By Carol Tannenhauser
This morning, in Monday Bulletin, we posted a story about the removal of lox from B’nai Jeshurun synagogue’s Community Kiddush menu. In a statement explaining the decision, Rabbi Shuli Passow, the director of community engagement at B’nai Jeshurun, wrote on the website, “What we eat and how we eat it should intentionally express our values…Lox will be eliminated from the menu so we can do our part to reduce the environmental impact of pollution and overfishing. We know that for some this is a heretical move! We are here to support you as you process this change.”
Since then — and following an email from the Rag pointing out that most salmon consumed (60%) is farm grown — B’nai Jeshurun has rolled back its statement and ban on lox. In a new statement to its congregation, posted Monday afternoon, it wrote:
“…the removal of lox from our standard Kiddush menu has led to several misunderstandings we wish to clarify.
* First, we inaccurately stated that consuming lox contributes to the overfishing of salmon. Most lox is, in fact, made from farmed Atlantic salmon. We thank those who brought this error to our attention, giving us the opportunity to correct our mistake.
* Second, some felt that we implied that eating lox is immoral or that BJ is boycotting lox or lox providers. This could not be farther from the truth. Moreover, should anyone sponsoring Kiddush wish to include lox in the menu, they are welcome to do so.
“Ultimately, we chose to eliminate lox from non-sponsored community Kiddush because of its increasing cost as well as our desire to include more plant-based offerings at community meals.
“One of BJ’s strengths is our commitment to open, honest dialogue, and we welcome the feedback that has been shared with us. We know there are many paths toward the world we wish to see and many ways to heal it. We are therefore grateful, especially in this season of teshuvah [repentence], for this opportunity to be more reflective and nuanced in our thinking about these decisions and in the way we communicate about them.
“If you have any questions, please reach out to communications@bj.org and we’ll direct your question.”
Once again proving my theory that the Upper West Side is actually a quirky small town that has somehow been transported onto Manhattan…
Which is fine… a quirky small town of extended families and neighbors…a good thing.
Not just fine — it’s quite a good thing.
I understand this is the UWS, but what a first-world problem. No lox at lunch? Oy vey! I do commend the rabbi for encouraging more plant-based offerings.
Yes, to more plant-based offerings. That, and a stuffed cabbage.
Wait, so now they are eliminating it for a different reason? Sounds fishy to me.
I figured it had more to do with cost. So much for openness; they didn’t mention that the first time.
We have 2 articles about lox lunch?
So after all of that yacketyak, will lox now be served at Bnai Jeshrun, or have they opted to follow the “politically correct” crowd, and ban this traditional item from the Community Kaddish menu?? Is it not about time that we ceased subscribing to these ridiculous actions of the leftist lunatics ???
Kiddish. Kaddish is the prayer for the dead.
Perhaps they are saying kaddish over the dead fish?
What will they ban next, gefilte fish?
Not if it is sustainably sourced! Wait, is the carp in the bathtub sustainable?
Now, THIS is how to retract a statement!
I have the utmost respect for anyone (person or organization) willing to: 1. Admit they didn’t know everything about everything, 2. Be transparent about additional context, and 3. Do so in a non-defensive way that isn’t attempting to play anything off as if having just been beaten to the punch. The entire statement walks the walk vis-a-vis the “open, honest dialogue” to which BJ is apparently truly committed.
May the next corporate entity which puts its foot in its mouth be wise enough to follow this example while attending to remove it…
Something’s fishy!
Okay, we get it. Lox has gotten too expensive. But why not just be honest the FIRST time?
And who are you anyway, heaping this totally unwarranted praise on this nonsensical verbiage? The person who wrote that word salad, or their mother?
They may not be serving lox any more, but they are sure shoveling up a bunch of horse excrement.
Yes, point taken. But maybe we should also praise those who called out the BS? Those that pointed out what was being stated was incorrect.
Maybe a lot of discourse we see locally and globally could actually be ameliorated if people spoke from a position of fact – AND ESPECIALLY OUR INSTITUTIONS.
Fourth paragraph of mea culpa – “ We know there are many paths toward the world we wish to see and many ways to heal it…” is a tad overwrought. It’s just lox folks.
You call yourselves UWSiders? Oy vey. Lox? Hardly anyone eats lox (except for B Greengrass’ yummy lox and eggs). Lox is too salty. What you all and the misspoken Rabbi call lox is really nova (there’s eastern and western nova). You could ban lox and no one would object (unless they were delusional). Ban nova = you have sinned.
“You could ban lox and no one would object (unless they were delusional).” I resemble that remark! My weekly order at Barney Greengrass is 1/4 lb. of sturgeon, 1/2 lb of eastern nova – the oilier the better – AND 1/4 lb of belly lox for making lox-eggs-and-sweet-onions. The day an appetizer stops selling salty belly lox is the day I find another appetizer.
Nova Scotia lox (or “nova” as you refer to it) is a variety of lox with a different curing process that uses less salt. Saying that “Hardly anyone eats lox…” because they eat Nova Scotia lox is like saying that hardly anyone drives cars because they’re all driving Toyotas.
Farmed Atlantic salmon does contribute to loss of wild salmon on a large scale. The farms are in open water and when the fish escape, they introduce diseases and overtake the native populations. Norway’s wild salmon population has been cut in half.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/19/huge-plans-to-expand-icelands-fish-farms-risk-decimating-wild-fish-populations
Thanks for posting that link!
“We know that for some this is a heretical move! We are here to support you as you process this change.” Support [you] by doing what, exactly? This is Leftist drivel at its most annoying. Pushing a ridiculous policy through and then feigning compassion.
It is all about being Woke and nothing to do with Judaism
Virtue signaling at it’s not so finest. You want plant based…that’s an individual choice.
The same folks who supported the lockdown now support the LOXDOWN
Don’t want to put too fin a point on this or sound crabby but let’s be precise. The synagogue apparently is still excluding lox from its non-sponsored lunches, namely ones the synagogue itself is paying for. All it is saying is it will now allow lox once again in the sponsored ones, i.e., ones that someone else is paying for. As such the headline is somewhat of a red herring.