The Lawrence Jewish Community Congregation (LJCC) will host the first event of this year’s Telling Our Stories through Food: the Anita Herzfeld-Deborah Sivan Series on Sunday, May 7.
The annual LJCC series celebrates food, culture, and the power of cooking that connects across generations.
This year’s event will feature Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, an author, educator, and Kansas Poet Laureate Emeritus. Beginning at 11 a.m., Mirriam-Goldberg will discuss how food and cooking became central to her book, “Miriam’s Well.” The talk will be followed by a luncheon at noon. Lunch will be catered by Raven Narramore of Raven’s Table Catering and feature dishes included in “Miriam’s Well.”
"In the story of Exodus, Miriam kept the Jewish people alive by virtue of her well,” Mirriam-Goldberg said. “A source of life and sustenance, the well accompanied the wandering Israelites during their 40 years in the desert. Indeed, gathering together to eat, drink and visit has been a mainstay of our survival — as goes the old joke, ‘They tried to kill us. We lived. Let’s eat.’”
The event will conclude with a writing workshop on how intergenerational food stories can offer a sense of belonging, healing, and a unique opportunity for autobiographical exploration.
This event commemorates the friendship of two remarkable women: Anita Herzfeld of Lawrence, known for her humanity, scholarship and sweet and discerning palate, and Deborah Sivan of Tel Aviv, Israel, an avid reader whom Herzfeld introduced to LJCC and, nearly on the same order of magnitude, to André's Confiserie of Kansas City.
“We are excited to welcome people — both Jewish and not — to the LJCC for this event,” said Carolyn Caine, LJCC president. “There is a longstanding association for many people in Lawrence between the LJCC and delicious food because of our annual blintz brunch. We hope this annual event becomes a way for people to build new connections and relationships across ages and cultures.”
The event is free and open to the public. The LJCC is requesting advance registration. More information is available at ljcc.shulcloud.com/events or by contacting LJCC program and engagement director, Lara Giordano, at .
