#58: Baking Bread as an Act of Love
Tune into Episode 58 of The Bridging Connections Podcast showcasing the work of Challah Back Girls connecting people through challah while working to make the world more just.
“What I think often about, almost daily at this point, is the symbolic vision of each strand of the challah. The more I learn about different communities, different organizations, different partnerships; the more I learned about myself and those layers. The more I apply each of the strand of the challah to the different layers of what I’m feeling that day, who I’m working with and when I’m learning. And at the end of the day, all the strands of the challah are coming together to make this one braided bread and even though it’s a traditionally Jewish braided bread, it’s shared with so many different kinds of people every week across the country all 50 states. To connect all those kind of people of all ages and backgrounds and amplify the mission of organizations advancing, social, and racial justice feels like one big family meal.”
Challah Back Girls
Featuring: CoFounders Sara Loffman and Marni Loffman
It’s amazing what beautiful things can come out of uncertainty and isolation. The four Loffman Siblings, Elana, Hannah, Marni and Sara, found themselves all back at home together at the beginning of the pandemic. This togetherness brought them to baking challah. Although the challah was initially for family and friends it soon turned into making food and challah for the hard working health care teams in the emergency rooms.
They quickly realized that they had a marketable skill although they didn’t feel right to start a business at such an ominous time. The sisters saw the need to help change the landscape of our country and work toward a more equitable world. They felt called to do their part in the struggle for racial justice; to stand up for diversity, equity and inclusion. Hence, Challah Back Girls was formed. Challah Back Girls has become a symbol of ritual and togetherness. “Each strand of challah makes up a different layers of who each of us are, all the strands of challah come together as one., explains Sara. Now challah is shared weekly across the states in an effort to support those working toward social equality and racial justice. The Challah Back Girls work to amplify the voices of organizations that are advancing word and therefore living the value of tikkun olam.
The Loffman Siblings were raised on values of community and shared food combined with Jewish observance and Jewish connectedness. Their family life was based on sharing meaningful moments around Jewish holidays and traditions. This makes for a seamless transition to creating this platform of education, awareness raising and advocacy through challah.
The Mission
Challah Back Girls fundraises for, supports, and uplifts organizations leading racial equity work by connecting people to the Jewish ritual of challah—a traditionally braided bread. Through sharing this Jewish tradition, we provide an educational opportunity for healing and transforming social and racial injustice.
The Vision
Our dream is to create collaboration and mutual support across minority communities through the power of food and ritual. We hope to use Challah as a thread that weaves together people from diverse backgrounds, so we can share histories and stories, to support and amplify each other’s work for social change.
Definitions and Clarifications
Chag - holiday
Halacha- the laws and ordinances that have evolved since biblical times to regulate religious observances and the daily life and conduct of the Jewish people. A Halachically observant person is one that follows halacha.
Tikkun Olam - literally “repair of the world;” a concept in Judaism, which refers to various forms of action intended to repair and improve the world.
Organizations Mentioned in the Episode:
