44 | AUGUST 17 • 2023 

O

n the evening of 
Friday, July 14, I joined 
students and young 
adults of the Metro Detroit area 
at The Collective@TrueNorth, 
a community space in the Core 
City neighborhood, to enjoy a 
Shabbat meal. 
Led by Hillel of Metro Detroit 
(HMD) in partnership with 
Adamah Detroit, this Shabbat 
dinner aimed to highlight the 
connections between Jewish 
values and sustainability. I 
attended along with my fellow 
Wayne State Jewish Medical 

Student Association (JMSA) 
board members. Students from 
all years of WSU’s School of 
Medicine attended in addition 
to other young Jewish leaders in 
the community. 
After kiddish with chal-
lah from Dakota Bakery, we 
were invited to participate in 
a unique, kosher fine dining 
experience. Not only was the 
meal sustainability-focused, 
but the plates, cutlery and even 
tablecloths we ate on were 
composted by a local company, 
Midtown Composting.

Leah Burian, an HMD pro-
gram associate, collaborated 
with local chef Abby Billings 
to create a four-course kosher 
menu highlighting seasonal 
Michigan produce. The ingre-
dients, sourced mainly from 
the nearby Eastern Market and 
other local businesses, drove 
the main discussion behind 
the meal. The final two cours-
es were garnished with edible 
flowers picked just before the 
meal from a next-door garden. 
Leah and Abby presented 
the elements of each course, 
and we learned that each item 
on the menu was purposefully 
selected to feature seasonal 
fruits and vegetables in cold 
settings for the hot summer 
evening. Additionally, the menu 
helped to broaden our palettes 
by including recipes from South 
America and Asia that, while 
not typically found on Jewish 
American Shabbat plates, are 
traditionally kosher, gluten and/
or dairy free. 
Before dessert, we learned 
about the theme behind 
the evening. Leah and Julia 
Cunnien of Adamah Detroit 
facilitated a discussion about 
the Jewish value of areyvut 
(community responsibility). 
Leah explained that this value 
was woven into our meal, and 
that we could continue to honor 

it by buying produce and goods 
that are grown locally. This not 
only provides us with fresher, 
healthier options — but we are 
also supporting our community. 
Much of the food we eat travels 
thousands of miles to reach our 
plates. We can help offset the 
pollution caused by transporta-
tion if we buy locally and grow 
our own food. 
I’
d like to conclude by offering 
you a challenge — the same 
one that we were given at the 
end of our Shabbat experience. 
Plan your next Shabbat meal 
with local and seasonal foods at 
heart. Reflect on how it tastes. 
Reflect on how it feels to eat 
freshly harvested ingredients. 
Engage in a conversation with 
those around your table about 
what it is to experience this, 
and how it has, I hope, helped 
you to embrace the values of 
Areyvut and sustainability. 
If you know a college student 
or young adult in the Metro 
Detroit area interested in 
participating in a sustainability 
Shabbat, please invite them 
to join HMD for its fall 
sustainability Shabbat on Oct. 
6. For questions about this 
event, you can contact Leah at 
LeahB@hillel-detroit.org. 

Carly Abrahams is in the WSU School of 

Medicine, class of 2026.

Wayne State Jewish Medical Student 
Association members learn about 
the Jewish value of Areyvut.
 

Sustainability 
Shabbat

Carly Abrahams } jewish@edu writer

Max Tendero, 
Maya Kohavi, 
and Ben Sider

Carly Abrahams and other 
WSU Jewish Medical Student 
Association (JMSA) board 
members enjoy Shabbat 
dinner with Hillel of Metro 
Detroit and Adamah Detroit.

for college students by college students

Aug. 17, 2023 / 30 Av 5783

