Special Recent Posts
Reflections from Israel & a Critical Error of Omission in the American Jewish Community
November 14th, 2019
By Nigel Savage Wednesday, November 13, 2019 | 15th Cheshvan 5780 Dear All, I got an inexpensive Airbnb near the marina in Ashkelon, to decompress for a day after the Israel Ride and to catch up with some work and write this email. Right now I’m[...]
What’s On Your Plate? Resources to support better food choices
November 11th, 2019
Dear green teams, leaders, provokers of thought and change! The compilation below is aimed to help you push for healthier and more sustainable nourishment in your communities and institutions. It is intended for all Jewish institutions, organizations, congregations and households. If these resources[...]
Meet the Hakhel Advisors: Noa
November 7th, 2019
Hakhel is an incubator for Jewish Intentional communities, and as such it provides members with a support package for three years. This support includes funding, training, networking, Israel trips, and the crown jewel: a personal professional advisor! Hakhel advisors provide communities[...]
Support Sustainable Agriculture Today!
November 5th, 2019
A gritty but incredibly important process called 'appropriations' is currently being hammered out between the House and Senate agriculture committees. Encourage your representatives to fully fund programs that support sustainable agriculture! Read on to find out how you can spend[...]
Building the Ark
October 31st, 2019
By Rabbi Nate DeGroot In Parashat Noach, God promised to never destroy the earth again (Gen 8.21). But that says nothing of our precarious power as humans to jeopardize our own future1. What could Noah have been thinking, we wonder2, as he[...]
Hazon Detroit: Shake Local
October 31st, 2019
Dear Friends, Our rabbis say (Tosafot, Suk. 37b) that when we shake the lulav and etrog on Sukkot, “the trees of the forest sing with joy.” So that got us to wondering, what are the conditions that might allow the trees[...]
An extraordinary gift from Greta Thunberg
October 17th, 2019
Thursday, October 17, 2019 | 4th day of Sukkot, 5780 Dear All, I get older and my Jewish journey evolves, but almost the only constant is a constantly deepening sense of how amazing the tradition is and how the pieces fit together. I say that[...]
Recipe: Cilantro Chutney
October 17th, 2019
This recipe comes to us from 2019 Hazon Food Conference Presenter Regina Mosenkis. Recipe from What to Eat for How You Feel: The New Ayurvedic Kitchen by Divya Alter (Rizzoli, 2017) This chutney and its variations are my favorites for improving any[...]
Recipe: Almond Milk Chai
October 17th, 2019
This recipe comes to us from 2019 Hazon Food Conference Presenter Regina Mosenkis. Recipe from What to Eat for How You Feel: The New Ayurvedic Kitchen by Divya Alter (Rizzoli, 2017) When I lived in India, I learned that chai is one[...]
Recipe: Bumuelos
October 17th, 2019
This recipe comes to us from 2019 Hazon Food Conference Presenter Susan Barocas. This is the only bumuelos recipe I’ve ever used, dating back over 50 years to growing up in Denver and modified only slightly since then. However, there are[...]
Recipe: Almond Milk
October 17th, 2019
This recipe comes to us from 2019 Hazon Food Conference Presenter Regina Mosenkis. Recipe from What to Eat for How You Feel: The New Ayurvedic Kitchen by Divya Alter (Rizzoli, 2017) I’ve taught this recipe to thousands of people and not a[...]
Recipe: Baklava Bites
October 17th, 2019
This recipe comes to us from 2019 Hazon Food Conference Presenter Susan Barocas. Ingredients 1 cup walnuts, chopped ½ cup pistachios, chopped 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp ground cloves 30 mini fillo shells Syrup: 1/2 cup sugar 1/2[...]
Why a Jewish Meditation Retreat?
October 11th, 2019
by Rabbi Jay Michaelson Why do mindfulness meditation in a Jewish context? These days, there are seemingly endless ways to meditate: in secular contexts, like mindfulness-based stress reduction; in a wide variety of Buddhist communities; at yoga classes. So why do Jewish? It’s[...]
The Ashamnu Prayer in the Year of Environmental Teshuva
October 8th, 2019
Yom Kippur 5780 An Invitation by Leah Palmer, Hakhel Administrative Director The “ashamnu” prayer from the Ashkenazic Yom Kippur service is once of the most iconic moments of the High Holiday prayers. The congregation stands in silence, beating their chests in regret[...]
Pre-Rosh Hashanah Gratitude
September 19th, 2019
Thursday, September 19, 2019 | 19th Elul 5779 Dear Friends, This is our last formal email before Rosh Hashanah. The year ends, the year begins. For Hazon, the year just ending is one of immense gratitude. One says that so lightly, as if[...]
L'dor Va'dor: Important Hazon Seal News for Elul
September 13th, 2019
Dear Hazon Seal sites, This month of Elul, as you reflect back, wrestle with personal and communal accounting, and contemplate the future, Hazon is here to support your personal and communal goals for environmental teshuva. What is teshuva? What is environmental teshuva?? All[...]
Opening my Eyes, Ears, and Lungs: Architecture Walk 2019
September 11th, 2019
We all know that every step we take can be important - but what about what we step on? What about what we step near? A few weeks ago, I learned that everything matters. Really - from whether the concrete that[...]
Hakhel Blog: Leah Palmer
September 11th, 2019
Several years ago, I was in shul on the morning of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and the Rabbi stood up to speak. They opened with: "What is the difference between the Jewish New Year on Rosh Hashanah, and[...]
#EnvironmentalTeshuva
September 5th, 2019
Thursday, September 5, 2019 | 5th Elul 5779 Dear All, Sadly I wasn’t at the New York Ride last weekend – because we didn’t do one this year. But I send love and gratitude to anyone who ever participated in the Ride, or led the Ride, or[...]
We Are the Weather: A Year of Environmental Teshuva
August 29th, 2019
ראש חודש אלול תשע״ט -------- Rosh Chodesh Elul 5779, August 29th, 2019 Dear Rabbis and Clergy, I hope that you have now received a pre-publication copy of Jonathan Safran Foer’s We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast. I’m writing to[...]
A Year of Environmental Teshuva
August 29th, 2019
ראש חודש אלול תשע״ט -------- Rosh Chodesh Elul 5779, August 29th, 2019 Dear Rabbis and Clergy, Hazon is entering into a year of Environmental Teshuva. The backdrop is that: We really are in a climate crisis, and this year, and even this[...]
Rosh HaShanah for Animals by Rabbi Aaron Philmus
August 29th, 2019
Rosh Chodesh Elul, 5779 By Rabbi Aaron Philmus Temple Torat Yisrael, Rhode Island Sheep, goats, cows, camels and donkeys… Domesticated animals get almost as much air-time in the Torah as people do, yet we so rarely reflect on our relationship with them. We[...]
Inner and Outer Climate Change by Rabbi Robin Damsky
August 29th, 2019
Earth Etudes 2019 Rosh Chodesh Elul, 5779 By Rabbi Robin Damsky inthegardens.org Durham, NC It’s been a year of change. Not just a move, but a move to a new climate zone and a very new culture. I moved from outside Chicago to Durham, NC[...]
Getting in Sync with the Treasure of Elul by Rabbi Ora Weiss
August 29th, 2019
Rosh Chodesh Elul, 5779 By Rabbi Ora Weiss Restorative Judaism Boston, MA One of the great gifts of Judaism is its exquisite ability to teach us to tune in and use the energy of each month. The energy of Elul offers us unique support.[...]
A Year of Environmental Teshuva
August 29th, 2019
ראש חודש אלול תשע״ט -------- Rosh Chodesh Elul 5779, August 29th, 2019 Dear Rabbinical Council Members, Hazon is entering into a year of Environmental Teshuva. The backdrop is that: We really are in a climate crisis, and this year, and even this[...]
Gratitude... and getting ready...
August 26th, 2019
Friday, August 23, 2019 | 22 Av 5779Dear All,It’s summertime. This email is full of gratitude and the inspiration to strive to do good in the world.Years ago I learned from Anna Hanau this line from one of her teachers[...]
Eikev and the Seven Species | D'varim HaMakom: The JOFEE Fellows Blog
August 22nd, 2019
by Sarah Rockford, JOFEE Fellow Cohort 4, Maine Jewish Food Network at Colby College Center for Small Town Jewish Life – Waterville, ME Parshat Eikev Fourteen years ago I read from parshat Eikev as a bat mitzvah. As I stood on the bimah and chanted[...]
Summer Feature - Teva Educators: Where Are They Now?
August 13th, 2019
As we begin approaching Teva’s 25th Anniversary, we will be spending the summer months featuring former Teva Educators who were once Teva students. They are from different Teva seasons and have different stories, experiences and memories. Enjoy the walk down[...]
Hazon Detroit: Food Festival This Sunday!
August 12th, 2019
Dear Friends, This Sunday, we will gather as a Jewish community for the 4th Annual Hazon Michigan Jewish Food Festival – the largest event annually in the Michigan Jewish community. This event, which takes place at Eastern Market in Detroit from[...]
Endings and beginnings
August 8th, 2019
Significant staff changes at Hazon... Thursday, August 8, 2019 | 6 Av 5779 Dear All, In the Torah, this is an end, and then a beginning. We’re starting to read the book of Devarim. It’s the last book of the Torah, and a pivot which[...]
Summer Feature - Teva Educators: Where Are They Now?
August 2nd, 2019
As we begin approaching Teva’s 25th Anniversary, we will be spending the summer months featuring former Teva Educators who were once Teva students. They are from different Teva seasons and have different stories, experiences and memories. Enjoy the walk down[...]
Recipe: Apple Honey Bundt Cake
July 29th, 2019
Want a bigger taste? Join us at the Rosh Hashanah Retreat! Apple Honey Bundt Cake This recipe & photo come from Allrecipes.com Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 55 minutes Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes Servings: 12 pieces Ingredients 1 cup white sugar 1 cup vegetable[...]
Philip Roth’s Table & the Great Crash of 1987
July 25th, 2019
Thursday, July 25, 2019 | 21st Tammuz, 5779 Dear All, Well: it was a funny week. On Shabbat I discovered my bike had been nicked, overnight. This was my fourth or fifth stolen, over the years, in this otherwise law-abiding city. Then that evening it[...]
Sustainable Vacation Tips
July 23rd, 2019
by Ariel Marantz and Rebecca Silver Summer is vacation time! Here are some tips to think about when planning your next vacation. Traveling: Are there ways that you can travel without flying? Try to use public transportation, including buses or trains, as[...]
Blow that Shofar: Gearing up Towards the High Holidays
July 23rd, 2019
With the High Holiday around the corner, we want to make sure you are also geared up and ready for a meaningful and sustainable Jewish New Year. Once again, we bring you a well-curated bouquet of resources and calls for[...]
October Is Farm to School Month!
July 19th, 2019
Nine years have passed since the USDA Farm to School Grant Program was successfully launched in 2010, and school food service providers still find it tough to access locally grown foods. Despite increased connectivity to farmers, logistical and cost hurdles[...]
Hakhel Spotlight: Zooz, Melbourne
July 18th, 2019
Zooz is a community in Melbourne, Australia which is run by for and young Jewish adults, aiming to provide these individuals with a framework for meaningful engagement with Judaism, Israel, and the wider community. Zooz members meet weekly on Wednesday nights[...]
Summer Feature - Teva Educators: Where Are They Now?
July 17th, 2019
As we begin approaching Teva’s 25th Anniversary, we will be spending the summer months featuring former Teva Educators who were once Teva students. They are from different Teva seasons and have different stories, experiences and memories. Enjoy the walk down[...]
It's time to Slow Down our Fast Fashion
July 16th, 2019
We are in an era of “fast fashion”, defined as “inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends” (Waste Advantage Magazine). What effect does buying and quickly discarding apparel have on our Earth? Hold onto[...]
Summer and wilderness and complaining
July 11th, 2019
Thursday, July 11, 2019 | 8th Tammuz, 5779 Dear All, In this week’s parsha, the children of Israel are in the wilderness of Tzin. A small smile arises as I read it because it’s not just a line in the Torah; it’s also[...]
