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Challah Artistry: A Journey of Tradition & Creativity
Imagine a gathering at your synagogue or organization where the threads of tradition and creativity intertwine. Freddie Feldman, also known as The Dorky Jew, is a Skokie, IL based storyteller and artist of challah, the bread that has graced our tables and rituals for generations.
Freddie will take your community on a journey through the art of challah, from a single strand to a beautifully braided masterpiece. We’ll explore his personal narrative, uncover the layers of challah’s history, enjoy a live braiding demonstration, and then conclude with an engaging Q&A to tie it all together.
Having spoken at numerous events nationwide and even a TED talk in Vienna, and performed for 10 years in the Jewish a cappella group Listen Up!, Freddie brings a wealth of experience to the table—or the challah board, in this case.

Highlights
- Commissioned challah for Nickelodeon, Sam Manson from Danny Phantom for Jewish American Heritage Month.
- Collaborative post on Instagram, the Ukrainian Trident, with actor Joshua Malina to raise over $5k for World Central Kitchen.
- Collaborative post with Microsoft Clippy challah.
- Collaborative post with Tokin Jew logo challah.
- Featured post on Bob’s Burgers Fox Instagram account.
- Fundraiser for Sandy Hook Promise, raised $686.
- 180+ challahs
- 8+ matzahs
- 185+ weeks
- 6500+ Instagram followers

Contact Freddie now to arrange your challah event
Past Challah Events
January 29, 2023
Temple Jeremiah
Northfield, IL
August 19, 2022
Beth Hillel Bnai Emunah
Wilmette, IL
This week I baked a Black Parade challah! One of my favorite albums is My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade and you can’t forget the Grand Marshal of the parade, Pepe. It’s one of those albums for me that I listen end-to-end over and over, still 19yrs later. Today is also the minor Jewish festival of Lag Ba’Omer and I think the message from The Black Parade of “We’ll Carry On!” resonates really well with this holiday. Chag sameach and Shabbat shalom!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #TheBlackParade #BlackParade #mcr #MyChemicalRomance #pepe #WeCarryOn #LagBaOmer #omer
This week I baked a Mrs. Incredible challah! This Sunday is Mother’s Day and one of the most incredible mothers in cinema is Helen Parr (aka Elastigirl), voiced by the wonderful Holly Hunter (also a mom herself). The dough surely raised up appropriately on this one #iykyk. Wishing a happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, aunts, pet moms, and anyone who feels motherly. Shabbat shalom!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #incredibles #elastigirl #MrsIncredible #HelenParr #thicc #MothersDay #moms #mothers #disney #TheIncredibles
This week I baked a Queen Padmé Amidala challah! This Sunday is May the 4th…Star Wars Day! Padmé was portrayed by one of our favorite Jewish American queens, Natalie Portman, so this post doubles as my Jewish American Heritage Month challah as well. I made an isomalt candy jewel for her and used dutch-processed cocoa, edible gold, and red gel for coloring. May the Force be with you and Shabbat shalom!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #StarWars #StarWarsDay #QueenAmidala #PadmeAmidala #MayThe4th #MayTheFourth #TheForce #MayTheForceBeWithYou #NataliePortman #JewishAmericanHeritageMonth #jahm
This week I baked a Goonies Skeleton Key challah! It’s the first Shabbat after Passover and the custom is to make a challah in the shape of shlissel (key) because it supposedly unlocks blessings for the family. BUT…there’s nothing saying it has to be a key that would work in a door HAHA. I did bake an actual key INTO the challah, just ya know, cover my bases. Do you remember this skeleton key (Copper Bones) from The Goonies? Did you know the movie came out 40 years ago this June?? INSANE! Goonies never say die. Shabbat shalom!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #goonies #thegoonies #skeletonkey #shlissel #shlisselChallah
EXODUS!! This week I baked a Bob Marley matzah! As Bob sang in his nearly-8-minute-epic-song Exodus, ”movement of Jah people!” (although probably not much “movement” in certain situations for us due to excessive matzah consumption this week ugh). But we trod through great tribulation, mah people. I used some dutch-processed black cocoa for the coloring mmmmm. Chag sameach and Shabbat shalom! L’shanah haba’ah b’Yerushalayim.
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#MatzahChallenge #MatzahArt #matzah #matzo #matzot #JewishFood #passover #pesach #BobMarley #Marley #Afikomen #exodus
This week I baked a Charlie Dompler challah! The animated series Smiling Friends on Adult Swim is nutty and hilarious. I had a bunch of time on my hands this week so I started watching it and I just can’t stop, it’s so awesome. Charlie is chill and dry and definitely my favorite, voiced by co-creator of the show @zachicpebbles. Excuse the dark green pants, I couldn’t get a dark grey color together today. Okay, I know Passover begins tomorrow night but I had to get one more challah in before the break. This will be my last challah for a couple weeks and I’ll make a matzah to post next week (any ideas??). Chag Pesach Sameach and Shabbat shalom!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #SmilingFriends #CharlieDompler #AdultSwim #ZachHadel #MichaelCusack #PimPimling #MrBoss #CartoonNetwork #CN
This week I baked a Thai Temple Guardian Statue challah! This crazy season of White Lotus was set in Thailand, this Sunday is the season finale, and last week there was a devastating earthquake in Thailand and Myanmar…I thought maybe a braided doughy temple guard protector would be appropriate right now. Sending all the love and protection to those affected. Also, with the passing of the great Val Kilmer (z’l) this week, I have to say, Jon Gries will always be the genius Lazlo Hollyfield to me. Shabbat shalom! Piper nooooo!!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #WhiteLotus #thai #thailand #TempleGuardian #ThaiEarthquake #MikeWhite #PiperNo #RealGenius #ValKilmer #LazloHollyfeld
This week I baked a Catbus challah! No doubt you have all seen the Studio Ghibli images generated by the new ChatGPT model this week. I bet none of them include CATBUS. My Neighbor Totoro is one of the best animated movies ever and Catbus is one of the best and insane parts of it. BTW the reason OpenAI chose Ghibli as the “style” they were pushing to show for this new model is because Japanese copyright laws allow training AI with their art, it’s a grey area for sure. I’m not saying this is a good thing so don’t @ me. Nothing at all can match the gorgeous, painstakingly hand-drawn art from Ghibli’s work. But yeah, I had to include my own Ghibli-style pic (“Follow me, I’m dorky.”) Shabbat shalom!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #catbus #StudioGhibli #totoro #MyNeighborTotoro #miyazaki #GarronNoone
This week I baked a Hello Kitty challah! I was trying to think of what design to do this week and I realized that today is the anniversary of my bar mitzvah (yay yay mazel). I was looking at what cartoons were popular the year of my bar mitzvah and I found there was an animated series on TV back in the late 80’s called Hello Kitty’s Furry Tale Theater. Yeah, you can find episodes online, and I realized I totally remember the theme song! Remember kids, you can never have too many friends. Shabbat shalom!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #HelloKitty #KittyWhite #sanrio #kawaii #kitty #HelloKittyLovers #sanriocore
This week I baked a Batman Purim challah! Today is the Jewish holiday of Purim, which is celebrated by dressing up in costumes, reading the book of Esther, eating hamentaschen, and exchanging baskets of food/treats. There are many children in our community that are dressing like Batman this Purim, to honor the memory of Ariel Bibas (z”l) who loved Batman. I went with the vintage logo because I think it’s kinda cooler than the newer one tbh. Chag sameach and Shabbat shalom! 🧡
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #Batman #purim #purim2025 #ArielBibas #KfirBibas #ShiriBibas #BatSignal
This week I baked a Severance challah! Your outie likes to bake challahs on Fridays. Your outie is obsessed with Severance. At a restaurant, your outie can calculate the tip in their head. I’ve gotta say, my challah work is mysterious and important. Here’s the Lumon logo in braided dough form, delivered to you mobile televisually, praise Kier! Shabbat shalom!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #severance #lumon #BenStiller #AdamScott #AppleTV #televisually #mountebank #HangInThere #milkshake
This week I baked a Chris Farley challah! His character Matt Foley, the motivational speaker who lives in a “VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!” is probably Farley’s most memorable. Seeing all the SNL50 shows a couple weeks ago, I’m reminded how amazingly funny Chris Farley was and what a terrible loss it was for us all when he died. I really like the details I was able to pull off in this challah (yeah, he’s sweating). Remember kids, be careful or you’ll be living in a van down by the river. Whoops-a-daisy! Shabbat shalom!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #ChrisFarley #VanDownByTheRiver #MattFoley #SNL #SNL50 #SaturdayNightLive #BobOdenkirk #SecondCity
This week I baked a Kendrick Lamar challah! I know you’ve seen this meme around the last couple of weeks and now it’s in challah-form. Listen, I made this challah a few days ago because I’m traveling today, but I don’t want y’all to think I’m not crushed by the news that came out yesterday. I struggled with whether or not to post it, but I decided that I am here to uplift and spread some Jewish joy as my part of “tikkun olam” or “repairing the world.” As we grieve, we need to be strong and not let them break us. Baruch dayan ha’emet and Shabbat shalom. 🧡🧡
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #KendrickLamar #Kendrick #KDOT #KendrickLamarSuperbowl #bibas #heartbroken #WhereIsShiri
Challah line drawing by lifeking83
This week I baked a Whomping Willow challah! Yesterday was the wonderful holiday of Tu Bishvat, the holiday for the trees. Of course, I had to make a tree-themed challah (with Mr. Weasley’s flying Ford crashed in it). I’m loving that my collection of Harry Potter themed challot continues to grow too (see: Hagrid, Dumbledore, Hippogriff). WHOMP! WHOMP! Chag sameach and Shabbat shalom!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #JewishHolidays #WhompingWillow #HarryPotter #HarryPotterFanArt #TuBishvat #trees #LoveTrees #HolidayForTheTrees #ValentinesDay #valentines
This week I baked a Dog Man challah! He’s got the head of a dog, sewn onto the body of a man (peep the stitches on his neck). There’s a new animated movie out the other day and it looks totally fun. Did you read Dog Man? And remember, it’s your story, kid. Color it any way you want! Shabbat shalom!!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #DogMan #CaptainUnderpants #DavPilkey #DogManMovie #scholastic #animation
@davpilkey
@petey_haw_haw
@dreamworksdogman
@dreamworks
This week I baked a Lunar New Year Snake challah! A happy and prosperous new year to all my friends and family celebrating the Lunar New Year and Year of the Snake. I love that Jews aren’t the only ones who follow a lunar year, they’re just shifted a bit from each other. The other amazing thing is how we as humans all celebrate some sort of holiday around our planet revolving once around our sun. Makes you realize we’re all so similar, even though many seem to focus on our differences lately. For this challah, I made red dough and used edible gold accents, but the red coloring came out a bit more pink than I would have liked. What to do you think?? Gong hay fat choy and Shabbat shalom!!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #ChineseNewYear #LunarNewYear #YearOfTheSnake #Snake #LunarNewYear2025 #StopAsianHate #NewYear #HappyNewYear #RebootJewish
Is that hyperpigmentation??This week I baked a Hyperpigmentation Meme challah! Wtf is up with this meme? I honestly don’t get it. Is it funny? Is it weird? I thought the video was sweet. So Shabbat shalom!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #hyperpigmentation #memes #challahMemes #memeArt #skin #dermatology
This week I baked a Tina Belcher challah! I’ve been wanting to make this one for so long but it just never happened...until today. And thus completes my collection of challahs in the shape of all Belchers from Bob’s Burgers. I also have the distinction of making the only challah ever in the shape of someone twerking HA! Tina is voiced by the hilarious and deadpan @thisisdanmintz Listen, she’s no hero, she puts her bra on one boob at a time like everyone else. Shabbat shalom!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #BobsBurgers #TinaBelcher #TwerkingTina #twerk #twerking #BobsBurgersFan #hulu #FoxTV
This week I baked a Hollywood Sign challah. We’re all helplessly watching what’s happening around LA with the awful Palisades, Eaton, Sunset, Creek, and Hurst fires. Just to put it into perspective, the wildfires have burned TWICE the acreage of Manhattan. Imagine that. Simply devastating. I urge you all to help out in any way you’re able. Sending all of the love to everyone in and around LA. Stay safe and shabbat shalom!
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#ChallahArt #bread #BreadArt #BreadArtist #challah #ChallahBraiding #JewishFood #PalisadesFire #LAfires #LAwildfires #EatonFire #SunsetFire #HurstFire #CreekFire #LAstrong