Special Recent Posts
Mourning Eternity in the Cedars of Lebanon
July 29th, 2020
By Jessica Haller There is one place in the world today where you can touch the grandchildren or perhaps even the sibling trees of the actual trees King Solomon ordered to build the First Temple. The Cedars of Lebanon still stand[...]
Cancel culture & Tisha B'Av
July 27th, 2020
Monday, July 27, 2020 | 6 Av 5780 Dear All, First: 2020 Vision Rides are proceeding; our first Adamah At Home has just completed, very successfully indeed, and two more cohorts are now planned; and you can book an Isabella Freedman Getaway[...]
The Dream of Shmita - Deirdre Gabbay
July 23rd, 2020
I have been wanting to write in response to the situation we are all in for several weeks, but each time I’ve begun, I’ve gotten confused and had to stop. There are so many facets of this time and situation[...]
Out of the Crash
July 21st, 2020
Dear Friends, R’ Benay Lappe, who runs SVARA queer yeshiva in Chicago, teaches what she calls her “crash theory.” Every person and every group has a narrative that defines us and our beliefs, she says. This is called a “master story.”[...]
Two ways to feel better this summer (or maybe three)
July 16th, 2020
Thursday, July 16, 2020 | 24 Tammuz 5780 Dear All, Wave upon wave of change and challenge. For the Jewish community, as for the world, there have been overlapping responses since early March. Understanding what this thing was. Changes in behavior, in what you could[...]
Shiva Asar B'Tammuz
July 9th, 2020
Today is a fast day on the Jewish calendar, known as Shiva Assar B'Tammuz. The Mishnah (a compendium of Jewish oral traditions compiled in the third century) provides five tragedies that happened on this day in Jewish history: It was on[...]
Isabella Freedman: an update, and an invitation
June 23rd, 2020
Thursday, June 23, 2020 | Rosh Chodesh Tammuz 5780 Dear All, I want to explain how and why Freedman has been closed, and also to invite you to join us for an “Isabella Freedman Getaway” – a 5- or 12-night stay at Isabella Freedman.[...]
The launch of Adamah At Home, and thoughts about M4BL
June 18th, 2020
Thursday, June 18, 2020 | 26 Sivan 5780 Dear All, Isabella Freedman is closed as a retreat center, but the state of CT has reduced the minimum period for bookings, which now enables us - next week - to launch Isabella Freedman Getaways.[...]
Perspectives
June 3rd, 2020
Wednesday, June 3, 2020 | 11th Sivan 5780 Dear All, I don’t feel like I have a lot of wisdom right now. This is hard. The lessons of Jewish history favor moderation, and striving to keep one’s balance. It is relatively easy for[...]
Isabella Freedman Update and Summer Getaways
May 26th, 2020
Tuesday, May 26, 2020 | 47th day of the omer, hod she'b'malchut Dear All, Normally at this time of year we share updates on our plans for a vibrant summer at Isabella Freedman. As we all know, this year is a different kind of[...]
Risk.
May 22nd, 2020
Friday, May 22, 2020 | 43rd day of the omer; chesed she’b’malchut Dear All, Things are fragmenting, and our old fragmentations are now fragmenting further. Different countries have different policies. Different states are opening up in different ways. Different sub-cultures have their own distinct[...]
Introducing the Jewish Youth Climate Movement
May 14th, 2020
Thursday, May 14th | 35th day of the omer – malchut she'b'hod Dear All, We're ending the fifth week of this seven-week journey towards the giving of the Torah, and choosing a different kind of freedom. In the world of the kabbalists, today is associated with[...]
Help us emerge from this crisis with stronger local food systems and regenerative farms
May 13th, 2020
As farmers and ranchers across the country are feeling the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, USDA is preparing to distribute $16 billion in direct aid to producers who have experienced financial losses. Applications for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP)[...]
After Zoom?
May 8th, 2020
Friday, May 8, 2020 | 29th day of the omer – chesed she’b’hod Dear All, Lots of people aren’t on Zoom. Subway workers, farmers and food distributors, the police and the armed forces and the fire brigade, everyone in a hospital, people[...]
Five things that will make you feel better
April 29th, 2020
Wednesday, April 29, 2020 | Yom Ha’atsma’ut | 20th day of the omer – yesod she b’tiferet Read through to the end, because there is an amazing treat in store when you get there….! Dear All, First, just a brief Hazon news update. The Isabella Freedman Jewish[...]
#SoundTheCall - huge thanks!
April 23rd, 2020
Dear All, Well over a thousand participants joined us live yesterday on our livecast, #SoundTheCall, to celebrate the 50th Earth Day. We had high hopes for the event, but as it turned out, they were significantly exceeded. What we were most[...]
Chad gadya, a raccoon in the park, and a second chasidic story.
April 7th, 2020
Tuesday, April 7, 2020 | 13th Nissan 5780 Please join us for a series of weekly online conversations: "After the Plague: An Omer Conversation Series." Our first call is noon ET this Sunday with Yossi Abramowitz and Rabbi Susan Silverman. Join us[...]
Hazon Detroit: Time to Grow
April 6th, 2020
Dear Friends, I was present once, when a teacher told a full room, “In the years ahead, we will be called to be both the hospice caretakers of the old world, the old structures, and midwives of the new one.” It[...]
Next Thursday night -- and #soundthecall on April 22nd
April 3rd, 2020
Friday, April 3, 2020 | 9th Nissan 5780 Dear All, Seder is one night – in Israel. In chutz la’aretz – ie, outside of Israel – it’s two nights, so next Thursday night is the second night of seder. And for most of the Jewish world,[...]
Freedom You Have Not Yet Known: The Energy of the Month of Nissan
March 31st, 2020
By Rabbi Ora Weiss The glorious energy of the month of Nissan is a breath of fresh air, a time of birth, of new starts, a spring-time for the spirit and soul. The invitation of this month, which begins this year[...]
Seven brief thoughts at the end of a long seven days.
March 27th, 2020
Friday, March 27, 2020 | 2nd Nissan 5780 Dear All, These are seven very different thoughts, on very different topics…. Number 1: At Hazon and Isabella Freedman we’re hanging on, and thank you to everyone who has supported us in the last week. Isabella[...]
Vayakhel-Pekudei: Preparing for Pesach during COVID-19
March 20th, 2020
by Leah Palmer, Hakhel Administrative Director I generally start cleaning for Pesach around January time, much to the displeasure of those living with me. The cleaning takes the form of taking everything out of the cupboard, cleaning up any dust and[...]
Noon, Wednesday April 22nd (Please read this.)
March 19th, 2020
Thursday, March 19, 2020 | 23rd Adar 5780 Dear All, First: my heart goes out to everyone. This is unbearably painful. People are in hospital. People are losing their lives. People are losing their jobs. People are losing their savings. People are afraid. And[...]
Wellness Retreat Resources
March 16th, 2020
This email was sent to participants of the canceled Wellness Retreat. It has helpful resources that can be used by anyone during this difficult time. Dear Wellness Retreatniks, We’re sad that our time together has been postponed. In light of the current[...]
Now what? / An update from Hazon
March 16th, 2020
Monday, March 16, 2020 | 20th Adar 5780 Dear All, As well as everything else we’re enduring right now, it is becoming ever clearer that the range of impacts of the virus is extraordinarily varied. This is true in relation to health,[...]
Hazon Detroit: Ice Cores in Greenland
March 12th, 2020
Dear Friends, At a conference last year, I got to visit Ohio State’s (I know: like Haman, boo!), Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center. There, I heard from a lovely couple who had been working in the basement of the facility[...]
Now's the time to plan a cleanse!
March 5th, 2020
Thursday, March 5, 2020 | 9th Adar 5780 Dear All, The coronavirus is spreading, and it will get worse before it gets better. Batten down the hatches, wash your hands, follow public safety advice, be considerate to others – and don’t freak out. And[...]
Engage With the Powerful Energy of Adar: Your Chance for Joy
February 26th, 2020
By Rabbi Ora Weiss The Hebrew Month of Adar, beginning this year on February 26, has great weight and depth, much more so if one is aware and takes advantage of its powerful vertical energy, Source/God energy. There is a circularity[...]
A Goat Breeder Knows… When Pesach is Coming
February 24th, 2020
By Rabbi Aaron Philmus Pesach is coming, I know because my goat Cinnamon is pregnant and in a few months she will be kidding. In Ancient Israel every family prepared for Pesach by selecting a male kid or lamb, tying it[...]
Jewish Tradition / Western Values
February 20th, 2020
Thursday, February 20, 2020 | 25th Shvat 5780 Dear All, Last week we heard the ten commandments. This week we read mishpatim (Exodus 21:1 - 24:18), which expands a short list of injunctions into a more detailed frame for establishing a just society. It[...]
Tell Your Governor: Embrace Regenerative Agriculture in Your State's Climate Plan
February 19th, 2020
Twenty five governors have joined the U.S. Climate Alliance. This coalition is taking on-the-ground actions to implement policies that advance the goals of the Paris Agreement, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26% to 28% below 2005 levels by[...]
The Torah of the Trees
February 8th, 2020
By Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg Excerpted from The London Times, 8 February 2020 From the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden to the dancing saplings of the Psalmist, the Bible shows a loving respect for trees. Living close to the land,[...]
Earth Day, JTree, and Tu B'Shvat
February 6th, 2020
By Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein Hazon Rabbi-in-Residence What is Tu B’Shvat? What is a Tu B'Shvat Seder? Not one, but four times over the course of the year we are called upon to mark a new year, a rosh hashanah. Of these four new years in the Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah[...]
Celebrating Hazon Seal Regional Cohorts
February 3rd, 2020
When your community commits to sustainability, everyone is a winner. And when several communities come together, we are redefining local Jewish life. Targeted efforts in a particular geographical location are a game changer. Physical proximity enables a whole new level of[...]
The British general election, Tu B’Shvat and Richard Powers
January 28th, 2020
By Nigel Savage Tuesday, January 28, 2020 | 2nd Shvat 5780 Dear All, What does Tu B’Shvat mean in 2020? It’s a deeper question than it may at first seem. It’s the “new year for trees.” And we indeed associate it with trees and[...]
All you need for a glorious Tu B’Shvat
January 27th, 2020
It’s almost Tu B’Shvat, and what kind of an environmental organization would we be if we didn’t make a big deal out of it, right? So here you have it: an entire Hazon Seal Newsletter dedicated (almost) entirely to this[...]
From Organic Farming to Composting: Ramah Campers and USYers Get Hands-on Lessons in Sustainability
January 20th, 2020
by Renee Ghert-Zand Every year, Ramah campers leave at the end of the summer having learned new things that they can incorporate into their lives at home. It could be more Hebrew, how to chant Torah, or how to do a[...]
Reb Isaiah at the March, and Rob Kutner on Daf Yomi...
January 9th, 2020
Thursday, January 9, 2020 | 12th Tevet 5780 Dear All, First: we were so proud of Hazon’s rabbi-in-residence, Isaiah Rothstein, who had a lead role at the march against anti-semitism in NYC on Sunday. You can see links to that here and here. Secondly: part of[...]
Support Conservation on Farms
January 8th, 2020
Deadline January 13th Want to ensure a more sustainable food and farm future? Take action and help us encourage USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to prioritize what’s best for farmers and natural resources! NRCS is currently accepting public comments (input from farmers and concerned[...]
The Month of Tivet: Miracles Large and Small
January 6th, 2020
By Rabbi Ora Weiss The Hebrew month of Tivet, so dark. Even though the longest night has recently passed, the small increments of light are not yet discernable to us. The sense of the month is just ongoing darkness, and the[...]
