100,000 Israelis to celebrate Ice Cream for Breakfast Day
The initiative began to take a step to elevate the mood of Americans in the cold and boring month of February.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: JANUARY 31, 2019 17:56Ben and Jerry's.(photo credit: MORAG BITON)
Research by Ben & Jerry’s Israel shows that more than 100,000 members of the Anglo community will celebrate the international Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, and in many synagogues during kiddush, ice cream will replace cholent.The initiative began with Florence Rappaport, a social worker and mother of six from Rochester, New York, who in the mid-1960s wanted to cheer up Americans during the cold and boring month of February, asked what could be more refreshing than fine ice cream for breakfast?Over the years, Rappaport’s six children, who are grown, and her youngest daughter, who immigrated to Israel, began to spread the word. The day is celebrated not only in the United States but also in Canada, New Zealand, England, Australia, India, Egypt and Israel.Avi Zinger, CEO of Ben & Jerry’s Israel, noted that in Israel more than 100,000 people from the English-speaking community are making a special breakfast kiddush featuring ice cream.Even in synagogues in Jerusalem, Ra’anana and many communities in Judea and Samaria, where there are a high concentrations of Anglos, the kiddush meal on Shabbat will have ice cream instead of cholent.An examination conducted by Ben & Jerry’s in Israel showed that 54% of Israelis eat ice cream in the winter months and that Israelis are ranked seventh in the world for ice cream consumption.The average Israeli eats about ten liters of ice cream a year. The country with the highest ice cream per capita is New Zealand at 28 liters of ice cream per year. The USA comes in a close second at 21 liters, and Australia comes in third at 18 liters of ice cream per capita per year.
