Friendseder 2023: Our Favorite Moments
A Note from Rabbi Jeff:
I am truly proud of the scope and scale of what we were able to accomplish during Friendseder 2023. Over 150 individuals were hosted in homes for Friendseder, and over 350 total individuals were hosted in person through our events and partnerships! Friendseder generated inspiring and educational content to bring this initiative to new communities, while locally we deepened our relationships with partners while always making new friends and connections along the way. Friendseder is growing and evolving and it could not happen without our talented team at The Well and the ongoing love and support from this community. I already cannot wait until next year when we will continue to grow this movement and extend our Friendseder table even further. Thank you for an amazing Friendseder season!
Home-Hosted Friendseders
Friendseder Gets Online
This year, we launched our first ever influencer campaign, and got to work with some of our favorite internet personalities to bring Friendseder to homes and screens around the world! Together, these posts generated over 47,000 views and nearly 5,000 engagements, and greatly contributed to the growth of the Friendseder platform this year! Click the images below to check out the full posts, and maybe you’ll find a new content creator to follow!
Zingerman’s 2nd annual Friendseder Community Brunch
What Friendseder season would be complete without a partnership event with Zingerman’s Delicatessen?! We were thrilled to team up again for the 2nd annual Zingerman’s Friendseder Community Brunch, hosted at the Greyline in downtown Ann Arbor. This 4-course meal with studded with learning, meeting new people, and discovering a new appreciation for playing with our food! Check out the video on the left for a mouthwatering trailer by EverVideo, and a preview of our photo album on the right. Browse the full album here.
“The Zingerman's Friendseder Brunch was a fun way to be engaged with Passover in a new way! The food was delicious and the plays on the traditional foods were really interesting and thoughtful. It felt like a way to celebrate the holiday on my own terms, not just what was dictated by my longstanding family traditions. Those are wonderful, but more defined. This felt like a welcome, new twist!”
-Leah S.
The Friendseder Blog & Food as Text Learning Series
The Friendseder Blog, The Journey made its debut this year, featuring six installments by Rabbi Jeff, and two special guest entries! Each entry ponders a different point on the journey toward freedom and friendship - our evergreen pursuits during Friendseder season - and this first year of entries showcases how this journey can be both incredibly diverse and relatable to any reader.
Inspired by The Friendseder Sandwich, Rabbi Jeff facilitated a 5-part virtual lunch & learn series entitled Food as Text, where participants explored questions like "what story is this sandwich trying to tell?" and "what can we learn from sharing this meal together?” as they examined food like an ancient Jewish text. Each session was recorded and is available to view here.
The Coalition Series: Passover Freedom Party
The Coalition for Black and Jewish Unity’s Passover Freedom Party is one of our favorite events of the year. It’s followed by a Juneteenth Freedom Party in the summer, recognizing the uniquely linked narratives of liberation held in the Black and Jewish communities. An amazing crowd of 75 guests gathered together to enjoy dinner, music, dancing, and networking, and even had a visit from special guest Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence! Special thanks to Jacob Smith and Brandon Colvin for organizing, and Buddah Foods for providing an amazing vegan feast! Check out the latest news on the Coalition for Black and Jewish Unity in the Detroit Free Press and on CBS.
The Well & Temple Israel present: The Friendseder Mimouna
We teamed up with Temple Israel to wrap up Friendseder season with a festive mimouna celebration! A tradition from Moroccan Jewish culture, the mimouna is a celebration of the sweetness of the end of Passover, and is fittingly observed by eating lots of sweet treats! We enjoyed Kabbalat Shabbat led by Rabbi Jeff and Rabbi Josh Bennett and learned about the mimouna first hand, thanks to shinshinit Lihi Shtiglits!