Author Archive | Hazon

Jewish Intentional Communities Tour of Israel: Day Six (March 19, 2016)

By Hazon on March 19, 2016 in Hakhel Blog, Hakhel Blog, Israel, Jewish Intentional Communities

by Eliahu Ebrahimi currently living in Tzfat and developing a vision for an eco-village in California Shabbat in Shuva I had the pleasure of spending a Shabbat in . After already having spent a week together, the Hakhel group had become a community in its own right. We were warmly absorbed into the community of Shuva, a moshav near Sderot, for a weekend. On Friday afternoon, I was invited to immerse myself in a mikvah in the middle of a field. I changed into my Shabbat clothes and was ready to transition into 25 hours of much-needed rest. Our group congregated on the back porch of one of the community member’s homes where we joined the Shuva-ites as they welcomed the Shabbat with song and dance. After nightfall, we made our way to an intimate indoor space where sat around a communal table sharing Torah insights, songs and stories for several hours while enjoying the delicious home-cooked meal. The following day, we all met at a community bris which was followed by an outdoor picnic outside of the synagogue. Parents, children, elderly, dogs, cats, peacocks — all coexisting in a chaotic harmony unlike anything I’ve seen. This was a normal […]

Jewish Intentional Communities Tour of Israel: Day Five (March 18, 2016)

By Hazon on March 18, 2016 in Hakhel Blog, Hakhel Blog, Israel, Jewish Intentional Communities

by Morriah Kaplan Member of GariNYC: Brooklyn, NY We started off the day early at the Waldorf-Hassidic school that the community ‘garin’ within Moshav Shuva built. Their pedagogy is inspired by teachings of the ancient commentator Rabbi Chiya, who insisted on teaching the Torah to his students in an experiential way. We spoke with the kindergarten teacher, who described how they teach the students to appreciate and honor individual differences, to have patience that success won’t come in a single day, and to connect with their world – including their religion – in an emotional and experiential way, rather thing simply using their intellect. Building this school was a huge accomplishment of the Shuva community, and it’s brought more young families to the area, particularly those who wish to teach their children Hassidic values along with a solid secular education. We then traveled to Be’er Sheva to enjoy a delicious breakfast and conversation at Café Ringelblum, a coffee shop run by a community called Kehillat Kama which emerged a decade ago to revitalize the Daled neighborhood of Be’er Sheva. The café employs youth-at-risk, and has graduated over 60 youth with a high success rate of employment retention, educational attainment, […]

Jewish Intentional Community Tour of Israel: Day Four (March 17, 2016)

By Hazon on March 17, 2016 in Hakhel Blog, Hakhel Blog, Israel, Jewish Intentional Communities

by Tamar Fendel currently living in Jerusalem, member of Berkeley Moshav in Berkeley, California This morning started out on a different note than the earlier days of the tour. Instead of having breakfast together at our hostel and then heading out to visit an intentional community, we woke in homes scattered throughout Jerusalem, after a lovely night of home stays in the Horesh community in Kiryat Yovel or with friends. We reunited at a lovely cafe, where we met with two staff members from the Ministry of the Diaspora of the State of Israel. This is one of Israel’s newest executive agencies, which is focused on supporting Jewish communities throughout the world. It is a bold new concept that Israel can have a role in developing Jewish life in the Diaspora, in conjunction with Jewish communities in the Diaspora supporting Israel financially and politically. We had an opportunity to learn about the ministry’s forward thinking global efforts and share about each of our projects. It would be wonderful to continue this collaboration between Hakhel and the Israeli government moving forward. Our next stop was in Lod, where we met with Garin Elyashiv, a community committed to acts of hesed. The […]

Jewish Intentional Communities Tour of Israel: Day Three (March 16, 2016)

By Hazon on March 16, 2016 in Hakhel Blog, Hakhel Blog, Israel, Jewish Intentional Communities

by Gulienne Rollins-Rishon Work at Home Mom & Pop: Brooklyn, NY Wow. I’ll start with wow. This trip has been incredible so far. I’m beyond exhausted but in the best possible way. Today we switched gears a little bit. We’ve been experiencing non-Orthodox Jewish intentional communities so far, some of them more Jewish because they’re Israeli and composed at least mostly of people who are of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, and some of people who are intentionally intricately weaving Jewish practice, spirituality, and identity into their communal lives. I’ve loved everything I’ve seen so far, but was wondering where I, as a person who values adherence to halakha as a part of my manifestation of my Jewish identity, could fit into a community so warm, trusting, and intentional. Maybe not me myself exactly, but someone like me at least. Where was this level of intentionality, trust, and ability to be authentically and fully onesself and discuss that self with what’s basically an extended warm, unconditionally loving and accepting family, in a space where if that self also wanted to keep kosher and be shomer Shabbat, it would be fully integrated with the community life? Today, I got some answers. We began […]

Jewish Intentional Communities Tour of Israel: Day Two (March 15, 2016)

By Hazon on March 15, 2016 in Hakhel Blog, Hakhel Blog, Israel, Jewish Intentional Communities

by Geulah Finman In the summer of 2011, I found myself half-awake attempting to sleep while my mind drifted to the scene around me. Guitar strumming mingled with the sound of young passionate voices engaged in a dialogue. The social protest movement that gripped Tel Aviv and the rest of Israel felt hopeful but confusing and at the time directionless. What were we asking for? What did we really want? In the first two days of Hazon’s Jewish Intentional Communities tour, I met individuals who are living in Israeli society and responding with meticulous intent to these social, economic challenges that in fact plague our entire globe. “We as humans, we as Jews, are in a state of peril” says Muki Tzur, the famous Kibbutz historian. He presses on further, “Do not accept collectivism as a form of activism or individuality as a negative source of ego.” Being in community is not enough. How are we helping those beyond ourselves? In what ways can intentional community fill the gaps we no longer depend on our governments to solve? Today we met young people filled with a deep sense of conviction speaking of the past. Revolution needs to occur in […]

Introduction to Intentional Communities in Israel: Day One (March 14, 2016)

By Hazon on March 14, 2016 in Hakhel Blog, Hakhel Blog, Israel, Jewish Intentional Communities

by Rabbi Deborah K. Bravo, Founder and Spiritual Leader of Makom NY: A New Kind of Jewish Community Today was our first full day of learning about intentional communities at the Hazon Hakhel Israel Seminar 2016. We came together as a group of individuals of varying ages and backgrounds from across the Unites States and Israel, representing a variety of very different intentional communities at home. Not only did we spend the day getting to know one another and our communities, but we were also introduced to the framework of intentional communities in Israel. We began the day by visiting the Kinneret Courtyard, where we learned from Muki Tsur, a giant in the history and understanding of the Kibbutz movement. We had the opportunity to really understand and discuss the beginnings of the Kibbutz movement, which truly are the basis for intentional communities in Israel today. We then drove on to Kibbutz Degania Aleph, the first Kibbutz to be opened in 1910. Though the Kibbutz movement today is nothing like it was then, it planted the seeds and thoughts for what would be created nearly a century later. Our afternoon conversation began with a discussion about Makom, the umbrella organization […]

Adamah Farm and Table: Journey to Red Barn Produce

By Hazon on February 19, 2016 in Adamah, Farming, Food, Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center

by Mordechai Schram, Director of Adamah Food Services Yesterday, the Adamah Farm and Table team took to the road to visit Kevin Terr, owner of our produce supplier Red Barn Produce in Highland, NY. It was an amazing trip where we learned about all the ways that Red Barn supports local farms and sustainable farming practices. Red Barn, a family owned business in operation for over 20 years, had identified the need for a local and specialty fruit and vegetable distributor here in the Hudson Valley. They work with more than 30 local farms to bring the best of what the bountiful Hudson Valley has to offer in seasonal and sustainable fruits and vegetables. In addition to fresh produce, they also distribute local farm-fresh dairy items, grains, and artisanal foods. They support equal exchange practices for produce grown outside of the US, utilize controlled atmosphere technology for apple preservation, and contract with local farms to do freezing and canning thereby extending our access to local fruits and veggies throughout the winter. They are true and valued partners with us here at Hazon/Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center helping us to create a healthier and more sustainable Jewish community and a healthier […]

A Time to Serve

By Hazon on February 19, 2016 in Activism, Tzedek/Justice

Where will you serve? Tikkun Olam: Repair the World. That’s a pretty ambitious goal. Luckily, in the field of Jewish service, with great ambition comes great programming. There are so many organizations out there working every day to make a difference, and providing volunteers with the opportunity, knowledge, and partnership to have a positive impact on the world. But, with so many options and so much to be done, how do you choose the service program that is not only right for you, but the program in which YOU can make the biggest difference? We know how. This year, six Jewish non profit organizations are joining forces, as a force for good. We want you to be able to dedicate your time and energy to the causes you are passionate about through a year of service or long-term immersive service program. We also want to make sure you have everything you need to find the program that is the best fit for YOU, all in one place. Below you’ll find a range of excellent long-term service programs, and links to all of the information you need to thoroughly explore each program, your questions and qualifications, and the potential impact you […]

A Star(ter) is Born!

By Hazon on February 5, 2016 in Food, Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center

By Mordechai Schram, Director of Adamah Food Services Last night in the Isabella Freedman kitchen we began the first of a series of master chef classes for our kitchen. This first one was about learning how to make sourdough bread and we were fortunate enough learn from our very own Arielle Aronoff. In addition to being a Teva educator and “winternik” she is also an accomplished baker with a passion for sourdough. Sourdough bread made with a starter of wild yeast and bacteria, and combined with grain flour is the oldest and most original form of leavened bread. It truly is an ancient art that is crafted in harmony with nature. The sourdough process breaks down the wheat to help your digestive system; enhances the vitamin content inherent in the food; produces probiotics and enzymes; and keeps your blood sugar levels more even. And it’s delicious!!! This is something that is so aligned with our food values and aesthetic at Hazon/Isabella Freedman, and is a natural extension of what we do in the CC with our vegetable ferments. We are developing 3 different types of starter which takes about 2 weeks to fully develop. One that is only stirred, one […]

Right Now, It’s Like That

By Hazon on November 12, 2015 in Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center

This essay is an excerpt from Rabbi Jay Michaelson’s new book, The Gate of Tears: Sadness and the Spiritual Path. Rabbi Michaelson is one of the teachers at the Elat Chayyim Meditation Retreat. Often, when sadness, loss, loneliness, or other modes of heart- break arise, there’s a tendency to try and find reasons – to why. Suppose one were to look in a different direction—to what. That is, what is the present-moment experience of these “unwanted houseguests,” these difficult emotions that come, go, and sometimes come but do not go? What might it be like to inhabit the experience itself, rather than the story accompanying it? Perhaps a constriction in the throat, or a heaviness in the chest. Possibly, in the mind, a certain flavor of consciousness, not unlike a flavor of food with more spice or salt than one might like. It is unusual to do this. It is human nature to account for sadness by explaining it: I am sad because I have not succeeded in my career, I am lonesome because I am alone, I am crying because my mother has died. Such accounts can be helpful, but it is also helpful to stay, simply, with the […]

What’s Jewish About Processing Acorns?

By Hazon on November 4, 2015 in Food, JOFEE

Guest blog post by Rabbi Josh Jacobs-Velde, founder of Zmanim, a local Jewish community in Northern California connecting Judaism and the natural world. He can be reached at rabbi.josh18@gmail.com“ Jews and acorn processing with Native Americans? It’s not at the top of the list when you think of things Jews do. Yet, there were about 25 of us, adults and children, sitting under the oak trees at Ragle Ranch Park in Sebastopol on Sunday, October 25, learning how to process acorns and coming to understand their place in native Pomo culture. Our teachers were Northern Pomo educator, healer, and wisdom holder Corine Pearce, and her mother Barbara. In our part of Northern California, acorn processing is not unusual, and people tend to think of it as a cool, fun opportunity. But why do this as a Jewish activity? After reflecting on it for some time, here’s what I offered the people who gathered: Yes, it is fun and cool, but let’s back up a minute: what are the connections between Jews/Judaism and oaks/acorns? First, like the vast majority of traditional cultures (since oaks grow almost everywhere) our tradition also can claim some connections with oak trees. In fact, this week’s […]

Hazon Bay Area: Thank you

By Hazon on November 2, 2015 in Bay Area, California

We want to thank you and our incredible Bay Area community for supporting our regional office over the years. From 2006 – 2015, Hazon Bay Area has provided Jewish Outdoor Environmental Education (JOFEE) programs, thought leadership, and community partnerships to organizations and individuals in the region. Our work has included six annual Ride and Retreat weekends that welcomed over 340 riders and raised $560,000 to support our vision, mission and our mini-grant program, three Bay Area Food Conferences that reached more than 1,400 participants, piloted Home for Dinner, a synagogue-based family meals initiative, and much more. Over the past year, among other projects, we’ve developed and published Fit to Eat – Food Security and Justice Resource and Action Guide, a resource for Jewish institutions to self-organize actions that deepen and broaden efforts to create a more just, fair food system; launched and implemented a Shmita-inspired Do-It-Yourself (DIY) series for young adults; mobilized collaborative conversations around food security among area partner organizations, and provided seed funding for several food justice-inspired projects. Most recently, we held our 3rd annual Jewish Food Festival, Farm to Table: Eating for a Sustainable Future, at the Oshman Family JCC (OFJCC), a fun-filled afternoon of learning and […]

Largest Jewish Sustainability Organization Brings Farm Animal Welfare to the Table

By Hazon on October 23, 2015 in Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Oct. 23rd, 2015)—Hazon, the leading Jewish sustainability organization in North America, has teamed up with The Humane Society of the United States to further farm animal welfare education and advocacy within the Jewish community in time for Food Day 2015 this Saturday, October 24th, an event that inspires Americans to reflect upon their diets and food choices. Christine Gutleben, director of Faith Outreach at The HSUS, said: “Hazon’s work to provide transformative experiences in food education aligns with our work to promote more compassionate food choices among faith communities. Together we can help Jewish communities reduce their meat consumption and avoid purchasing animal products from factory farms.” The two organizations are working together on a range initiatives, including a camp program for Jewish youth that explores the practices of industrial animal agriculture along with what Jewish tradition teaches about animal welfare and environmental sustainability. “The pilot program we ran this summer was a huge success,” said Becca Linden, Associate Program Director at Hazon. “Over 1,000 campers participated in our creative games, thought deeply about their values when interacting with our educational materials, and had vigorous debates in their dining halls about whether, when, and how we should […]

Emerging from an Organizational Shmita

By Hazon on September 2, 2015 in Institutional Food Values, Shmita

By Nati Passow 11 months ago, I posted a piece on the Jewish Farm School website about how we were choosing to embrace Shmita as an organization. You can read the entire piece here, but the final paragraph sums up the gist. We are using the Shmita year as an opportunity for fewer programmatic commitments, more organizational reflection, and a focus on building a strong local foundation in Philadelphia. It is our hope that in this year of rest and renewal, we are feeding the soil that will, in turn, feed thoughtful, inspired, and sustainable organizational growth for the next Shmita cycle. What played out over the following 11 months has proven to be incredibly significant as we enter into a new phase of organizational growth, in line with the beginning of the next Shmita cycle. Since 2013, we have been making an organizational pivot, turning our focus to our Urban Sustainability Programs in Philadelphia. We saw the Shmita year as an opportunity to complete this shift, and do so in a way that would create a strong foundation for this next phase of our work. We would not look to grow our programs or our budget, and would instead dedicate time […]

Kohenet Institute Ordains Nine Hebrew Priestesses

By Hazon on August 10, 2015 in Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, Press Release

Graduating Class of 2015 Serve As Jewish Ritual Leaders and Educators On Friday, July 24, 2015, the Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute gave smicha, ordination, to nine women at a ceremony at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, Connecticut. The nine new Kohanot, Hebrew Priestesses, constitute the fourth graduating class since Kohenet started 10 years ago. Under the guidance of Kohenet co-founders Rabbi Jill Hammer, PhD and Taya Shere, they have been trained as ritual leaders in an earth-based, embodied, feminist Jewish paradigm that honors the history of women’s spiritual practices and the sacred feminine. They are from three countries: the US, England and Ireland. The Kohenet certification empowers and enables new graduates to continue building on the work they are doing, in positions such as a congregational rabbi in Colorado, a youth educator at Eden Village Camp in New York, and a founding resident of Moishe House in London, England. The graduating class has published articles, books, and poetry, created Judaica artwork, and facilitated workshops on midwifery, gender inclusivity, earth-based ritual, storytelling, and strategic planning. They are activists for human rights, for dialogue and understanding, and for ecological sustainability. Kohenet graduates will lead communities in prayer, conduct […]

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