Host a $400 Vegan Shabbat Dinner for Free!

I'm having some friends over for a vegan Shabbat dinner this week, and I realized too late in the game that I could've gotten all my expenses reimbursed by Birthright NEXT. Birthright NEXT encourages Jews who have gone on Birthright Israel trips to host between 4 and 16 people for a Shabbat meal and will cover expenses up to $25 per person.

The Birthright NEXT site lists 14 stories of such all-expenses-paid Shabbat meals, and I can see based on title alone that at least two were vegan.

Emily from Brooklyn wrote:

The vegan cook-off was a great opportunity to unite with friends and share amazing food. Veganism, like Kashrut, is a great way to connect to your identity and food choices every time you eat. Although no one at the Shabbat meal was vegan or strictly kosher, it was a very easy way to accommodate all dietary choices that people from various communities create for themselves. Food really can be an identity marker, and what better way to express your identity than in a warm house with friends?

David from Brooklyn wrote:

The food was Mediterranean themed, and the menu included only vegan items (I am vegan, and surprisingly to me, this bothered no one). The meal consisted of a large mixed greens salad, as well as a spiralized beet and carrot salad, tabouli salad (which I made the day before and kept refrigerated for 24 hours), roasted eggplant, roasted potatoes and onions, as well as bowls of olives, dates, and raisins. I also made hummus for the first time: the chick peas were soaked for 48 hours, and cooked for 4, before they were blended with tahini and vinegar. Lots of pita bread was served as well. Much of the food was supplied through my membership to a local CSA, while the remainder was purchased organically from my local food co-op. Organic wine was also available. The meal took minimal early food preparation, and the majority of the meal was prepared between 6:30pm and 8pm on Friday, impressive in terms of time spent, considering the large number of guests. The food was delicious, and enough for all 16 guests. By the end of a two hour meal, not much food was left over, which I considered a great compliment to my cooking. Everyone in attendance agreed that the meal was a success, and a great time was had by all.

I missed the registration deadline for this Shabbat, but I might have to give this a try in the near future.