Fair Trade Your Purim

Say NO to Haman this Purim with the first ever fair trade grogger! Handcrafted from hale wood in India, this beautifully painted grogger will add a festive sound to the reading of the Megillah.

The mitzvah of giving Mishloach Manot (literally, “sending of portions”) comes from the Book of Esther. It is meant to ensure that everyone has enough food for the Purim feast held later in the day, and to increase love and friendship. Gan Shalom, a Jewish preschool in Oakland, CA is putting together Kosher, organic, fair trade, and sustainably grown mishloach manot that can be sent anywhere in the U.S. Includes Fair Trade chocolate, coffee, tea, and dried fruit. Place your order by Friday, Feb. 17.

And, if you follow the “Ad lo Yada” tradition of Purim (not being able to distinguish between 'cursed be Haman' and 'blessed be Mordecai', vodka made from fair trade quinoa may be your drink of choice! If you live near San Francisco, Los Angeles, the Pacific Northwest, or New York, you can find it in bars, restaurants and local retailers; otherwise you can find it at Fairtrade Spirits on-line.

Host a Fair Trade Kosher Chocolate Evening with our new Screening Kit

Fair Trade Judaica can provide you with everything you need to create an interesting and inspiring program! Organize a screening of “The Dark Side of Chocolate”, a moving documentary on the role of child labor on the cocoa fields in the Ivory Coast, followed by a Fair Trade chocolate tasting. The program brings alive our Passover theme of liberation, and inspires people to choose fair trade chocolate as an alternative

The packet includes:

• A copy of the DVD
• A comprehensive guide for planning the event
• Informational handouts
• Jewish text resources, including materials for Passover seder
• Cocoa beans to use on your seder plate
• Contact information for ordering Fair Trade Kosher chocolate.

The entire package costs $18.00 + postage.

For more information, contact Ilana at ilana@fairtradejudaica.org or 510.926.2056.

New Products

Celebrate Passover in style while you support Mayan Hands' weavers from Rabinal (woven cloth) and Chirijquiac (embroidery work) who lovingly worked on these matzah covers. They too are on a journey, bringing their families out of the darkness of poverty into a brighter future. The product is available for purchase on the Mayan Hands website.

This beautiful new kippah is handmade in Colombia. The color combination of deep bluish purple, sky blue, dark gray and white along with the simple star design makes this a striking option for a kippah. Click here for more information.

UPDATE: Good and Not so Good News about Hershey

Big news in the fair trade world! The good news is that Hershey’s has finally committed to third party monitoring; it has committed to purchasing Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa for its Bliss Chocolate products and will invest $10 million in education and its smart-phone CocoaLink project to teach West African farmers to be more efficient and increase their crop yields. Read more from our blog.

New FTJ Video on Our Web Site

Thanks to Ralph Guggenheim and Alligator Planet for producing this video, featuring FTJ's work and introducing many Fair Trade products and the artisans and farmers behind them.

Please share the video with friends and family to help us get the word out!

FTJ’s Jewish Blessing Flags Available for On-line Purchase

A new shipment of our Jewish Blessing Flags has arrived from Nepal. This unique set of flags will bring beauty and blessing to your home, classroom, synagogue, or sukkah. Designed by Fair Trade Judaica, the banner is composed of seven individual flags, each reflecting a key Jewish value; its color and design is inspired by ancient Jewish tradition.