Overview

It might be a little cheesy but wine not do some Jewish learning over delicious wine and cheese! Gather your community for a chill wine and/or cheese night and learn about Jewish foodways and ritual specific to wine and cheese. Choose from threedifferent learning options to see what fits your community!

NOTE: This is a great opportunity to use the Jewish Learning Grant and the Jewish Culture and Holiday Grant. Planning to host this event on Shabbat? It could also be a great candidate for the Shabbat Enhancement Grant.

Materials

Printed document of V’nahafoch hu/Purim Torah (Feel free to print more than one copy of this document, it’s okay if multiple people respond to the same piece of Torah as everyone will have their own interpretation.)

• 3 different types of wine AND/OR 3 different types of cheese
• Printed source sheets
  • Kashrut Crash Course: Wine AND/OR Kashrut Crash Course: Cheese
• Wine glasses
• Water glasses
• Water
• Small plates
• A cutting board or cheese board
• Knives
• Optional: Wine glass markers/small name tags

Program Outline: 60min

• Welcome and Framing (10 min)
• Learning and Tasting (30 min)
  ○ NOTE: Be sure to decide which learning option (listed in the program
  description) you plan to use before your event. Shmoozing and Noshing (20 min)

Program Details:

Beginning – Welcome/Framing (10min)

• Welcome guests and invite them to gather.
• Optional: Invite guests to grab a wine glass and label their glass with a marker or a small wine glass name tag on which to write their name.
• SAY: As we taste some delicious wine and/or cheese we will learn about Jewish foodways and rituals connected to wine and/or cheese. In a moment we will gather to [INSERT EXPLANATION OF WHICH OPTION YOU PLAN TO FACILITATE].

Middle – Learning and Tasting (30min)

NOTE: Before your event, pick one of the learning options below.

• Option #1 – Learn either this source sheet: Kashrut Crash Course: Wine or this source sheet Kashrut Crash Course: Cheese, stopping to taste wine and
  cheese combos as you go!
• Option #2 – Split your group into two and have one group learn about wine and the other group learn about cheese and then at the end share with each other what each group learned/discussed.
• Option #3 – Make this a two-part series. One month just have a wine tasting and learn through the source sheet on wine and the second month just have a cheese tasting and learn through the source sheet on cheese.

End – Shmoozing and Noshing – (20min)

• Enjoy the rest of the evening discussing what you learned and enjoying wine and/or cheese!