JFSLA Young Leaders Publish “Jewish Family Recipes” Cookbook
When the pandemic halted in-person events, JFSLA’s Young Leaders group thought of innovative ways to convene and continue fundraising for JFSLA programs. One of those ways was through hosting virtual cooking classes. The success of these cooking events sparked the idea for the creation of the Jewish Family Recipes cookbook.
The Young Leaders set out to develop a cookbook that would raise awareness and funds for JFSLA’s food insecurity services, while at the same time uplifting small businesses and restaurants in the food service industry that had also encountered significant setbacks. “Supporting small local businesses is about fostering a sense of community and connection,” said Zach Gingold, Chair of JFSLA’s Young Leaders group. “Coming out of Covid, we’ve come to realize that small businesses enhance our communities and promote diversity, especially with food.”
Jewish Family Recipes soon sprouted into a community-wide effort. “We are humbled by the enormous response we received from eager and willing participants from Fairfax Avenue to New York City and beyond,” said Zach. “I have no doubt that the chefs who donated recipes are happy to have contributed to the project and are proud of the result. It’s a testament to the power of community engagement and the importance of supporting our local initiatives.”
Jewish Family Recipes combines beloved recipes and cherished stories from esteemed chefs and restaurants with heartwarming dishes from Jewish Family Service LA’s community members, Board members, and staff. The recipes and images were all donated by the contributors, and the book was compiled and designed for free by members of the Young Leaders Executive Committee. Nearly 100% of the proceeds are tax deductible and directly support JFSLA’s food insecurity programs like the JFS SOVA Community Food & Resource Program and the JFS Senior Nutrition Program.
“I’m so incredibly proud of the commitment from the Young Leaders and what we’ve been able to create. This was truly the result of an enormous amount of vision and hours. We all have full-time jobs during the day, and we had our other full-time job at night making the cookbook come together,” said Maggie Wolf, Vice Chair of JFSLA’s Young Leaders Group. “Please buy a copy!”
The Jewish Family Recipes cookbook has received an overwhelming response from the community. As of December 15th, the Young Leaders have raised a total of $11,600 for JFSLA’s food insecurity programs. The Jewish Family Recipes cookbook can be purchased at jewishfamilyrecipes.com.
The JFSLA Young Leaders are a diverse, dynamic group of individuals aged 21-40 who are committed to furthering JFSLA’s mission to create a kinder, more compassionate LA through volunteerism, philanthropy efforts, social events, and more. To learn more visit jfsla.org/young-leaders. To learn more about JFSLA’s food insecurity services for the people of Los Angeles, visit jfsla.org/food-hunger.
