I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream

The connection between Jews and Ice Cream

Created by Rabbi Shari Shamah, Jewish Life Specialist

Shari.shamah@moishehouse.org

A Love of dairy goes all the way back to the Torah:

(ח) וָאֵרֵ֞ד לְהַצִּיל֣וֹ ׀ מִיַּ֣ד מִצְרַ֗יִם וּֽלְהַעֲלֹתוֹ֮ מִן־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַהִוא֒ אֶל־אֶ֤רֶץ טוֹבָה֙ וּרְחָבָ֔ה אֶל־אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָ֑שׁ אֶל־מְק֤וֹם הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ וְהַ֣חִתִּ֔י וְהָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י וְהַחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִֽי׃

And I come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good and large land, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. (Exodus 3:8)

In fact, a land flowing with Milk and Honey is mentioned 11 times in the Torah!    It occurs four times in the book of Exodus (3:8, 3:17, 13:5, and 33:3), once in Leviticus (20:24), once in Numbers (14:8), and twice in the book of Deuteronomy (6:3 and 11:9)

 

Dairy foods (and often ice cream!) make an appearance at a few Jewish holidays.  The 3rd meal on Shabbat (Seudah Shlishi) is eaten in the afternoon after mincha and before sunset.  It is often a dairy meal. 
On Shavuot, dairy is a staple food, with ice cream being a popular choice.

 

We love ice cream, but ice cream doesn’t always love us.

“For many Jews, a sensitive stomach is genetic. According to some studies, an estimated 75% of all Jews cannot digest lactose (milk sugar); one review of 110 Jewish Israeli youth found, for example, that 62% were “lactose malabsorbers.” Ernest Abel, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Wayne State University and author of “Jewish Genetic Diseases: A Layman’s Guide,” further asserts that gastro-intestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome, are disproportionately common in the Jewish population. Ashkenazi Jews are also two to four times more likely to be afflicted with Crohn’s disease, a condition in which the digestive tract is chronically inflamed.” The Jewish History of Beano and Lactaid | The Nosher (myjewishlearning.com)

A Need for Lactaid hasn’t seemed to stop Jews from the ice cream business.

  • Reuben Mattus, the inventor of Haagen Dazs ice cream, was a Polish Jew who started in the ice cream business in the 1920’s. He joined his uncle in the lemon ice business and grew his trade from there.  By 1929 they were making ice cream sandwiches, bars and ice pops.  How did he get the name for the business?  He credits the fact that the only country which saved the Jews during WWII was Denmark, so he created a totally fictitious Danish name and had it registered.
  • Irv Robbins, a Canadian Jew, learned to make ice cream as a lieutenant in the US Navy during WWII. Using his Bar Mitzvah money, in 1945 he opened the Snowbird Ice cream parlor in Glendale, CA.  His brother in law, Bert Baskin opened his own ice cream shop, and in 1948 a merger produced Baskin-Robbins.  How’s that for 31 delicious flavors!
  • Steve Herrell, whose spouse, and business partner was Jewish, saw the work that Reuben Mattus was doing with Haagen Dazs, and built his own ice cream empire in MA, named Steves. He began adding mix-ins to his ice cream.  He is credited for things like m&m’s, toffee and sprinkles in ice cream.
  • Steve Herrell’s work with flavors inspired two Jewish friends named Ben (Cohen) & Jerry (Greenfield) to start their own ice cream shop in 1978 in Vermont. By 1987 Avi Zinger introduced Ben and Jerry’s ice cream to Israel.
  • Ben and Jerry are social justice activists who often create flavors that match current events. They sparked controversy in both 1998 when they said they wouldn’t purchase water from an Israeli company in the Golan Heights, and again in 2021 when they stopped selling Ben and Jerry’s in the West Bank in Israel.    Comfortable with the controversy, here is what they said:
“Responding to the criticism, Greenfield and Cohen defended the move in a New York Times op-ed, adding that they are “proud Jews” and supporters of Israel. The founders argued that they are able to both “support Israel and oppose some of its policies,” just as they publicly have in their criticism of the U.S.”
The move was praised by BDS supporters.  Ben & Jerry’s: The Jewish history behind the iconic ice cream brand (jewishunpacked.com)

 

Information gleaned from: The Jewish history of America’s most famous ice creams | The Times of Israel,  and The Scoop on Ice Cream’s Jewish History, From Häagen-Dazs to Ben & Jerry’s – Tablet Magazine

 

What is the blessing for ice cream?

Therefore, one who eats fruits of the tree during the meal would say “Ha’etz” and one who eats watermelon would say, “Ha’adamah”, and one who eats ice cream or pudding would say, “Shehakol.” …. From Peninei Halakhah, R. Yitzchak Ginzburg

 

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיָה בִּדְבָרוֹ:
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech Ha’olam, she’ha-kol, n’hiyeh bid’varo.
Blessed are You Adonai, by whose word all things came to be.