On September 30, Tzedek DC held our eighth annual Eat Well, Do Justice!® celebration. We are enormously grateful for the outpouring of support reflected at the event, which helped us raise over $389,000—and still counting!—in support of our justice mission over the course of a fun, substantive, and tasty evening. A huge thank you to all who made the evening a special one!
Following the reception, where guests tried the competing chefs’ offerings and voted on their favorite, the program kicked off with a short video featuring the incredible impact of the pilot year of our Young Adult Financial Empowerment Program, as funds from the event will help us expand its reach and move it into the next stage. Program participants joined us for the evening to celebrate as well!
Tzedek DC’s Board Chair Rachel Kronowitz delivered welcoming remarks and introduced the musicians who led all of us in a performance of a trilingual Hebrew-Arabic-English version of Rabbi Menachem Creditor’s moving and timely song, Olam Chesed Yibaneh. This arrangement of the song about building a world from love instead of from fear was created by the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, an Israeli-Palestinian music and dialogue project. Its Founding Artistic Director Micah Hendler, who led the ensemble and the attendees’ sing-along, is currently an Artist in Residence at Adas Israel Synagogue in DC.
Founding President & Director-Counsel Ariel Levinson-Waldman connected the song to our work, including reflecting on how, “the ancient teachings of Chesed—loving and kindness—and Tzedek—justice—are closely related. It’s tangible stuff, with real, present, day-to-day applications in our mission and work…. In everything we do, how do we build and strengthen bridges, bridges that are more important than ever as we are all bombarded with messages of racism, antisemitism, and Islamaphobia, words and acts that divide us when the broader community is already so distressed? These questions pulse subtly through our day-to-day at Tzedek DC as we strive to live up to the high ideal of our name.”
Deputy Director Sarah Hollender presented Staff Attorney Linda Coe with our second-ever Janet Lowenthal Volunteer Service Award, followed by remarks from Linda herself.
Ultimately, the four stellar chefs stole the show that evening, each with their own unique creations. Gina Chersevani, founder of Buffalo & Bergen, showcased an incredible olive-forward Sicilian Cauliflower Salad; Ann-Marie James, Executive Chef at Wagshal’s Deli, highlighted her Trinidadian roots with a delicious Chana & Aloo; and Jarrad Silver, owner of Silver & Sons BBQ, provided pastrami-smoked mushroom sliders that left everyone feeling satisfied.
Despite the intense competition, one deli delight still emerged victorious! The spiced carrots with labneh from Private Chef Daniel Rosen won both the judges’ hearts and the popular vote and took home the evening’s well-deserved award. The judges’ only complaint was that they didn’t have more of it to eat!
We are especially grateful to guest judges Lisa Attman Palmer of the Attman’s Delicatessen family (who knows from deli!); Meta Vice President of Civil Rights and Deputy General Counsel Roy Austin, who also sits on Tzedek DC’s Advisory Council; Shayan Pahlevani, who co-founded Oasis, the first-ever American Muslim Leadership Center in the DMV; DC’s Attorney General Brian Schwalb; and co-founder of RASA Rahul Vinod, who won Eat Well, Do Justice!® 2023!
The event was skillfully chaired and moderated by Bonnie Benwick and co-chaired by June Kress, Laura Kumin, and Nina Simon. The Host Committee and Sponsors were also instrumental in the evening’s success, and we are grateful for the attendance of DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and At-Large Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie. For those who were unable to attend, links to the Young Adult Financial Empowerment Program video, as well as a video of the beautiful musical arrangement, are available above.
As announced at the event, gifts to Tzedek DC this month are being matched thanks to the extraordinary generosity of several anonymous donors. The match extends up to $18,000 and has not yet closed, and proceeds will support the growth of our Young Adult Financial Empowerment Program and make it accessible to more young people. Please consider donating now to double the impact of your gift!
As in past years, this Eat Well, Do Justice!® event sold out weeks before the event. Make sure to secure your tickets for EWDJ 2025 when they become available next summer!
