[Newsletter] February 29 – Tour De Farm?

In This Email

• Tour De Farm?
• Pikkuah Nefesh in the Wilderness – Saving a Life
• Cross-USA Ride: You Don’t Want to Miss This
• The Rocky Mountain Jewish Food Summit
• Bike Israel From Top to Bottom
• Who Attends Siach, an Environment and Social Justice Conversation
• A Walk Among the Trees
• Power of One: Honoring a Jewish Women
• Local Events and Features from our Partners and Friends

---

Tour De Farm?

You may or may not have visited a farm, but have you ever biked to one? Just traveling by bike allows us to fully participate in the process of getting from one place to another (making it all the more amazing that our bodies, and these machines, do what they do), visiting a farm reveals the all-to-often hidden mysteries of how food is produced—provoking even more questions about plants, soil, and the interconnections between our bodies and the earth

This year, participants in all Hazon rides will be able to use their own pedal-power to visit farms large and small—from the brand new Kibbutz Yarok at Camp Newman (California Ride) to the one-acre Pushing the Envelope Farm in Geneva, IL (Cross-USA Ride), to the Adamah Farm at Isabella Freedman (New York Ride), and to Kibbutz Ketura (Israel Ride). Read more about What’s Sprouting at Kibbutz Yarok…

Something’s Sprouting at Kibbutz Yarok

Originally posted on The Jew and the Carrot

By Persephone Rivka and Sophie Vener

In permaculture, Bill Mollison advises all gardeners and farmers to live in a tent on their land for a year before they start their design for one reason: observation. When immersed in a place, one can best observe important elements such as the amount of rainfall, where the water flows, the minimum and maximum temperatures, how the plants, animals, and humans interact on the site, the wind direction, sun-path and shading, micro-climates and the general topography, the resources on hand, the skills and knowledge of the people present, the physical and fiscal boundaries, and the history of the land.

Continue Reading “Something is Sprouding at Kibbutz Yarok…”

---

Pikkuah Nefesh in the Wilderness – Saving a Life

By Deborah Newbrun, Bay Area Director

In the summer of 1983, in the Siskiyou National Forest in Northern California, I was leading 15 teenagers on a three day backpacking trip as part of a teen travel program out of Camp Tawonga. After a five mile climb we arrived at our mountain lake destination and were delighted to find snow around much of the lake. Tired and hungry, my co-leader and I guided the teens to set up camp, eat some snacks, and put on jackets. A cold afternoon was promising a very cold night. One girl, thin and lovely, wandered away from camp and went to sit on the snow. I noticed that she didn’t have a jacket on and was aware that in general she hadn’t been eating much on our trip. I didn’t know how long she had been up on the snow drift and walked over to get her to come back and put her jacket on. She was incoherent, slurring her words and not interested in putting on her jacket.

“My God,” I thought, “This is hypothermia, this is what I learned it could look like.”

Continue Reading “Pikkuah Nefesh in the Wilderness…”

Hazon Hosts Wilderness First Aid Class

March 22-23, 2012, 8 AM – 5 PM
BJE (Bureau of Jewish Education)
639 14th Ave., San Francisco

Wilderness First Aid is the specific discipline of first aid which relates to care in remote areas, where emergency medical services will be difficult to obtain or will take a long time to arrive. Hazon is partnering with Foster Calm to offer a WFA class with lots of hands-on skills practice.

More Information

---

Cross-USA Ride: You Don’t Want to Miss This!

Prices Rise March 5th!

Don’t miss the boat—or the bike! Now is the time to sign up for the Hazon Cross-USA Ride before prices rise for both full country and segment riders. Stop procrastinating and put in your time-off requests!
Wondering what we’ll be doing and seeing on the Ride?

Snapshot of Pittsburgh

Did you know that Pittsburgh is historically called the Steel City, as its economy was largely based on steel manufacturing? Pittsburgh has gone through a renaissance and now the economy is primarily driven by health care, medicine, technology, robotics, and financial services. Today, the city is focusing on the environment: supporting local-food projects and adding five miles of new bike lanes last year. Keeping up with the trends, the Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh is undergoing major renovations to green their building, becoming one of the first Hillels in the country to be LEED certified over the next few years.

While in Pittsburgh we will

• Be hosted graciously by the Pittsburgh JCC, located in the beautiful Squirrel Hill area
• Volunteer at the Squirrel Hill food pantry
• Have the chance to explore Pittsburgh and see the amazing changes from a steel city to a green city!

More Information | Apply for 10 and 5 Week Tours | Register for a Segment

---

Rocky Mountain Jewish Food Summit

April 29, 2012, University Memorial Center at CU Boulder

Featuring:

• Jewish Tradition and Learning
• Colorado Food, Farming, and Gardening
• Delicious, Kosher Food
• Kugel Contest: Is Yours the Best in the West?
• DIY Extravaganza: Learn About Preserving, Home Brewing, Composting, and More
• Mini-Grant Opportunities

NEW! Meeting the needs of families and children.

More Information | Register Today

---

Register for the 2012 Israel Ride

• Experience Israel from up close and explore the country as never before
• Discover the beauty of the northern forests, bask in the solitude of the Negev desert, and celebrate with a dip in the Red Sea in Eilat
• Choose from three riding groups, including a hybrid touring-riding option
• Learn about environmental challenges and successes in Israel
• Fully supported with rest stops, mechanics, hotels, and all meals provided

NEW: Scholarships available for riders under 35 and riders who have not been to Israel in the last ten years.

More Information | Register Today

---

Who Attends Siach?

2nd Annual Siach Conference, an Environment and Social Justice Conversation

Siach brings together environmental and social justice activists who work on justice projects all around the world for a weekend of conversation to learn from, about, and with each other. Who is part of the conversation?

• Avi Dnku works for Racial Justice for Ethiopian Immigrants in Israeli
• Aliza Abrams works with volunteers in the Ukraine
• Kayla Zecher tackles human trafficking and sex trade in Israel

What conversations will take place this year and how will you be a part of them? Join committed activists like Avi, Kayla, and Aliza this year at Siach and meet other Jews working for social justice from across Israel, North America, and Europe.

June 15-18, 2012
Ohalo Manor on the Kinneret, Israel

Flight and registration subsidies are available.

More Information | Application

---

A Drawer Full of Spandex

My transformation, from purchasing a bike to becoming a more capable rider

By Adam Arenstein, Planning Committee for the 2012 Hazon California Ride & Retreat

My decision to buy a hybrid bike two years ago was motivated by my desire to drive less and get outside more. I had visions of rolling down the street to get ice cream or cruising a few miles to the beach. “Serious cycling” was not a part of my plan. However, here I am two years later with a drawer full of spandex and other gear to go out on comfortable multi-hour rides. How did I get here? Hazon was my catalyst.

Continue reading “A Drawer Full of Spandex…”

---

A Walk Among the Trees

Friday, March 16, 2012, 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM

Walk in the Presidio with Deborah Newbrun, Hazon’s Bay Area Director, former National Park Service Ranger, and author of Spirit in Nature: Teaching Judaism and Ecology on the Trail. For this special off-site Museum program in conjunction with the Contemporary Jewish Museum exhibition Do Not Destroy: Trees, Art and Jewish Thought, find insight under the canopy of San Francisco’s park trees. Deborah will draw connections between Jewish values and the wonder of nature.

Admission: $10 CJM Members & Hazon Alumni; $15 General Limited capacity; Advance registration required
Contact: info@thcjm.org or 415.655.7800

---

Power of One: Honoring Jewish Women

The Power of One, presented by Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco’ s Women’s Philanthropy, is “a celebration of Jewish women who inspire us to make a difference in the world.” Deborah Newbrun, Bay Area Director of Hazon, speaks in this video series featuring Bay Area and Israeli change-makers. She has worked in the Jewish community for almost her entire career—26 years of which had been running Camp Tawonga. Get to know Deborah and her passions in the video below.

Watch the Video

---

Local Events and Features from our Partners and Friends

---

Kayam Farm Beit Midrash: Shmittah and Society

An inspirational Shabbaton filled with learning, celebration, and groundbreaking Jewish thought

Friday, March 9 – Sunday, March 11, 2012
Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center
Reisterstown, MD

*** Registration closes March 2nd! ***

Join an intergenerational, pluralistic community of Jewish farmers, rabbis, educators, scholars, and consumers from across the country.

More Information

---

First Annual Shmittah Summit

March 12-13, 2012
Pearlstone Conference & Retreat Center
5425 Mt. Gilead Road
Reisterstown, MD

*** Registration closes March 2nd! ***

Join grassroots activists and top leaders for two days of compelling Jewish learning, community organizing, action and advocacy.

Co-sponsored by Hazon

More Information

---

American Hebrew Academy Goes for the Green

By Alina Spaulding, Director of Communications, American Hebrew Academy

For most athletes “going for the gold” is a personal motivation but at the American Hebrew Academy, students and staff are learning that “going for the green” is equally important. “I know that I can put the catsup and the mustard in the squeezable containers” our mashgiach (kashrut supervisor), Paul, says in his pristine South African accent, as he explains that single use packets of condiments are wasteful… and he is concerned about how the kitchen at the American Hebrew Academy can do its share to stay “green.”

Continue Reading “American Hebrew Academy…”

---

Enter the “Where Do You Give?” National Design Competition

Students under 18 years of age:As you know, many people give tzedakah by collecting coins in a can, in a bowl or in a box. But do these containers really inspire people to give? If you could create something that would inspire people to give money to those in need and reflect your values of giving, what would it look like?

Show us! Enter the Where Do You Give? National Design Competition and design a tzedakah box that will get people to give. Don’t wait! The deadline to enter is March 26, 2012. Enter now by clicking here.

Over 18? Submit it to our main competition here. Adults have the chance of winning a $2500 cash prize and an opportunity to travel internationally! JUST ANNOUNCED: The deadline has been extended to March 9, 2012!

More Information

---

3rd Annual National Day of Unplugging

Join Reboot in helping people around the world rejuvenate the ritual of Shabbat by signing on to sign off from technology for the 3rd annual National Day of Unplugging (NDU) on March 23-24, 2012.

This year includes a “Unplug and Eat Together” campaign in partnership with Hazon and Slow Food USA.

More Information

---

Love, Hate and the Jewish State 5.0

Gender Discrimination in Israel

Sponsored by the New Israel Fund
Co-sponsored by Hazon

March 22, 2012, 7-10 PM
Congregation Beth Elohim
274 Garfield Place, Brooklyn, NY

For many of us, gender inequality describes unfair salary disparities, constricting gender norms or under-representation. Join NIF for the fifth in a series of highly interactive, non-persuasive, non-political discussions with a diverse group of people in their 20s and 30s. Followed by a reception.

Cost: $10
Emceed by Liz Nord, filmmaker and producer of MTV’s Emmy award-winning 2008 election coverage

More Information and RSVP

---