The Renfrew Center Tackles Eating Disorders in the Jewish Community
With all this emphasis on food, some people who have eating disorders may struggle to observe Jewish laws and customs.
Graphic by Ponomariova_Maria/Getty Images
To say Jewish culture focuses a lot on food would be an understatement. There are large, festive meals every Shabbat and holiday. specifically Jewish foods like cholent, latkes, and kugel and minor and major fasts throughout the year. With all this emphasis on food — or a lack thereof — some people who have eating disorders may struggle to observe Jewish laws and customs.
That’s the focus of “Feasting, Fasting and Feelings; Oy Vey! A Transdiagnostic Approach to Treating Eating Disorders in the Jewish Community,” an online seminar the Renfrew Center of New York City is hosting on May 4 from 8:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. EST. The Renfrew Center, an eating disorder treatment center for adolescent girls and women, has sites all across the United States, including in Los Angeles on Wilshire Boulevard.