Species.

Species.

Unite.

Unite.

A lot of people think that kosher means that animals were treated significantly better than animals that

animals that enter the non-cosure market.

And largely, this is just not true because kosher is very much now a part of the same systems

that produce 99% of the animal products that get into our grocery stores and therefore

could be categorized as factory farmed.

Hi, I'm Elizabeth Novogratz. This is Species Unite.

This conversation is with Rabbi Melissa Hoffman,

director of the Center for Jewish Food Ethics,

an organization bringing ancient Jewish values

about land, animals, and nourishment

into the realities of today's food system. At the center, Melissa works

with synagogues, school, summer camps, and community institutions to shift their food practices

through plant-based defaults and culturally rooted changes that align with Jewish values of

compassion, sustainability, and justice. She also tackles widespread

misconceptions, like the belief held by half of American Jews that kosher automatically means

humane. In this conversation, we talk about how Jewish communities can rethink food in ways

that are joyful, practical, and deeply values-driven,

and why these small shifts can bring people together while transforming the food system from the inside out. It's great to see you, Melissa.

...