Jewish cooking authority opens the can of worms known as cultural appropriation, aka theft

And she does it with such chutzpah, too.

Leah Koenig, here, not only justifies the appropriation as "borrowing" by implying that what was stolen didn't really belong to its owners in the first place, in the sense of exclusive ownership, but she also connects that with the essence of Jewish culture itself:

The relatively young, politically supercharged country is often accused of cultural and culinary appropriation of Arabic cuisine. Of course, Israel is filled with remarkable cultural diversity, including Arab communities living within the country, and Jews hailing from Arab countries who arguably have their own longstanding relationships with Levantine cooking. The problem comes back to those making claims of exclusivity. Yes, falafel, hummus, and the like are “Israeli” because these dishes are fundamental to the people who live there. But by no means are they Israel’s alone. ... 

Ultimately, borrowing is at the heart of all Jewish cuisine—and Jewish home cooks have historically played the role of adapters and transmitters of recipes, rather than innovators. But this is something to celebrate, not apologize for. 

 

 

Oy vey, as if we needed another reminder that stealing from the non-Jew is built-in to the religion and race from the beginning.

 

Didn't Luther make the point well enough in On the Jews and Their Lies?

Being chosen has its advantages:

Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury: Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 

 

-- Deuteronomy 23:19f.