Challah, the braided bread that serves as a centerpiece for Shabbat and major Jewish holidays, is the focal point of Global ChallahFest. This international event, organized by Foodish, the culinary division of ANU - Museum of the Jewish People, is expanding its reach significantly this year. While the festival has been held for two years, 2026 marks its first foray outside of Israel, bringing the tradition to a global audience.
The celebration launches on November 6 in New York City. From there, the itinerary moves through Chicago, Washington, DC, Boston, and Atlanta. The tour then crosses the Atlantic to London before concluding on November 29 in Tel Aviv. The program is designed to be interactive, featuring culinary workshops, photography exhibitions, community gatherings, and hands-on challah creation sessions.
The event aims to connect Jewish communities worldwide by bringing together chefs, cookbook authors, artists, and bakers. Merav Oren, the founder and director of Foodish, explained that the goal is to engage the next generation actively. She noted that a living Jewish culture cannot be built on memory alone. Instead, it requires providing young people with experiences they want to participate in. Oren described challah as a versatile medium that can serve as a conversation starter, an artwork, or a party centerpiece, allowing youth to reinterpret traditions and shape the future of Jewish life.
The guest lineup for this year's festival includes prominent figures in the Jewish culinary world. Notable participants include Jake Cohen, a cookbook author and television personality known for his social media baking content, and Joan Nathan, an award-winning author. Einat Admony, a chef and restaurateur, will also be involved in various events across the tour.
Cohen described the festival as an invitation to make Jewish tradition personal through baking. He emphasized that creating food to share is an intimate way to build community. In New York, the opening includes a meet and greet with Cohen at William Greenberg Desserts. This event will also introduce the ChallahFest DIY Kit, a tool designed to help participants creatively reinterpret the traditional loaf.
The New York segment features an open Q&A with Joan Nathan and a Kabbalat Shabbat gathering led by Einat Admony. The city's schedule also includes Falmer, a chef and DJ who performs under a mononymous name. Falmer will partner with Seed + Mill, a New York-based tahini maker, for a special challah-inspired pop-up.
In Washington, DC, the festival will host a panel discussion on challah, culture, and identity. Chef and television host Pati Jinich is scheduled to participate in this dialogue. Meanwhile, students in Boston will compete in a challah-baking contest. In Atlanta, local bakeries will join together for tastings and community events, fostering a sense of local engagement with the broader festival theme.
London's program highlights the connection between food and belonging. An intergenerational panel will feature food historian Claudia Roden, cookbook author Adeena Sussman, and Falmer. The discussion will explore themes of challah, home, and cultural identity, bridging different generations of the community.
The festival will wrap up at ANU - Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv. A special photography exhibition by Sivan Roshianu and Alexander Zoon Lachnish, a chef and multidisciplinary artist, will be on display. Their work offers a fresh perspective on the subject of challah. The final weekend will feature a curated lineup of bakeries, including Mattarello, Ronale by Zohar, David Laor, and Russell's Bakery. These establishments will present exclusive interpretations of the bread, ranging from ancient Andalusian pastries and traditional Tunisian good-luck challah to a croissant that blends Jewish and French patisserie traditions.
Further details regarding dates and events can be found on the ANU Foodish website. This expansion reflects the organization's broader vision of bringing Jewish stories to life and strengthening connections between communities in Israel and the diaspora.
