Jewish Leaders Blast De Blasio School Lunch Plan For Excluding Kosher Options
Image by Getty Images
By Sam Kestenbaum November 28, 2017
Jewish and Muslim religious leaders are criticizing Mayor Bill de Blasio and his new free school lunch plan for not offering any kosher or halal options.
“Thousands of children in our community and the Muslim community are left out of this initiative due to religious dietary restrictions,” the letter dated November 22 and signed by more than twenty leaders from both faiths reads. “We urge you to remove the current impediments preventing thousands of students from benefiting.”
De Blasio rolled out the new federally funded program promising to give students free meals with the first day of public school on September 7, the Daily News reported.
Religious leaders from Jewish and Muslim institutions criticizing the new plan include Sheikh Musa Drammeh of the Bronx Islamic Leadership School and Rabbi Mark Dratch of the Rabbinical Council of America.
An estimated 38% of students in the city’s public schools are Jewish or Muslim.
Email Sam Kestenbaum at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @skestenbaum
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
That’s why I’m paying it Forward, by matching $36,000 of reader gifts. It’s an investment in the Forward’s newsroom, to continue telling the American Jewish story with truth and independence.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
