What does sushi, rice and beans have in common other than being downright delicious? They're also kosher now, thanks to new rules taking them off the list of foods forbidden from being eaten during Passover, which begins this Friday.
Yes that's right, come Friday, Conservative Jews will be able to enjoy Sushi at the cedar, cornflakes for breakfast and even a rice cake smothered with peanut butter or hummus as a snack for the first time.
This change comes following a decision made by Judaism's Conservative movement in November which lifted a ban on Ashkenazi Jews outside of Israel from eat a group of foods known as kitniyot - rice, corn, peanuts, beans and other legumes - during Passover, which has been in place since the 13th century.
At the time, French Jewish leaders were concerned about the way legumes were grown and transported. Specifically, their concerns focused on the likelihood of said substances being mixed with other grains forbidden from Passover -like rye, barley and wheat - prompting them to err on the side of caution and ban them all entirely.
However, that was then and this is now. In a world where gluten-free and vegan diets have been increasingly popular in the Jewish community, it was time their holiday was changed to match. In a similar vein, the change can also be attributed to the changing composition and traditions of those in the Jewish faith within the U.S. - the largest community in the world other than Israel's.
As mentioned before, this change only applies to Conservative Jews who have observed the centuries-old prohibition against eating kitniyot over Passover. The change means little for Orthodox Jews who follow Jewish law more strictly or Reform Jews who follow it loosely than those of the Conservative sect.
It should be noted that this change doesn't impact another group of foods banned during Passover - called hametz - which includes grains such as wheat, barely, oats, rye and spelt. The only approved way to consume these foods is when they are in the form of matzo and only when it takes less than 18 minutes in total to prepare.
Even with this rule changed, it won't be easy for many affected Jews to step away from tradition.
"I'll make lentil soup in the pots I bought myself," Rabbi Amy Levin said. "But the pot I inherited from my grandmother, I don't know. She never wanted to put lentils in that thing!"
