeofthemainissues ofthecountry: these casestudiesdemonstrate, thequestionsofkosher rebellious naturewithoutbreaking socialconventions. As will resistthemtodemonstrate herfoodpreferencesand in ordertotransmit aJewishidentity toherfamily, but religious matter. HermotherRuthfollows kosher laws national identity, primarilyasahealthissue, butnotasa she challengeskosher laws andresiststheirimposition. husband andherfamily. Whileintheprivacy ofherkitchen, following kosher isimportant,butshedoesittopleaseher chefs anddiners.Noa,ontheotherhand,doesnotbelieve establishment andasometimesunwanted limitationfor of Israelis, aswellaformofcorruptionthereligious as away forthestatetointrudeintoprivatematters to theidentityofcountry, others,like Yariv, seekosher them, like Yonatan, believe followingkosher isfundamental questions forthecitizensofcountry. Whilesomeof quotidian withouttrespassingany stateboundary. moment thatallowstheindividualtobreakwith be seenasanactofpoliticalresistanceoraredemptive as amarker ofbelonging.Notfollowingkosher laws can laws asaway toidentifywiththeJewishcollectivityand paper, secularJewsinIsrael mightchoosetofollowkosher which secularJewsrelatetokosher laws. AsIarguedinthis the clearermanifestationsofthisstruggleisway in signify whatitmeanstobeasecularJewinIsrael. Oneof to nationalandreligiousidentitythestrugglesre- in differentways. Food choicesreveal singularapproaches way JewishidentityinIsrael canbeinterpretedandlived necessarily attachedtoareligiousupbringing. political andgovernmental institutions,makingJewishness history ofIsrael, religiousinstitutionshave hadcontrolover Judaism. Ontheotherhand,frombeginningof of aJewishstateerased theneedtoholdreligious communities inthediaspora tosurvive, butthefoundation identity. Zionistssaw religionasthemechanismforJewish to erase any printleftby thediaspora ontheHebrew it. ThefirstJewishpioneersthatarrived inIsrael tried mimics thestoryofcountryandtensionswithin himself asaJewandcelebrates alltheJewishholidays. Jewish; ashekeeps andtransmits traditions, heidentifies However, Yariv’s secularidentitydoesnotmeanheisless Like Yonatan, Rahelseeskosher laws asamatter of The importanceofkosher laws forIsraeli identitycarries The analysispresentedinthispaperfocusesonthe CONCLUSIONS ThehistoryoffoodcultureinIsrael ka Press,2015). 12. Yael Raviv, Falafel Nation(Lincoln:University ofNebras- pelled fromSpainby theCatholicQueenElizabethin1492. is believed thatmostMizrahi JewsareSephardic Jews,ex- while thetermMizrahi isusedforMiddleEasternJews.It and EastEuropearecommonly knownasAshkenazi Jews, 11. EuropeanJewswithrootsspeciallyinGermany, Poland, (2013): 25-45. Culinary Cult,” JournalofConsumerCulture13,no.1 2001). DafnaHirsch,“:TheMakingofanIsraeli pology ofFood andMemory(NewYork: BergPublishing, 175. David E.Sutton,Remembrance ofRepasts:AnAnthro- Conflict AmongIsraeli Jews,” Israeli Studies2,no.2 (1997): 10. CharlesS.Liebman,“ReconceptualizingtheCulture gist 101,no.2(1999):244-255. tity intheTransnational Caribbean,” AmericanAnthropolo- 9. RichardWilk,“‘RealBelizeanFood’: BuildingLocal Iden- Society andHistory30,no.1(1988):3-24. Cookbooks inContemporary India,” Comparative Studiesin 8. ArjunAppadurai, “HowtoMake aNationalCuisine: eryday Life(Oxford: Berg,2002),18. 7. TimEdensor, NationalIdentity, Popular Culture andEv- tions, 1995). 6. MichaelBillig,BanalNationalism(London: SagePublica- Anat Helman(NewYork: OxfordUniversity Press,2015). Food inthe1920-1950’s”JewsandTheirFoodways, ed. Shternshis ,“SaloonChallah:Soviet JewsExperiencesof search inkosher laws, seeAndrewBuckser, op. cit. andAnna 5. MaryDouglasOp.cit.For examples ofcontemporary re- and ApplbaumKalman(Oxford: Berg,2004),208. sumption andMarket SocietyinIsrael, ed.CarmeliYoram S. Immigrants fromtheFormer Soviet Unionin Israel” inCon- The DiningTable andIdentityConstructionamongJewish 4. JuliaBernsteinandYoram S.Carmeli,“Food forThought: European Research2008). Nationalism (TheNationalCouncilforEuroasianandEast 3. SeeDianaMincyte,Food Culture,Globalizationand 2. Ibid. (1999): 194. Identity amongtheJewsofDenmark,” Ethnology38,no.3 1. AndrewBuckser, “Keeping Kosher: EatingandSocial identity. state, andthetensionsbetweennationalreligious ENDNOTES

GRADUATE JOURNAL OF FOOD STUDIES 17 GRADUATE JOURNAL OF FOOD STUDIES 18 traditions ofMiddleEasternJewishcommunities(also Germany. Ontheotherhand,Mizrahi foodisbasedinthe Ukraine, Germany, etc.Ashkenazi istheHebrewwordfor by theEuropeanJewishcommunitiesofPoland, Russian, 20. Ashkenazi culinarytradition isbasedinthefoodcooked 19. Loc. cit. 18. Loc. cit. 17. SeeTimEdensor, op.cit. 16, no.2(2011). Local IngredientsandImages,” SociologicalResearchOnline 16. RafiGrosglik, “Organic HummusinIsrael: Globaland York: OxfordUniversity Press,2015). tion” inJewsandTheirFoodways, ed.AnatHelman(New 15. NirAvieli, “SizeMatters:Israeli ChefsCookingupaNa- Penguin, 1999). sey fromSamarkandandVilnatothePresentDay (London: 14. SeeClaudiaRoden,TheBookofJewishFood: AnOdys- Paperbacks, 2001). Culinary CulturesoftheMiddleEast(London: Tauris Parke 13. SamiZubaidaandRichardTapper, ATaste ofThyme: biography the Ages(London-New York: Routledge,2007),5. 27. David C.Kremer, JewishEatingandIdentityThrough 26. Loc. cit. York: OxfordUniversity Press,1996),88. ligious Lives ofElderlyJewishWomen inJerusalem(New 25. SusanStarrSered,Women AsRitualExperts:TheRe- 24. TimEdensor, 91. 23. Edensor, 91. Introduction (London: Routledge,2000). 22. SeeMichaelE.Gardiner, CritiquesofEveryday Life:An 21. Apopularshoppingmallincentral Tel Aviv. rived aftertheirexpulsion fromSpainin1492). called Sephardicfood,asmostoftheJewsinthisregionar- as wellculinarytransmissionandJewishidentity. the roleoffoodinconstructionnationalidentities King’s CollegeLondon.Herresearchinterestsfocuson researcher attheInstituteforMiddleEasternStudies

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Claudia RaquelPrietoPiastroisaPhD