Holla for Challah!

In the Jewish culture, challah is so much more than just a loaf of bread. The term challah refers to the act of separating dough into parts before it is braided into a final loaf. Challah was first introduced historically when a blessing was said over two loaves, and then distributed to the children of Israel during their Exodus from Egypt. Challah is an integral part of Shabbat, the weekly holiday celebrated on Friday nights honoring the day of rest in the Jewish religion. Challah comes in different shapes and sizes that all have different meanings, such as the circular shaped loaf that’s only eaten on Rosh Hashanah, which symbolizes the cyclical nature of a new year.

At Syracuse University, students involved in the organization Challah for Hunger are sharing their love of challah and using it to help impact the greater Syracuse community. Roughly seven years ago, Challah For Hunger at Syracuse University began. Challah For Hunger is a nonprofit organization that makes and sells challah to raise money and donate to the Meals On Wheels of Syracuse and Mazon, an international organization that helps to fight hunger in the US and Israel.

The chapter was started by Rebecca Leon, who had a passion for helping others and a personal connection to challah that she wanted to share. She had learned about similar Challah For Hunger organizations across other college campuses, and took the initiative to start her own. The current president, Ariel Hylton, explained that she had come with a sorority sister early in her freshman year, and fell in love with the organization. She was quickly offered a position on their executive board and eventually worked her way up to president. Hylton’s love for challah comes from her memories of making it with her family during the holidays.

Challah For Hunger gives students the ability to bring together their cultural roots with their passion for community service. The organization is extremely inclusive, and does not require members to be religious, but to have enthusiasm for baking and helping others.

Every month, Challah For Hunger opens a link to accept orders via their Instagram page bio, @ChallahForHungerSyacuse. Students are able to place orders for loaves of challah, $5 a loaf, in a variety of different flavors. Past flavors have included plain, s’mores, chocolate, cinnamon sugar, everything and even mini challah bites. One unique aspect of Challah For Hunger is they encourage those who order challah to come help make and bake the dough, creating a stronger connection to the direct impact they are making to the Syracuse community and beyond.

The process of making the challah is broken up into two days, and happens 3 to 4 times a semester. On the first day, students make the plain base dough and let it rest for 24 hours. Then the shaping, flavoring, and baking happens the following evening. Hylton oversees the process, making sure the correct quantities of loaves for each flavor are made, but the majority of the baking is done by volunteers who show up to the bakes.

During the bake, students explained why they chose to be a part of Challah For Hunger. Many explained that it reminded them of traditions from home when they were little. Sophomore student, Serina Sherman, recalled her fond memories of making challah every Friday of preschool and bringing it home to share with her family. Others told stories about their grandmothers teaching them how to prepare challah dough when they were children, and eating what they had made together at certain Jewish holidays.

While it can be difficult to be far from home, family, and traditions while away at college, finding ways to connect to your heritage on campus can help make it a little bit easier. Challah For Hunger does this for many students, while giving them the chance to give back. In this instance, we clearly see how food, even a deliciously sweet loaf of bread, has the power to not only act as nourishment, but a source of cultural unity and a force for meaningful change.

BY FRANKIE SAILER

PHOTO BYTORI SAMPSON