Jewish Cultural Expressions: Food, Art, and Religious Ritual

Introduction: Cultural Expressions and Appropriation

Traditional cultural expressions include both tangible and intangible items unique to a specific culture, encompassing everything from visual and performing art forms to religious ceremonies and architecture. It was not until I realized that wearing or using the cultural expressions of other societies often constitutes cultural appropriation that I began to examine my own cultural expressions more critically. For example, when non-native people wear moccasins, they engage in a form of cultural appropriation by taking traditional cultural expressions entirely out of context. As Franklin (2016) also points out, some indigenous cultures perform dances or music in front of tourists, with potentially problematic results.

Yet cultural expressions are among the most important means of retaining the core elements of a traditional culture, helping societies pass on their knowledge, wisdom, and traditions to future generations. Cultural expressions also allow members of a society to communicate and share the beauty of their culture with others. The three cultural expressions I would like to discuss in light of my own personal background are food, art, and religious ritual.

Food as Cultural Expression

Food is sometimes a neglected cultural expression, but in my household, food traditions occupy a unique role. My grandmother used to make blintzes every Sunday morning, and we also ate challah every Friday night. Because we grew up in a Jewish neighborhood, our food-based cultural expressions were things we took for granted until we encountered people from other cultures who ate differently. Other foods we learned to associate with our culture included shakshuka (an egg dish), hummus, bagels, and brisket. When I see these foods being served elsewhere, they are usually identified as Jewish foods—yet some have become divorced from their cultural origins in the same way that moccasins are sometimes taken out of their cultural context.

I believe it is therefore important to recognize the cultural value of food and to acknowledge the people who have passed on these recipes. In my family, my grandmother passed on many recipes given to her by her own grandmother. She used to say that tradition was important and that food was an expression of love—which was why she held on to those recipes and continued to make them even when it was not a special occasion. The traditional foods we ate were sometimes consumed on Jewish holidays or for the Shabbat dinner, linking food to other cultural expressions such as religious ritual.

Religious rituals are among the most important cultural expressions for the Jewish people. I believe these rituals are less about mysticism, theology, or spirituality than they are about community. The rituals bring different members of the family together, and nearly all of them center on food. Even Yom Kippur—the day of fasting and atonement—eventually ends with people eating together. All Jewish people interested in preserving their cultural heritage may participate in these religious rituals, even if they do not feel a personal sense of spiritual obligation toward the hidden meaning of those rites.

Religious Rituals and Community Identity

I know some people who are religious and believe in G-d, but religious rituals are ultimately cultural expressions above all else, because they are conducted so that we never forget who we are, where we came from, and why we are distinct from other people. Different religious rituals take place throughout the year: some are personal celebrations, such as bat and bar mitzvah parties, while others are collective religious events, such as Rosh Hashanah and Passover. For each of these rituals, signs and symbols accompany the observance to anchor participants in culture and tradition. We recite songs in Hebrew, and the use of the language in this way connects the people to their ancient lineage.

Finally, the visual arts are a significant cultural expression that can communicate who we are, what we believe, and how we act. My family has long collected different types of art, and interestingly, our collection also includes cultural expressions from places around the world. Gathered during family travels, these works are regarded in much the same way as expressions from our own heritage—we recognize when an artist or musician had a Jewish background. For example, my parents have a small painting by Paul Klee, as well as many art books featuring artists who also share a Jewish background.

Conclusion: Cultural Pride and Identity in Diaspora

Taken together, art, religion, and food help define who I am, what I believe, and how I act. I believe that anyone who observed the food I ate with my family, the music and art collection in our home, or one of our religious events would instantly know that we were proud of our heritage and committed to upholding these three cultural expressions as a primary means of expressing that pride. As Wong and Fernandini (2010) put it, "local communities could be treated as custodians" of their cultural expressions (p. 3). Outsiders to the community may make assumptions about Jewish people based on these cultural expressions; some might believe the expressions are exclusively about religion, when they are as much about culture as the moccasin is to the Cherokee.