Author: Ilana Braverman, M.S.

Ilana currently co-directs the nonprofit, Greener By Default. Her work with JIFA includes consulting with Jewish communities to help them align their food choices with their Jewish values by making plant-based options the default choice. Ilana holds a master's degree in Animals and Public Policy from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She previously served as Director of Outreach for Farm Forward and program assistant at JIFA.

Why Plant-Based Products are Going Kosher—and Where to Find Them

Serving all or primarily kosher plant-based meals allows institutions to adhere to their kashrut policy, and to articulate Jewish values-based foundations of their practice…And planning events this way by default is not only inclusive of community members with diverse dietary needs and preferences—it helps establish a more sustainable way of eating as the new norm.

Animal Welfare in Kosher Slaughter: A Historical Overview and Recent Victories

In July 2018, the Orthodox Union (OU) announced that they will no longer certify as kosher any cattle slaughtered using the shackle and hoist method, which has been widely condemned as cruel.1 This victory is the result of years of hard work from the animal protection movement.