from #JewishPrideAlways

The Jewish History of Bagels

Jews were prohibited from baking bread - Medieval Europe

The reasoning behind this was that the church considered bread to be holy, and thus, too good for Jewish people.

The prohibition of baking bread was slightly lifted - 13th Century Poland

Jewish people were now allowed to work with bread by boiling it, rather than baking it. This made the bread distinctive from bread supplied by Christian bakers.

Jewish people started to sell bagels on the streets. The bagels were sold stacked up on sticks or hung from strings, which is why bagels have holes.

Jewish people started to immigrate to the US - NYC 1900

Many bagel bakeries opened in Manhattan's lower East Side.

Local 338, a bagel makers trade union, was formed - 1915 NYC

Local 338 was formed by 300 bagel craftsmen, establishing standards for bagel production. All the members were Jewish and meetings were conducted in Yiddish.

Fun Facts about Bagels

Like the round loaves of Challah we eat at Rosh Hashanah to symbolize a full and complete year to come, the round shape of the bagel was believed to bring good luck in childbirth and to symbolize long life.

The earliest written mention of the bagel is the 1610 statues of the Jewish community of Krakow, Poland, which states that it is permissible to gift bagels to women giving birth.