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Statement on lox at community Kiddush

This past week we were delighted to bring back our full Community Kiddush and implement some changes to create a warmer, more community-centered environment. Overall, the community’s response has been very positive.

However, the removal of lox from our standard Kiddush menu has led to several misunderstandings we wish to clarify.

  • First, we inaccurately stated that consuming lox contributes to the overfishing of salmon. Most lox is, in fact, made from farmed Atlantic salmon. We thank those who brought this error to our attention, giving us the opportunity to correct our mistake.
  • Second, some felt that we implied that eating lox is immoral or that BJ is boycotting lox or lox providers. This could not be farther from the truth. Moreover, should anyone sponsoring Kiddush wish to include lox in the menu, they are welcome to do so.

Ultimately, we chose to eliminate lox from non-sponsored community Kiddush because of its increasing cost as well as our desire to include more plant-based offerings at community meals.

One of BJ’s strengths is our commitment to open, honest dialogue, and we welcome the feedback that has been shared with us. We know there are many paths toward the world we wish to see and many ways to heal it. We are therefore grateful, especially in this season of teshuvah, for this opportunity to be more reflective and nuanced in our thinking about these decisions and in the way we communicate about them.

If you have any questions, please reach out to communications@bj.org and we’ll direct your question.