Have you ever wished you could get a behind-the-scenes tour of New York’s famous Katz’s Deli to see how the pastrami is really made? How about a chance to pick the brain of Start-Up Nation author Dan Senor over lunch? Or maybe you’d rather stay home and have chef Ai Ito bring a contemporary Japanese tasting menu to you and seven friends. 

These are a few of the experiences available to bid on through an inaugural online auction launched on Monday by the Jewish Food Society. Proceeds from the auction, which is scheduled to run through Friday night, will go toward the nonprofit that “preserves, celebrates and revitalizes Jewish culinary heritage,” according to its website. 

Naama Shefi, founder and executive director of Jewish Food Society, told eJewishPhilanthropy that among the auction items that stand out to her for “captur[ing] the essence of Jewish Food Society’s mission,” is the opportunity to create your own cookbook of family recipes with the assistance of the Jewish Food Society creative team. 

“This is the core of our work, as it’s so important to acknowledge our past as we navigate the future for our community,” said Shefi, who is also the founder of Asif: Culinary Institute of Israel, a center in Tel Aviv that describes itself as “dedicated to exploring the diverse and creative food culture of Israel.”

Since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, Asif has worked closely with the victims’ families to gather stories about their loved one before recreating their most-loved meals, often in the families’ own kitchens. In September, the institute hosted its inaugural event in New York City where a group of roughly 30 culinary leaders, pro-Israel activists and journalists gathered with Nova music festival victim Shani Gabay’s family at the French restaurant Gabriel Kreuther, a two-star Michelin restaurant in midtown Manhattan, for a four-course meal that featured the chef’s take on Gabay’s treasured fish stew. 

“With the funds we raise from each experience, we will continue building the largest archive of Jewish family recipes and the histories behind them,” Shefi, who founded Jewish Food Society in 2017 and Asif in 2021, said. “Over the last decade, we have seen how food has become a fundamental tool in Jewish engagement. We have created a movement and we need to deepen and expand its impact.” 

“Especially in this fragile moment, with antisemitism dangerously on the rise,” Shefi said, “Jewish Food Society provides a real sense of community, pride and connection for young Jews and beyond.” 

The offerings come at a steep price, with starting bids ranging between $500 for a custom Judaica necklace by designer Susan Alexandra to $25,000 for a Passover Seder featuring a four-course menu for up to 20 guests. 

Gail Simmons, a judge on Bravo’s Emmy-winning series “Top Chef,” who is hosting a multi-course feast at Middle Eastern restaurant Shukette in New York City through the auction (for a starting price of $4,500), told eJP that “when the world around us seems bleak and filled with negativity, the best way I believe to combat it is through a shared, meaningful meal, especially one that helps preserve and nourish who we are.” 

Other auction items — all of which also have a “buy now” option —  include a private tour of Philadelphia with Zahav Chef Michael Solomonov and dinner at his new restaurant, Jaffa, as well as an ice cream social at Manhattan’s Caffe Panna with bestselling cookbook author Jake Cohen.