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Special Guests
Jonathan Safran Foer
Jonathan Safran Foer is a bestselling American novelist, and a creative writing teacher at New York University. Read more...
Rabba Claudia Marbach
Rabba Claudia Marbach is an exceptional educator for adults and teens who developed and taught the Toshba curriculum at JCDS for fifteen years. Read more...
Alicia Jo Rabins
Alicia Jo Rabins is an award-winning writer, musician, composer, performer, and Torah teacher. Read more...
Chef Douglass Williams
Chef Douglass Williams is chef/owner of MIDA Boston, a Food & Wine Best New Chef 2020, and a James Beard Foundation Semi-Finalist, Best Chef Northeast (2020). Read more...
Schedule
March 18, 20218:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Main Event
This year's Matters of Taste is taking on a new form in a variety of ways. Save your "seat at the table." For reservations including meals, we regret the deadline has passed. Reserve for event access now through Thursday, March 18, 2021, 5:00pm ET. Thank you for your support! Please click on the below buttons to learn more about our event!
FOOD FOR THE SOULABOUT MATTERS OF TASTEPROGRAMRESERVATIONSABOUT JCDSPLANNING COMMITTEE
March 18, 20219:00 pm - 10:00 pm
After-Party
This portion of the event is an opportunity for adults to continue celebrating after the program. Matters of Taste: Food for the Soul registered guests will receive an email invitation with a link to register for the after-party, which may alternatively be done directly from the livestream page. The livestream link will also be shared by email. L'Chayim!
Sponsors

FOOD FOR THE SOUL אוכל לנשמה
Co-chairs Laura and Guy Shechter look forward to welcoming you to an evening that will nourish your mind, body, and soul. Join JCDS friends, new and old, and our special guests as we enjoy a virtual “delectable" evening — all in the comfort of your home! The beautiful array of thought leaders at Matters of Taste reflects our robust community of innovators, visionaries, and change-makers that positions JCDS as the school of choice for families in the greater Boston area.


ABOUT MATTERS OF TASTE אודות עניין של טעם
Matters of Taste is the annual signature fundraising celebration for JCDS. All proceeds benefit the JCDS Annual Campaign, which enables us to enhance our premier educational program of rigorous academics, intentional pluralism, and joyful Jewish community. Matters of Taste is the primary means of fundraising and friendraising for JCDS. Your philanthropy supports the mission of JCDS by supporting tuition needs, investing in our teachers, providing professional development opportunities, and improving the infrastructure of our facilities.

In this spirit, we ask that you and your family make a meaningful contribution to the JCDS Annual Campaign. We invite you to donate according to the suggested levels or welcome a contribution in another amount that is meaningful to you.

Program - תכנית

Main Event: 8:00-9:00 pm


Welcome Music: Kayla (JCDS Class of 2023) and Laura Shechter
Rondo from Duet no. 3, op. 103 by Friedrich-August Kummer
Host Welcome: Eyal Simko, The One Up Group
Special Guest: Rabba Claudia Marbach
Matters of Taste Co-chairs Laura and Guy Shechter - Welcome
Video
Shira Deener, JCDS Head of School
Special Guest: Alicia Jo Rabins
Special Guest: Chef Douglass Williams
Rachel Fish, JCDS Board President
Joanne Baker, JCDS Humanities Teacher Grades 7 and 8
Special Guest: Jonathan Safran Foer
Ma'ayan Rosenbaum, JCDS Class of 2021
Oren Kaunfer, JCDS Madrich Ruchani
Matters of Taste Co-chairs Laura and Guy Shechter - Close
Host Transition to After-Party

After-Party: 9:00-10:00 pm


This portion of the event is an opportunity for adults to continue celebrating after the program. Matters of Taste: Food for the Soul registered guests will receive an email invitation with a link to register for the after-party, which may alternatively be done directly from the livestream page. The livestream link will also be shared by email. L'Chayim!

ABOUT JCDS אודות בית הספר
JCDS, Boston's Jewish Community Day School, is an intentionally pluralistic K-8 school that cultivates knowledgeable, passionate, Jewish learners with the capacity and confidence to question, listen, understand, and change the world.

Please contact the Development Office with any questions at development@jcdsboston.org or 617-972-1733.

PLANNING COMMITTEE חברי הוועדה המארגנת

Planning Committee
Jill Baker
Judi Bohn
Galit Div
Fiona Epstein
Robbie Fein
Rachel Fish
Jenny Gomeringer
Natty Hoffman
Jen Kaplan
Sari Korman
Josh Langer
Devra Lasden
Judith Rosenbaum
Shirah Rubin
Jaka Saarony
Shiri Segev
Arnee Winshall

Provisions Subcommittee
Jaka Saarony, Chair
Jill Baker
Natty Hoffman
Sari Korman
Shiri Segev


Gift Box Assembly
Alanna Baker
Jill Baker
Natty Hoffman
Jen Kaplan
Jordana Kaplan-Tanchel
Sari Korman
Shirah Rubin
Jaka Saarony
Sadie Saarony
Shiri Segev
Kayla Shechter
Vered Singer
Dorit Zmiri

Gift Box and Meal Deliveries
Beth Badik
Jill Baker
Michelle Barmazel
Marci Borenstein
Steven Goldstein
Dafna Hayman
Natty Hoffman
Shira Horowitz
Ellen Krause-Grosman
Jaka Saarony
Oren Weisberg

Hamsa Project
Shirah Rubin
Vered Singer

PROVISIONS COMMITTEE
Planning Committee
Jill Baker
Judi Bohn
Galit Div
Fiona Epstein
Robbie Fein
Rachel Fish
Jenny Gomeringer
Natty Hoffman
Jen Kaplan
Sari Korman
Josh Langer
Devra Lasden
Judith Rosenbaum
Shirah Rubin
Jaka Saarony
Shiri Segev
Arnee Winshall

Provisions Subcommittee
Jaka Saarony, Chair
Jill Baker
Natty Hoffman
Sari Korman
Shiri Segev

Gift Box Assembly
Alanna Baker
Jill Baker
Natty Hoffman
Jen Kaplan
Jordana Kaplan-Tanchel
Sari Korman
Shirah Rubin
Jaka Saarony
Sadie Saarony
Shiri Segev
Kayla Shechter
Vered Singer
Dorit Zmiri

Gift Box and Meal Deliveries
Beth Badik
Jill Baker
Michelle Barmazel
Marci Borenstein
Steven Goldstein
Dafna Hayman
Natty Hoffman
Shira Horowitz
Ellen Krause-Grosman
Jaka Saarony
Oren Weisberg

Hamsa Project
Shirah Rubin
Vered Singer

RESERVATIONS הזמנות
Register Online

Download this form, fill it out and Mail to:

JCDS Boston
Matters of Taste 2021
57 Stanley Avenue
Watertown, MA 02472

Call the Development Office at 617-972-1733

Tickets and Sponsorships
Ticket price of entry for Matters of Taste is $36 per household. We purposefully adjusted the price to be as inclusive as possible to the greater JCDS community.

$36 Just a Taste/A Bissel
Includes access to the event and a festive gift box.

The following sponsorships include access to the event, recognition on the event website, and a festive gift box.
$72 Amuse-Bouche
$180 Nosher
$250 Foodie
$360 Gourmand
$500 Connoisseur

The following sponsorship levels provide additional benefits. (Sorry, the deadline for meal orders has passed.)

$1,000 Sommelier
Includes access to the event, recognition on the event website, a festive gift box, and a bottle of wine.

$1,800 Gastronome
Includes access to the event, recognition on the event website, a festive gift box, and a bottle of wine.

$2,500 Sous-Chef
Includes access to the event, recognition on the event website, 2 festive gift boxes, and a bottle of wine.

$3,600 Chef
Includes access to the event, recognition on the event website, 3 festive gift boxes, and a bottle of wine.

$5,000 Michelin
Includes access to the event, recognition on the event website, 4 festive gift boxes, and a bottle of wine.

$10,000 Bocuse d'Or
Includes access to the event, recognition on the event website, 5 festive gift boxes, and a bottle of wine.

A La Carte Meal Options

(Sorry, the deadline for meal orders has passed.)
Following our Matters of Taste tradition of coming together over a meal, we invite you to enhance your program experience with a catered dinner. All meals are prepared and packaged by Dushez Catering and are certified kosher by the Vaad Harabonim of Massachusetts. Meals are nut free; Dushez is not a nut-free facility.

$55 Adult Chicken
Red wine poached pear salad, Moroccan chicken tagine, Dessert trio
Fresh Baked Mini Challah and Whipped Herb Margarine
Salad: Roasted Shaved Golden Beet, Baby Arugula, Red wine Poached Pears, and pickled red onion, Honey Vinaigrette (on the side)
Main Course: Traditional Tajine Moroccan Couscous with Braised Chicken and Dried Fruit, Root Vegetables and Chickpeas
Dessert Trio: Fruit Skewer with: Chocolate Flourless Cake with Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Coulis and Apple Cranberry Crumble with Vanilla Mousse
Read more
$55 Adult Vegetarian
Red wine poached pear salad, Moroccan vegetarian tagine, Dessert trio
Fresh Baked Mini Challah and Whipped Herb Margarine
Salad: Roasted Shaved Golden Beet, Baby Arugula, Red wine Poached Pears, and pickled red onion, Honey Vinaigrette (on the side)
Main Course: Traditional Tajine Moroccan Couscous with Dried Fruit, Root Vegetables and Chickpeas
Dessert Trio: Fruit Skewer with: Chocolate Flourless Cake with Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Coulis and Apple Cranberry Crumble with Vanilla Mousse
Read more
$25 Child Chicken
Schnitzel fingers with rice pilaf and Israeli salad, Dessert trio
Main Course: Breaded Homemade Chicken (Schnitzel) Fingers, Rice Pilaf, and Israeli Salad with HummusDessert: Fruit Skewer with Chocolate Brownie and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Read more
$25 Child Vegetarian
Falafel with rice pilaf and Israeli salad, Dessert trio
Main Course: Falafel Balls, Rice Pilaf, and Israeli Salad with HummusDessert: Fruit Skewer with Chocolate Brownie and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Read more
NOTE: We highly encourage you to pick up catered meals at JCDS on March 18th, time TBA. For those unable to do so, volunteers will be providing meal delivery (within an 18-mile radius of JCDS) on March 18th, time TBA. Both pick-up and delivery options will be contactless, following all safety protocols.

Meals are not tax deductible. In the event you would like to donate any or all of your reservation benefits to a member of our faculty or staff, please contact the Development Office at
development@jcdsboston.org or 617-972-1733.



Rabba Claudia Marbach
Rabba Claudia Marbach is the Director of Teen Beit Midrash of Hebrew College, where teens can explore their identity through the serious study of Talmud. She received semicha from Yeshivat Maharat in 2018. Rabba Claudia teaches Daf Yomi and has also launched One Night Shtender, a pop-up beit midrash for women in Boston. She founded and co-runs Yedid Nefesh, a partnership minyan located in Newton, MA. Rabba Claudia was a middle school teacher at JCDS for fifteen years, where she developed and taught the Toshba curriculum, tefillah, and Jewish ethics.

Photo Credit: Daniel Jackson


Douglass Williams
Douglass Williams, chef/owner of MIDA Boston, is a Food & Wine Best New Chef 2020 and a James Beard Foundation Semi-Finalist, Best Chef Northeast. Diagnosed with Crohn's disease as a teenager, Williams determined to heal himself through food. His journey brought him from his hometown of Atlantic City, NJ, to culinary school, and then to traveling the world, learning from the best. Williams is committed to making a difference in both the kitchen and the community. Two new projects are in the works: APIZZA is set to open in the new Hub Hall, Boston, and he has announced plans to open a new restaurant in Newton, MA, in Spring 2021.

MIDA Boston

Photo Credit: Chris Churchill


Jonathan Safran Foer
Jonathan Safran Foer is the bestselling author of Everything is Illuminated, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and Here I Am, as well as two works of non-fiction, Eating Animals and We Are the Weather. He lives in Brooklyn, NY, and is the uncle of JCDS second-grader Leo.

Photo Credit: Jeff Mermelstein


Alicia Jo Rabins
Alicia Jo Rabins is an award-winning writer, musician, composer, performer, and Torah teacher. She creates multi-genre works of experimental beauty which explore the intersection of ancient wisdom texts with everyday life. Rabins is the author of two poetry books; as a musician, she has released three albums of songs about women in Torah, called Girls in Trouble, with accompanying feminist Torah study guides. She tours internationally as a violinist, singer, lecturer, and performer from her home base in Portland, Oregon, where she lives with her husband and children. Visit her at www.aliciajo.com.

Photo Credit: Alicia J. Rose