With shorter days and colder temperatures, winter offers a great chance to warm us up inside with soups and stews. Did you know that soup and stews have a long-standing place in Jewish life? From matzah ball soup to cholent, soup makes an appearance and many Shabbat and holiday tables. With this program, you’ll encourage people to “get their soup on” while also learning more about the place of soup in Jewish life. By asking people to bring a can or box of soup to donate to a soup kitchen, this program combines Jewish learning and Tikkun Olam and allows attendees to warm themselves and share the warmth of sustenance. This program works as a potluck – with people bringing their own soup to share, or with residents making soup for the community. 

MATERIALS:

• “Soups and Stews in Jewish Life” resource sheet (bottom of page)
• Recipe cards 
• Containers for leftovers
• Pots/slow cooker to keep soup warm 
• Soup recipes : Lentil soup, matzah ball soup and cholent
• Reminder to have people bring a can of soup or box of soup to donate, information about a local agency that will take donated cans/boxes 
• Soup bowls/spoons 

PROGRAM OUTLINE (1.5 hrs):

• Welcome (5-15 minutes)
• Eating and Soup Trivia (45-60 minutes)
• Packaging Soup to Donate and Take Home (15 minutes)

Welcome (5-15 minutes)

• If you’ve asked people to bring soup for a potluck, have serving vessels set out to put soup on. Have them write their ingredients on recipe cards. If you make them all, think about how to keep soup warm and have pre-written recipes cards. 

Eating and Soup Trivia (45-60 minutes)

• As people are eating soup, use the attached resource sheet to share facts about cholent, matzah ball soup and lentil soup. You can also play soup trivia and see how much the participants know. 
• Talk about the calming/warming nature of soup and what people think of it.

Packaging Soup to Donate and Take Home (15 minutes)

• If there are leftovers, invite people to take soup home. Have people help collect cans/boxes of soup to package and bring to local food pantry. Share a description of the agency that your soups will be helping and share awareness about food insecurity in the winter. Here’s one resource.