By Debbie Lieberman
Judaism’s relationship with food is undeniable.
Holidays are celebrated with symbolic dishes that bring us together as a community. These meals nourish our bodies and souls, but for some, food can be dangerous and even life-threatening.
My family has been navigating life with food allergies for 20 years. My adult daughter is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, my teenage son is allergic to fin fish and tree nuts, and my husband has idiopathic anaphylaxis, the cause of his reactions unknown.
My children attended Temple Sinai Preschool. Precautions were taken, but I was often running point- ghost writing letters for teachers to send to parents, volunteering to provide all snacks, and offering food allergy education to anyone willing to listen. There were no formal policies designed to keep children with allergies safe while making sure they were included in formative activities.
Recently, I received a call from Sinai and I realized that the seeds planted years ago, had bloomed. A task force committed to establishing, preschool and congregational guidelines around food allergies had been formed. I was invited to conduct food allergy training for all synagogue staff.
It was an exciting time to receive this invitation because in recent years research has documented the negative impact of food allergy on quality of life. Feelings of anxiety and isolation are common, but with tools like education, awareness and anticipation, those feelings can be mitigated.
Staff members were fully engaged as we reviewed the basics of food allergy, psychosocial impacts, and steps Sinai can take to ensure best practices for congregants of all ages to feel safe in the place many see as an extension of their own home.
As a congregant, social worker and parent, I was thrilled by this initiative and am confident it will be another reason families choose to belong to the Temple Sinai community.
Here’s what we’re doing at Temple Sinai to be more allergy and food sensitive friendly.
- Sinai now orders a wider variety of snacks for children enrolled in Noar and for meetings in the building that are inclusive of different dietary needs
- Temple Sinai Preschool now provides snacks to children daily and keeps food requirements in mind
- Registration forms for programs where food is served now include questions about dietary needs
- Oneg and Kabbalat Panim on Shabbat now include vegan, gluten free and allergy free options
- Displaying clear signage at programs and events with food that indicate vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options
•While Sinai cannot be a guaranteed nut free facility, we are working to avoid purchasing food options that have nuts
