Housed under the Adamah umbrella, Hakhel is a global incubator and network of Jewish intentional communities. It amplifies and strengthens new expressions of grassroots Jewish communities throughout the world, supporting them in becoming self-sustained, resilient, and rooted in Jewish wisdom, Israel engagement, and environmental awareness. Our 120 grassroots communities, like many of us, are holding a fierce duality these days: grieving and yet – hopeful, figuring out how to move forward swiftly in the direction of the current goals at hand. It is clear to us that supporting our Hakhel communities and network is a priority now more than ever.  

We firmly believe that the way we respond and act within our communities during times of crisis holds profound significance. It not only reveals our individual and collective character but also showcases our collective potential for growth and resilience in the aftermath. We know that your attention is divided across many channels right now, and we are thankful to be sharing with you our work in these tumultuous times. 

CURRENT LANDSCAPE 

Since October 7^th, this communal work has become our lighthouse. For individual communities, we’re mentoring leaders to overcome current challenges: how to maintain collective connectedness while feeling isolated, concerns about anti-Semitic sentiments, and strategies for alleviating top-heavy leadership roles. 

When possible, the Hakhel team is seeking to meet up with communities, knowing that in-person connection is irreplaceable. Additionally, we’re creating online vibrant spaces for communities to come together and share. We’ve held multiple processing sessions to reflect, ask, and support each other. We had a meaningful gathering with intentional community members from Israel to share their stories of resilience and hope. We hosted a seasoned educator to provide historical context for the current war and have a pipeline of other experts to address challenges that our communities raise. We also partnered with the Varda Institute for Community Building to train our team on community building in crisis, to inform our work on the ground.    

Our North American communities will gather in-person around the Z3 conference, a Palo Alto Oshman Family JCC initiative that aims to strengthen the cohesion of Jewish local communities and their connection to Israel. The intended outcome is for Hakhel leaders to return home and implement a local Z3 project, leveraging this unique moment in Jewish history and promoting Jewish peoplehood. We also are planning Chanukah offerings to engage and inspire our communities – and their local programming. (To stay informed as things unfold, please do join our newsletter here.)  

LOOKING AHEAD 

As we move further into the Jewish month of Cheshvan, it is our responsibility to bring the sacred into the mundane and to keep our eyes on the glowing Chanukah candles on the near horizon. The darkness is real, thick, and disorienting – and we will move through it together – just as Jewish communities around the world have done for generations before us and will do for generations to come. After all, we have only just begun. 

Yours Truly,

Aharon, Ariel, and Michal 

The post Adapting to the Crisis at Hand: Hakhel in the Field appeared first on Adamah.

Happy Chanukah! We hope you are enjoying this Festival of Lights with your loved ones, in community, and that you are finding ways to grow and spread the light. What are some of the traditions your community has to mark this special time?

Hakhel has been busy spreading our own light of Jewish values such as tikkun olam (repairing the world) and peoplehood, including at two recent international gatherings, at Z3 in Palo Alto, California and at Hakhel Creative Gatherings in Johannesburg, South Africa. More information about each is below. We congratulate the organizers and participants in bringing these exciting projects to life for the benefit of their communities and the wider world.

In this week’s parsha, Miketz, Joseph interprets dreams, which saves Egypt from a famine. What dreams do you have about the future, both positive visions and fears, and what do you think they mean? Chanukah is the time of miracles – you never know when your dreams will come true! 

Sincerely,

Deborah Fishman

Hakhel Network Manager

This month, Hakhel Network Manager Deborah Fishman sat down with Dani Rotstein from Jewish Majorca.

Tell us in a few words about your community and what is special about it.

Our community is unique in many ways. Most prominently, we are the only community that is home to Xuetes (Chuetas). These are the descendants of Crypto-Jews on the island of Mallorca who were forced to abandon their religion and convert to Christianity, all the while not having the same legal and social rights as their “pure-blooded” Christian neighbors. This resulted in the Xuetes marrying within themselves, keeping many of them Jewish throughout the centuries. We are also unique in that we are nondenominational with members from all around the globe who are Orthodox, Conservative, Masorti, Reform, progressive, secular, and everyone in between. Our community welcomes with open arms anyone who wants to join, and seeks to accommodate each person’s religious needs.

Tell us about your upcoming Chanukah program!

2022 Hanukkah in the Street: A Celebration is a historic event, as it is the first time that the local city authorities are sponsoring a Chanukah celebration in a public city square. The event is open to the Mallorquin community! The festival begins at 5pm with a momentous candle lighting. Our traditional Xueta rabbi is coming all the way from Israel to light the first candle with the entire (mostly Catholic) general public in a powerfully inclusive and open way. This will be followed by a special musical performance by a Klezmer band that is being flown in for the occasion. There will be eight different stations running activities and offering products, including a top local chef teaching how to make sufganiyot! All details here: https://limudmallorca.com/chanukkah/. The event is supported by the ROI Community Grassroots Events program. 

What is Hakhel’s added value for your community? In what ways does being part of a global network benefit you?

The fact that we are part of a global community like Hakhel is incredibly inspiring. Just learning about the Creative Gatherings event that took place in South Africa a few weeks ago was inspiration enough to know that we could pull off a historic event like Hanukkah in the Street here in Mallorca Island. The same with Hakehillah in Seoul, South Korea. To be connected to other open and inclusive Jewish communities in parts of the world that are not necessarily known to the large Jewish populations makes us feel that we are not alone and allows us to connect and share best practices with one another.

What is one takeaway or lesson from your work that you would like to share? 

Just. Keep. Gathering. When the pandemic hit and the local shul was closed, we went digital and created Sha-Zoom. We met weekly for Zoom Shabbat get-togethers and received more attendance online than we did in the synagogue. When we thought that another Limud conference would not be possible because it had been too long since our last, we went ahead with the plan and new people we had never met before showed up to help and volunteer. You never know what will happen when you bring people together either in a virtual or in-person space, but we MUST always try to gather. If we don’t, there is no opportunity for connecting to happen, where if you do then there is always a chance for SOMETHING to come from NOTHING.  

Hakhel Creative Gatherings in South Africa

From November 28 – December 5, arts-focused Hakhel community leaders from Mexico, France, Austria, and the USA gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, together with the local communities Creative Gatherings and 9th Street. Through the support of Hakhel and Shalom Corps, they volunteered at the Creative Arts Space, a former dump site in Freedom Park, Soweto that has become a safe place where children from the surrounding area come to learn art, sewing, crafts, music, dance, and engineering – a place where a community is creating something from nothing. 

The Hakhel volunteers divided into different departments in order to be able to accommodate the more than 200 children that came out to participate – focusing on fashion design, music, visual arts, theater, and dance. Our intensive days of working with the kids culminated in a performance for the community that lasted 3 ½ hours! 

Supplementing this volunteering, we engaged in cultural exploration and dialogue in a variety of settings around Johannesburg, including conversing and performing at an old age home; visiting the Apartheid Museum and Holocaust and Genocide Center; attending the Sawubona Music Jam; facilitation training; and visiting kosher restaurants in the local Jewish community. The bonding continued (and we even saw some wildlife!) when we went away for Shabbat to Dinokeng Game Reserve.

This trip was a transformative experience for those involved and the participants will surely take many lessons from the South African context back to their home community-building work.

Z3

A delegation of Hakhel community builders attended the Z3 conference in Palo Alto, CA, last weekend to join the conversation on the Israel-Diaspora relationship, Zionism, and Jewish peoplehood. This program is an extension of the sister community program and a partnership between the OFJCC Z3 project, the Varda Institute for Community Building and Hakhel. 

The conference was the peak of a 3-day immersive seminar, where the group explored how such discussions are held in a local context, learned of Jewish institution’s approaches to these issues, learned community-building aspects that create the setting for such conversations, and discussed principles for holding such discussions in a way that builds and benefits the local community.

Following this weekend experience, the Varda Institute for community building will lead the development of a model for Z3-inspired events in Hakhel communities. The model will be piloted by members of the delegation in their local communities.

Our intention is to learn from those pilots and scale these experiences, offering them to all our Hakhel network members. 

The post Hakhel Newsletter: December 2022 appeared first on Adamah.

In this week’s parsha, we read the famous story of two brothers, Jacob and the elder Esau, sons of Isaac. Jacob convinces Esau to sell him his birthright in exchange for a pot of lentil stew, and under advisement from his mother, Rebecca, he tricks his father into believing that he is Esau by dressing in furs in order to resemble his hairy brother, thus gaining his father’s blessing for his firstborn.

Strife in families – never mind in communities! – rings quite realistically, from historically until the present day. We all have many types of people in our communities, from hunters and scholars, to mothers and fathers, and a whole range of emotions, from jealousy and rivalry to hate, loyalty and love, are present at any given moment. How do you accommodate the needs of such a parade of humanity in your own community? How do you solve conflicts that arise in the community, from minor grievances to those frightful moments where, as Esau did after this incident, members want to kill (figuratively and literally) each other?

The fact that these familiar and complicated community issues are discussed in the Torah may offer us a sense of being “seen” as community leaders and suggest compassion, towards our community members and towards ourselves as the stewards of the work of relationship-building. We may also be able to share stories and feel bolstered in our community-building work at several opportunities Hakhel is convening starting this coming month, including the Hakhel Creative Gatherings Trip to South Africa, the Z3 Delegation to Palo Alto, and the Hakhel Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition Community of Practice. Read more on them below. Wishing the participants good luck in your adventures!

Sincerely,

Deborah Fishman, Hakhel Network Manager

This month, Hakhel’s Network Manager Deborah Fishman sat down with Tamar Levi, shlicha (emissary) of Habonim Dror North America (HDNA), a progressive Labor Zionist youth movement. She is based in Philadelphia, USA. HDNA’s mission is to build a personal bond and commitment between North American Jewish youth and the State of Israel, and to create Jewish leaders who will actualize the principles of social justice, equality, peace, and coexistence in Israel and North America. 

Tell us in a few words about your community and what is special about it.

Our community that is participating in Hakhel is made up of members and recent graduates of Habonim Dror North America, a youth movement that has been operating for over 90 years. One thing that makes it really unique is the way that our community impacts the larger Jewish community, in two ways. First, our members work for youth movement camps and activities, and so they help youth build Jewish identity from a young age. Second, members take their experience and apply it to becoming leaders in the Jewish community and to doing outreach and social justice activism. I think the emphasis on community that you experience as a child in the movement makes us unique. People are also strongly emotionally connected to our movement, as are people who grew up in our summer camps.

How is Judaism part of your community’s life and identity?

Trying to figure out how to make Judaism alive for young people is one of the specific missions of our community. Every time there’s a drop-down list and we have to choose our stream of Jewish practice, our community members say that the way they celebrate holidays and talk about Judaism and their connection doesn’t fit into any of the streams talked about in the American Jewish community. We celebrate Judaism culturally, not in the sense of “bagels-and-lox Jews,” but we are passionate about engaging with Jewish history, values, and ethics, plus like everybody else, we love a good Shabbat dinner.

As an example of our form of Judaism, our Vancouver community did a “Spook-ot” Halloween-Sukkot event, where they talked about being Jewish in the non-Jewish society around them. They connected Sukkot with the indigenous struggles in Canada. In this way, we bring elements of our world into life and understand them through a Jewish lens.

What is Hakhel’s added value for your community? In what ways does being part of a global network benefit you?

It’s really awesome for our members to see that there are other people that identify with their value sets and what’s important to them and to be part of an organization that’s focused on Jewish communal living. They are in their 20s, and for them to see multi-generational community and people older than them still invested in these values is really important to them – likewise for them to see communities in Israel. The more exposure they get to Hakhel communities can help them round out their own vision of where they’re going.

What is one takeaway or lesson from your work that you would like to share?

I think that people are really searching for community. They have a hard time figuring out how to navigate between individual desires and being part of a community. The population I work with wants community, but they aren’t always sure how much to invest in it, because it seems fleeting, especially in the world of COVID and climate change where nothing feels stable.

Community is 100% dependent on how much you put into it, but it’s hard to make that leap of investment when you’re young and without knowing where it’s going to go. So the biggest challenge is to build communities where people understand that the more they invest in it, the more it will make the community sustainable and long-lasting.

Hakhel Communities are invited to join the Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition!

We are proud to announce that Hakhel will be convening a “Community of Practice” in the framework of the Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition, a collective of Jewish community organizations who recognize the existential threat and moral urgency of climate change and are committed to taking action.

Your community is encouraged to register for the Hakhel Community of Practice of the Coalition.  As Coalition members, you will be developing a Climate Action Plan, detailing climate actions taken to-date and outlining your goals for reducing your greenhouse gas emissions and mobilizing the broader Jewish community in climate action in the coming year. You will update and publicly share your Climate Action Plan annually.

The global climate crisis is an historic inflection point for our planet, our communities, and our people. Jewish tradition compels us to respond. With 140 communities in 36 countries across the globe, we are poised to have an impact in the movement.  Over the past three weeks I hosted informational meetings, spread across time zones to hear from you about how this initiative can best serve your communities.  With this feedback in hand our next step is to build our community of practice to launch in January 2024.

To learn more about this initiative, visit hazon.org/coalition. To sign up for the Hakhel Community of Practice, you or the appropriate contact from your community should fill out this form.

Israeli Election Zoom Meeting – Thursday, December 1 @ 2pm ET

Our communities from around the world are seeking an opportunity both to understand the Israeli election results better, and to voice their thoughts on the matter. Many are concerned about the impact the new government might have on the Israel-world Jewry relationship in general and on Israel engagement in Jewish communities around the world.

To meet this need, we would like to invite you to attend a special Zoom meeting that will take place on Thursday, December 1st, 9:00-10:00 PM in Israel, 2:00-3:00 PM ET. This program is open to all members of the Hakhel network, and we especially would love to see our Israeli friends in attendance. Your voice is important in this dialogue.

Please save the date and RSVP to moshe.samuels@hazon.org. 

Ivritli

Many thanks to Hakhel for the opportunity to share our creation with you!

My name is Inbal, headmistress of “Ivritli,” an online Hebrew language school. I’m proud and excited to tell you that this is the 3rd year that the virtual gates of our school are open for students from all over the world!

As a mother to a child who was born in Barcelona, I am closely familiar with the need to learn and improve the Hebrew language for those who reside outside of Israel. Knowing the holidays and the Israeli culture is important to me. Therefore, alongside my business partner, Mila Dori, we established a school that will provide the best conditions to fulfill this goal.

Together with our pedagogical team we prepared original, creative and enjoyable programs for all ages and levels, as early as 3 years old to groups of adult learners.

We also have groups for those who do not speak Hebrew, groups that are designed to enrich the language, elementary reading, writing and diving into complex and rich texts. Each group embarks on a magical and fascinating journey, guided by our experienced teachers, to discover the depths of the Hebrew language. The subjects learned are custom design for the different age groups so the students always want to learn more and more. At the same time, students from all over the world are bonding with each other and the Hebrew language is associated with enjoyment and pleasure.

In addition to our classes, every month we uphold enrichment activities which make the student’s experience whole and build strong connections with the Israeli culture and the

Hebrew language. We celebrate the holidays together, watch plays, listen to stories and

music, cook together and we have sessions to practice Hebrew and more. All the activities are for Ivritli’s students, free of charge, and for all those who desire to take part.

Visit our website: www.ivritli.com. You are welcome to get to know us, our methods and our various programs. On the website you could sign up for a trial class, without any commitments. Those who are interested can book an online consultation session (via Zoom) with me, in which I’ll tell you about the school and if you want to, we could schedule a trial class. Just click here to book a session. 

Visit our Facebook page and on Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/ivritli / @ivritli

We wish you a wonderful year, full of Israeli culture and boundless friendship!

Yours,

Inbal Gilad

Hakhel Creative Gatherings in South Africa

We are so excited that the Hakhel Creative Gatherings Trip is finally happening!

The program will run November 28 – December 5 in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

Through the support of Hakhel and the Shalom Corps, the gathering will include participants from the Hakhel network from all around the world, as well as local participants from South African communities, namely 9th Street and Creative Gatherings. 

The content of the program will be a twofold approach of identity and cultural exploration as well as volunteering culminating in a performance showcase at the end of the program at the site where participants will be volunteering daily called the Creative Arts Space. This is a local arts community in Freedom Park, Soweto whose members turned a dumping ground into a safe space for community members and especially children to develop their craft in arts, music, engineering, science, etc.

Furthermore, throughout the tour participants will explore the South African context by visiting museums, the local Jewish community and ask reflective questions relating to Israel, diaspora relations, the environment and concepts such as the South African Rainbow Nation and the Israel Mosaic. 

Hakhel wishes all the participants a meaningful experience!

Global Training Seminars

Over the last week, Hakhel joined forces with its global partners to run two exciting training seminars:

Z3

From December 8-11, representatives from Hakhel communities worldwide will gather in Palo Alto, California as a delegation in an inaugural partnership between Hakhel, The Varda Institute for Community Building, and Z3. Each of these organizations brings forth its specialty to enhance the experience of deep Jewish community building, with Israel-Diaspora relations and peoplehood as key factors in the community’s evolution.

The delegation will learn about the models, approaches, and methodologies of all three partner organizations, culminating in the Z3 conference on December 11. Members of the delegation will learn, share and discuss ways to bring the conversation about Israel-Diaspora connection and Zionism to Jewish communities worldwide, in a way that embeds community-building principles. With outtakes from the seminar and the Z3 conference, a model for Z3-inspired programs will be developed, strengthening the community’s shared identity and supporting its development. Hakhel communities will be invited to pilot such programs in their communities. 

Ruderman Family Foundation Releases New Research Report on Jewish Community Engagement

The Ruderman Family Foundation recently released a new research report, “The American Jewish Community: Trends and Changes in Engagement and Perceptions.” The report is based on surveys conducted on American Jews in 2019 and 2021, regarding Jewish identity, community organizations and institutions, and Israel. The slides shown above are from a meeting presenting the results of the research. You will note that the Strategic Conclusions are quite relevant to the work of Hakhel, which engages unaffiliated young adults in a grassroots way. The research backs up our own observations in the field that community and its potential impact on Jewish identity is only growing in importance following the COVID pandemic and events of the last few years.

Click here for the full report.  

The post Hakhel Newsletter: November 2022 appeared first on Adamah.

I hope you had a wonderful chagim season filled with beautiful community, spiritual moments, and important new beginnings on a personal and collective level.

Speaking of new beginnings, Simchat Torah marks the start of reading the Torah anew, and we continue this week with the story of the righteous Noah (Noach) and the ark he built to prepare for a global flood. As community leaders we can likely relate to Noach, who spends a copious amount of time (120 years, according to Rabbinic tradition!) preparing for this big event, when he was to make two of every kind of animal in existence feel at home. This in fact proved to be a taxing task, as during the entire year spent in the ark during the flood, Midrash relates that Noach and his sons were sorely overworked, spending all their time feeding the animals according to each one’s personal specifications. It seems Noach’s conscientious efforts paid off, as after the flood, God made a covenant with Noach and his descendants, symbolized by a rainbow.

A midrash relates that during those long 120 years of preparation, God designed Noach’s ark-building as a strange project that would attract attention – which was accentuated even more by having Noach build the ark not at the seashore, but on top of a mountain! This way people’s curiosity would be aroused and they would engage with Noach in a conversation about the global crisis, what he was doing, and why. Perhaps then they would change their evil ways, and a flood to wipe out the world would not be necessary.

This story has contemporary implications. These days we are also in multiple worldwide crises – global warming is one that comes top of mind. What are we doing about our crises – are we reaching out to influence others, or are we building insulated arks around ourselves in order to ignore the problems of society? Will we have 120 years to set the world on a better track?

We hope you and your community are seriously considering the significant role you can play through your community’s mission that can help repair the world in some way. Beginning this Friday, our Climate Leadership Coordinator, Craig Oshkello, will be hosting a series of Zoom meetings to discuss and refine Hahkel’s plans for action. If you, or people you know in your community are motivated to take on this role, either at a local level or on the global stage, be sure to tune in to one of these informational meetings. To register for a meeting please contact Craig, craig.oshkello@hazon.org. 

Sincerely,

Deborah Fishman

Hakhel Network Manager

Greetings from the women’s community “Naomi” from Karaganda, Kazakhstan.

We loved celebrating Sukkot and today we would like to share memories from an event that took place some time ago.

Typically the weather in our area is already very cold on Sukkot, but two years ago it was warm and sunny. We built a sukkah in one of our member’s houses, decorated it, and prepared tasty food with a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables from our gardens.

As usual, we acknowledged traditions of the day, and told the stories connected with Sukkot. There was a quiz presented, and in the evening we sang songs. The time flew by.

Ladies prepared little gifts, and one of them was a pomegranate. A pomegranate is a symbol of Judaism. A pomegranate is similar to the Jewish community. There can be a lot of different groups inside a community, for instance: kids, teenagers, young adults and elderly. This is the case in Karaganda, and “Naomi” takes part in helping each group in Karaganda.

From Naomi,

With love.

Z3 

Hakhel’s work to support the development of Jewish Intentional Communities worldwide aims to strengthen the connection between Israel and World Jewry. To do so, Hakhel has partnered with the Oshman Family JCC Z3 Project – which promotes this connection through modeling how Zionism can evolve and how Jewish communities can come together for meaningful discussions about the Diaspora and Israel – and the Varda Institute for Community Building, led by Dr. Sara Shadmi. Together we will build upon the success of Z3 and develop a model that ties together the Z3 approach, community-building principles, and knowledge and experience of our Hakhel Communities. 

Our communities can benefit from mapping out what this model will look like in their local context, identifying and approaching local Jewish institutions and other partners and stakeholders to participate in the discussions, and holding mini Z3’s in a way that builds and benefits the local community.

The process kicks off at a seminar at the Z3 Conference, taking place December 8-11. To learn more, contact Moshe Samuels at moshe.samuels@hazon.org. 

Hakhel Creative Gathering Trip to South Africa

Toolkit from the Association of Neighbourhood Houses of British Columbia (ANHBC)

We wanted to share this fantastic resource from the ANHBC They appreciate the immense value Neighbourhood and Community Centres have for our communities. They offer incredible and useful insights into creating and sustaining Centres.

Developed in 2017, this toolkit outlines in detail each step towards starting and continuing the operation of a neighbourhood house/centre developed through the voice of the people.

Download here.

Last weekend, Hakhel partnered with Moishe House at a retreat near Barcelona, with 35 amazing young leaders from Europe. The partnership between Hakhel and Moishe House is a natural one. We have been discussing it for a long time, but then Covid came along. Now we’re finally able to restart it. Can Moishe House leaders become Hakhel community leaders later on? We surely believe so!

By the way, the theme of the retreat is Hanukkah, and we opened with the famous piece from Friends, so say Shabbat Shalom to the Holiday Armadillo!!

Monthly Quote

The post Hakhel Newsletter: October 2022 appeared first on Adamah.

We have now entered the month of Elul – a time of introspection, where we review our deeds and our spiritual state this year and prepare for the upcoming “Days of Awe” of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

What has your community achieved this year? What is its spiritual state currently? Where do you hope to take your community in the next year?

Elul is the time for teshuva (“returning” to G-d; repentance), for self-improvement, for thinking about one’s relationship with oneself, one’s family, community, and G-d. There are many Jewish conceptions of teshuva, how the concept of “returning” is relevant to us and plays itself out cosmically in our world. The mystic Rabbi Isaac Luria connected teshuva with tikkun olam, healing the world, since through teshuva and spiritual healing, Jews can improve and perfect G-d’s work.

Teshuva is a process that only begins during the High Holidays. The real work will carry us through the coming year (at least!). We hope you and your communities are currently busy planning a meaningful High Holiday experience. If you are looking for resources, please check out Hakhel’s Resource Library, and if you would like to consult and think together, please be in touch. And we hope this feeling of connection, to Judaism, and to one another, will continue throughout the year to come.

Sincerely,

Deborah Fishman
Hakhel Network Manager

Teshuva and introspection are key values of Hakhel, and as a learning organization we will soon launch our annual survey. Your participation is more important than ever this year, so stay tuned!

“Guid gear comes in wee bulk”

Good things come in small packages – Scottish proverb

– or as we Hungarians say: The pepper is small but strong.

This month, Hakhel Network Manager Deborah Fishman talked to Csaba Szikra and Flora Petak of the Hungarian Minyan in Berlin, Germany. Read all about this community below.

Tell us in a few words about your community and what is special about it.

We are the only official community in Berlin for Hungarian Jews and Jewish Hungarians. Our members are often “new” to Jewish culture and religion, as these are tolerated (and blooming) just since the beginning of the 1990s in Hungary. The members mostly left Hungary for Berlin during the last 10 years.

How is Judaism part of your community’s life and identity?

Our aim is to connect and reconnect Judaism to our members and vice versa. We have some religious people in the Hungarian Minyan of Berlin, but we mostly learned more about our Jewish background in our adult years: therefore we are often very curious but also somehow introverted regarding it. The majority are still not “observing Jews” but “Jews, who are observing” from another perspective. We organize not only home minyans and bigger Jewish religious events, but also other happenings (for example, excursions and visits to Hungarian cultural events), to meet and to share our knowledge with each other. We open up to the non-Jewish society too. Due to the relatively small number but extremely various background of the members, we are very open to all Jewish identities from Reform to Orthodox, from Ashkenazi to Sepharadi and Mizrahi, from non-Zionist to Socialist Zionist, and so on. Politically we are colorful and tolerant as well.

What is Hakhel’s added value for your community? In what ways does being part of a global network benefit you?

Hakhel helps us to organize and develop our community: with knowledge, with financial and ideological support. Hakhel and the sister communities in Israel and the other communities in Hakhel’s network contribute to our success with their huge experiences in grassroot organizing.

Especially important is that we are VERY thankful for the Hakhel Trip to Israel. 

What is one takeaway or lesson from your work that you would like to share?

One of our lessons is: “It’s not the quantity, but rather the quality of projects and members, that is important.” We are happy to see the little but happy gatherings in our homes. We are more strong and happy with Hakhel together.

News from Hazon-Pearlstone

On August 12, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, with a transformative $370 Billion investment in green energy, sustainable agriculture, and other climate solutions. We at Hakhel applaud the work of our colleagues at the Jewish Youth Climate Movement (JYCM), which the week prior held a week-long leadership retreat at Pearlstone. It culminated in a delegation to Washington, D.C. that staged a protest in front of the White House, calling on President Biden to declare a climate emergency, drawing inspiration from the holiday of Tisha B’Av—integrating Jewish mourning and historic upheaval alongside hope, resilience, and action.

We agree with JYCM that “Progress IS possible, people power DOES matter, and there really IS vast societal change unfolding all around us.”

Here’s what you can do to get involved:

1. Learn more about JYCM at jewishyouthclimatemovement.org.
2. Bring JYCM to your community! Contact jycm@hazon.org to get started.
3. Join us August 30 at 3pm ET for an info session about a bold upcoming Hazon initiative, launching soon, that will engage the entire Jewish world in climate action–so that every Jewish community can get involved. Register today!
4. Support JYCM & Hazon’s work with a gift today. Donate here
5. Listen to this song, and know that together—you, me, JYCM, all of us—we are rising toward transformative change.

You can read JYCM’s full inspiring press release here.

The 125th Anniversary of the First Zionist Congress

On August 28-29, the World Zionist Organization held a special conference in Basel, Switzerland, commemorating the 125th anniversary of the first Zionist Congress, held there in 1897.

Hundreds of Jewish leaders and entrepreneurs, from 40 countries, gathered in Basel for a 2-day conference, culminating in a gala event at the Stadtcasino Hall itself, where the first Congress was held. Participation was by invitation only, and we are glad to share that out of thousands of Jewish organizations and leaders out there, Hakhel was invited to participate and was represented by Aharon Ariel.

It was a very exciting, and moving, event and another wonderful opportunity for Hakhel to expand its network and make new connections. Reviewing 125 years of Zionism was exciting in and of itself, and many of the speakers talked about the changing face of Zionism and reframing the relationship and partnership between Israel and the Jewish world. Hakhel is in fact on the forefront of doing this.

Learn Jewish History

The Jewish Story Live explores the spiritual and historical roots of our world. This year, a late biblical exploration followed by Hellenism, the rise of rabbis, 3 Roman-Jewish wars and the sealing of the Oral law will trace the evolution of Jewish consciousness among empires, cultures and world religions – and expose the foundations on which half of human society is built.

Every Sun 1 pm EDT/8 pm IST, August 28th-March 26th.

Click here for Details & Registration

Questions: ravmikefeuer@gmail.com

Your pathway to Israel’s Hi-Tech Industry

Infinity Labs R&D is opening a branch in New York and looking for Aliya-minded applicants!

We offer an exclusive high-tech program that produces outstanding software developers, with a full tuition scholarship and job placement at the end of the training. ‍ ‍

We’re looking for college graduate applicants who intend to make Aliya and are interested in a high-tech career in Israel.

If you refer someone who will get into the program you’ll get a free roundtrip ticket to Israel (for each referee).

If you’re from Israel, you’ll get the roundtrip ticket to New York.

Click here to learn more about the program.

“Array of Sight”

Array of Sight (“Atyaf” in Arabic) is a virtual arts competition and online exhibition, sponsored by the Center for Peace Communications, an organization that promotes bridge-building in the Middle East. It invites art students and young art professionals from all countries of the Middle East and North Africa to submit original pieces of graphic art that express a hopeful vision of their region, offering cash prizes to the winners.

Art submissions will be considered based on two categories. The first is an individual’s art. The second is collaborative work by artists who each come from different sides of a group divide — be it ethnic, national, sectarian, or religious (e.g. a Sunni artist and a Shi’ite, an Arab and a Kurd, an Arab and an Israeli, etc.). Contestants can request a “cross-border partner” to work with, and Array of Sight will help match them with a fellow artist. For Israeli and Palestinian participants, a special emphasis will be placed on connecting them and to artists in the broader region.

Submissions that reach a minimum acceptable level of artistic merit will be exhibited via the competition’s Web site — a “virtual gallery,” available in multiple languages to art lovers around the world. For those contestants wishing to make their work available for sale, the site will offer that option to browsers and place potential buyers and sellers in direct contact. Please contact us: atyaf@thearabcouncil.net.

The post Hakhel Newsletter: September 2022 appeared first on Adamah.

While it may be extremely hot in your part of the world, or extremely cold if you’re in a different part, Hakhel has remained in motion this past month. Some recent highlights include OLAM’s release of a report on Jewish organizational work in Ukraine, in which Hakhel is featured, as well as our participation in the International Communal Studies Association (ICSA) conference in Skanderborg, Denmark (see more on both below).

At the same time, we as Hakhel Intentional Communities are synced inextricably with the Jewish calendar, it should be noted that we are currently in the Three Weeks, an annual Jewish mourning period, with Tisha B’Av coming soon (it’s Sunday, August 7). We mourn many disasters that befell our People, most prominently the destruction of the Temple. This terrible event is traditionally attributed to sinat chinam (baseless hatred) between Jews. How can we work as intentional communities on the baseless hatred that currently fills our polarized world and replace it with trust, security and a sense of love of fellow Jews and humankind?

Nigel Savage, former CEO of Hazon, shared with me recently some implications of Tisha B’Av for the environmental movement, which I feel are relevant to paraphrase here. One of the challenges to engagement with the movement is a lack of sense of timeliness of the cause, and of what one individual’s action will do in the face of a seemingly bottomless crisis. We will never “return to normal” and be able to act with disregard for the environment again. Tisha B’Av can be instructive in this regard as it is an enactment of our personal and collective death – we don’t eat, or greet each other, or engage in marital relations. It forces us to engage with our mortality and consider: How would we change our actions, if we knew our end was near? This Tisha B’Av, what can you as an individual and a community do to change the course of where we are headed – with the environmental movement, and with other causes dear to your heart?

May this Tisha B’Av bring us closer together and push us to action to better our world.

Sincerely,

Deborah Fishman, Hakhel Network Manager

Read this month’s community interview, with Daniel Rosenberg, Treasurer of Habonim Dror Aotearoa New Zealand (HDANZ). Together with Hakhel, HDANZ is building an alumni movement of intentional communities, under the brand name: HeChalutz. Thanks to the connection with Hakhel, together with our mentoring and other support,  HeChalutz has been able to adapt the Israeli model of Tenuat Bogrim (alumni movement) and apply it in their areas of operation. Today we are happy to report that there are four vibrant and growing intentional communities in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Auckland.

Tell us in a few words about your community and what is special about it.

My name is Daniel and I am the Gizbar (treasurer) of Habonim Dror Aotearoa New Zealand (HDANZ). HDANZ is one of two youth movements in New Zealand and is celebrating its 75-year anniversary this upcoming January. HDANZ is special due to its uniqueness and the fact it provides equal opportunities for all Jewish youth in New Zealand regardless of their background. This means we create a safe space for all Jewish youth to experience and practice their Judaism and also learn about Zionism, Tikkun Olam (fixing the world) and Hagshama (actualisation of Values). HDANZ is also important to the New Zealand communities as for some it is the only Jewish experience they may have in their lives.

What put you on this path to be a community builder and leader?

I was initially put on this path of being a community builder and leader by my Dad who is a boger (past madrich) of HDANZ. My dad led in the 90s and attended the equivalent of Shnat Hachshara in 1990 and was on Shnat the same year as Sacha Baron Cohen. My journey as a madrich (leader) began in 2020 when I led at my first summer camp and then went to Israel as a participant on IBC (Israel By Choice), but I came home early due to COVID-19. On my return to NZ, I immediately went back to leading in HDANZ. Early this year I was Rosh Machane Kaitz (head of summer camp) and ran a successful camp while navigating COVID-19 and had 90 chanichimot (kids) attend. My camp took place 30 years after my dad ran his camp.

How is Judaism part of your community’s life and identity?

My main motivation behind being involved in Habo is to improve the movement and leave it in a better place than I found it to ensure it stays around for another 75 years, and to build the next phase of alumni intentional communities. Judaism is important in New Zealand as the community is so small. You may have heard people say they’re one of three Jews in New Zealand and while this is an exaggeration, compared to other communities around the world this seems true. Because we have such a small community, it is very close and everyone knows everyone. This means everyone my age that is Jewish grew up together through the youth movements and now most of us are the ones running the youth movements. In NZ Habonim Dror and Bnei Akiva are both very important for creating safe spaces for Jewish Youth and ensuring Jewish continuity. We are very grateful for all the support we receive in New Zealand and also overseas from HeChalutz, Hakhel and other organizations.

What is one takeaway or lesson from your work that you would like to share?

I feel the one key takeaway from all my work with Habonim Dror and Hakhel has got to be when there’s a will there’s a way. Throughout the COVID pandemic it has been increasingly hard to run movement activities but we have all managed to come together and run 4 successful camps and weekly kenim and seminars since COVID New Zealand and we continue to do so in order to ensure Habo remains prevalent in our community and in kids lives.

The International Communal Studies Association (ICSA) conference took place recently in Skanderborg, Denmark. Hakhel Director Aharon Ariel Lavi and Network Manager Deborah Fishman had the opportunity to attend in person, while Sephirah Oshkello and Roger Studley also represented Hakhel virtually on a panel about Jewish intentional communities and Jewish cultural continuity.

click here to watch the recording

OLAM has published a pioneering research report on the work of Jewish organizations in Ukraine, including Hakhel, called “Unprecedented Response and Collaboration: Preliminary Lessons from Jewish and Israeli Responses to the Crisis in Ukraine.” We are proud to share the results with you, as we prepare for the next phase.

Wishing us all peaceful times.

Here is a brief summary of the report.

read the full report here

From the Hakhel Creative Gatherings Team:

We are super stoked that there has been motion with the Hakhel Creative Gatherings project to take place in South Africa. The date is projected for the 1st November – 9th November 2022. Committees are being set as we wait for a few more forms to roll in. Thanks to those who have already completed this form. If you’re interested, be sure to click the button below.

click here for the hakhel creative gathering in south africa

The post Hakhel Newsletter: July 2022 appeared first on Adamah.

It’s hard to believe that it was a month ago that Hakhel community leaders gathered together in Israel for our Trip & Summit! We toured Israeli intentional communities for in-depth learning; and gathered at the Summit to learn and dialogue together, celebrate Shabbat and discuss Israel-Diaspora relations, and build connections with one another. Following these experiences, we took practical tools and insights about community-building back to our home communities. Some of these are summarized in this newsletter for the benefit of all, including those who weren’t able to join us in Israel.

The 5 Pillars of Hakhel which were addressed during the Summit and which will continue to be Hakhel’s focus areas are:

• Community Development and Building
• Leadership Development
• Jewish Life and Literacy
• Israel Connection
• JOFEE (Jewish Outdoor, Food, Farming & Environmental Experiences)

According to the exit survey following the Summit, the overall experience was quite popular, with a rating of 5/5 by 63% of respondents and 4/5 by 30%. 53% responded 5/5 that they will utilize what they gained, and 36% responded 4/5. In other feedback, we heard that we shared very relevant tools and practices to take back; that it was great to have real life examples shared by communities; and that many connections were created between communities.

We are now considering the suggestions for improvement that we heard from the survey and other conversations. Regarding the trip, we heard that we should create more joint experiences with the communities we visit that promote the mutual exchange of knowledge, in addition to hearing from their representatives. Regarding the conference, suggestions for improvement included slowing down the action-packed schedule, with more time to process, and that there is a demand for more subnetwork time and more one-on-one time with other communities.

We look forward to the next time we are able to join our network together!

Until then, yours truly,

Deborah Fishman, Hakhel Network Manager

Taken during the Hakhel Israel Trip 2022. Photo courtesy of Ruti Plistiev (Instagram: @ruti_pv)

At the Summit, we were privileged to be addressed by Avraham Infeld, President Emeritus of Hillel International, an education pioneer and expert in Jewish peoplehood.

Watch a Talk on “The Five-Legged Table” by Avraham Infeld Here.

Dr. Sara Shadmi taught us important principles of community-building, including what is a community, 10 community-building principles, and how to create a culture of belonging.

View Dr. Shadmi’s presentation (“Our Groups as Strong Communities”) and other presentations from the Summit here.

We heard two outstanding case studies of how Hakhel community leaders have created successful events in their communities – from Samuel Botbol of LAZOS Costa Rica and Sarah Bendetsky from Subbotnick in Melbourne, Australia.

Here is a document with principles for community-building events that you can apply.

Ukraine Update

The war in Ukraine is not over yet, however its form has definitely changed.

After millions of refugees left the country the flow of refugees dwindled, and we stopped sending delegations to the borders. However, we continue our work inside Ukraine, delivering supplies and building communities.

Almost four months into this crisis, we think now is a good time to summarize the first phase. Click here to read our full, yet brief, activity report:

https://tinyurl.com/muuvcw58

Together, between late February 2022 and late June 2022, we have been able to:

• Send over 20 delegations with over 250 volunteers. These delegations supplied medical, humanitarian, educational and logistical/technological support in Poland, Moldova, Hungary and Romania.
• Deliver over 10 tons of food and medication, using our network of communities and over 100 volunteers.
• Absorb hundreds of refugees in Melbourne, Australia, through Hakhel’s Russian speaking community in the city.
• Deliver 60 laptops to refugees, in partnership with AirBnb, so they can continue studying and working while away from home.
• Provide additional support for refugee absorption in Berlin, Amsterdam and other places, as well as to people who made Aliyah to Israel.
• Build a leadership group of young adults who had to leave Ukraine

Click here for the full report: https://tinyurl.com/muuvcw58

From the Desk of Hakhel Advisor Craig Oshkello

Hakhel’s parent organization, Hazon, has been leading the way towards taking action in the face of the existential threats associated with climate change. What was once called global warming, thereafter global climate change, more recently a global climate crisis, has undeniably reached the level of a global climate emergency. Jakir Manela, Hazon’s new CEO, attended the 2021 United Nations last global climate summit, dubbed COP26, “conference of the parties,” in Glasgow, Scotland, where this message was consistent and resoundingly clear. It was impressed upon Jakir, and the other conference attendees, that we need to understand what’s at stake, organize in unprecedented ways, and take unified action to have any hope for our common future. In his keynote address to this spring’s Hakhel Israel Summit, Jakir framed his experiences in terms of our shared Jewish context.

This is the year 5782 in the Hebrew calendar. It is a shmita year and this means many things to the myriad of Jewish cultures in Israel and throughout the Diaspora. With regards to the global climate emergency, it is a time for us to reflect on the past six years and how we have gone about our life and its relationship to the social and ecological web of life in our homes, communities and bioregions. It is a time to learn more about the role of shmita in preparing for cultural disruption and the promise of what a jubilee might mean for the reinvention of just and holistic models of property ownership, community care and environmental stewardship. The next few months offer us the time to integrate our learning and reflection into a plan for action for the next six years.

Jakir will be returning to the UN Global Climate Summit in November of 2022, in the month of Cheshvan, in Sharm el Sheik, Egypt on the Sinai peninsula. It is our hope that we can activate our global Jewish community to bring a unified, inclusive and illuminating perspective to this conference. Our Hakhel communities network represents over 40 countries across the globe. It is my hope that we can organize both within our communities at home, as well as united as a network of communities, to articulate our commitment to climate action. I hope we are able to let Jakir, and other global leaders know that we are organized, we care and are willing to work together for the change we envision.

As the Hakhel sustainability coordinator, I will be working with you in your efforts to create this change in your community and in the world. In the coming weeks I will lay out a conceptual framework for organizing this effort. Please keep in touch with any questions you may have and get ready to inspire your community members to take on leadership roles in our efforts to manifest our collective vision for the future.

You may contact Craig at craig@craigoshkello.com.

Arts & Culture @ Hakhel

Written Collaboratively: In the last Summit session, when everyone spoke within their projects/ countries/ communities, the Arts & Culture group came up with an exciting idea for continued collaborations that extends into all of the Hakhel communities. We would like to include ALL of you who are active leaders of Hakhel communities (including relevant leaders in your communities who were not at the trip/Summit). We are creating a working group and everyone is invited.

The idea is to run a “Hakhel Creative Gatherings” in South Africa in Nov/ Dec. The goal of the gathering is to unearth our individual and collective creativity and to use that energy to advance our collaborative work and to bring Arts & Culture to life in our communities.

If YOU are Arts & Culture inclined—special shoutout to the dancers, writers, actors, animators, singers, musicians, visual artists, photographers, theatre kids, poets… PLEASE JOIN our WhatsApp group. We are calling you!!! Anyone who is interested can join the group. Everyone will have a voice.

From Portland to Argentina, South Africa to France, Israel to Mexico, Hungary to Costa Rica…. Let us gather.

Love the Arts and Culture folks

Join the Whatsapp group

Update from the Sister Community Beit Midrash

Our latest conference in May served as a perfect opportunity to launch the Sister Community Beit Midrash, a global initiative which serves as a platform for encounters between members of intentional communities from all over the world. The program participants study texts together, meet inspiring Jewish leaders, and engage in conversations that highlight both our differences and our communalities. The hope is that this meaningful encounter will lead to future collaborations between communities in different countries, and help bridge the growing gap between World Jewry and Israeli Jews.

During the Hakhel conference, we hosted more than a dozen of our Israeli counterparts who are members of the Makom regional Beit Midrash programs. This in-person event was followed by our first online Beit Midrash session, where we explored some fundamental differences in how Jews in Israel and around the world define “being Jewish”. We discussed how our communities relate to this question, and how we create access points for our members to “plug in” to their Jewishness. The session was attended by participants from 5 different continents and demonstrated both Hakhel’s diversity, and its commitment to Jewish Peoplehood around the world.

The next three online sessions will be dedicated to the three pillars of Hakhel: 1) Social Action (Tikkun Olam), 2) Jewish Life and 3) Israel; how they can serve as building blocks to shape our community’s identity, and how they can serve as common denominators for our network that will allow us to form partnerships with other communities around the Jewish world. These sessions will include exciting and inspiring guest speakers. We will have another opportunity to meet in person as part of the Z3 Conference in Palo Alto in December.

If you are interested in joining the cohort, please fill out the following short form: https://forms.gle/B2GroFJLVuDLzTWQA and reach out to Moshe Samuels at: moshe.samuels@hazon.org

Bnai Mitzvah Program

We are initiating an innovative enrichment project for boys and girls, for a significant bar and bat mitzvah process.

• The goal of the project is to upgrade the bar and bat mitzvah experience, to deepen the connection between the event and the child’s Jewish identity.
• We have an interactive idea for children aged 10-13 and we are currently in the development and accuracy stage.
• We are looking for parents of boys and girls who are in the period before the bat/bar mitzvah and children who can share with us a bit about their experience, answer some questions and test the product.

We will be happy to tell you more about it!

Noa Kohai 0586465656

Naomi Frumin 0506761412

The post Hakhel Newsletter: June 2022 appeared first on Adamah.

We wish you all, your families, and your communities, a Chag Pesach Sameach!

Passover is the holiday of freedom. We tend to think of ourselves as free people living in free societies, at least most of us. And yet, global events which are totally beyond our control have direct and intimate impact on our lives: the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine, Climate Change and more. How are we to maintain our own freedom, and the freedom of those around us, with so many constraints imposed on us? 

Well, building strong and resilient communities is obviously one step in the right direction. This Passover, we invite all of us in the Hakhel network to think: In what ways can we utilize our communities to narrow uncertainty and broaden autonomous choice?

We wanted to share with you a text written by Nir Geva, Machon Kehilot – Hakhel Europe, which relates to the story of immigration, refugees, and the journey in the story of the Exodus, and tells it through the challenges of today’s world and the hope for better days.

And you shall tell your son and your daughter…

That sometimes people

Take the wandering stick in their hand,

And leave their country and homeland,

And go on their way across the sea.

Some follow love,

Or seek an opportunity.

Others look for a better life,

Or flee from hardship or trouble.

And you shall tell your son and your daughter…

That often the journey is not at all short,

And the road is exhausting and goes on for

Years, in the wilderness…

And those who keep on walking

Carry in their belongings

Flavors and songs, childhood sceneries,

Pieces of their heritage and sweet memories.

And with some luck in the Diaspora,

They find or form a community,

Renew their days as of old and anew,

Because being alone is tough, and together – wonderful.

At Leil Haseder, when we all sit together,

The past merges with all that is now,

And it’s the time to tell your daughters and your sons

Where you have come from and what is your story,

And how your family’s journey is woven

In the chronicles of an ancient and magnificent People,

Who fled Egypt, chose freedom,

And forty years wandered in the wilderness.

So what makes this night different?!

(Ma nishtanah halaylah hazeh?!)

A revival production of the very same play,

And this time with worries pounding in our chests.

Around the world we hope and pray,

For peace and harmony to prevail,

For nations to beat their swords into plowshares,

For refugees to return to their homes,

For immigrants to find rest and comfort,

Everywhere they strike roots,

That instead of wars, love will expand,

And for the next year in the Good Land!

Hakhel May Israel Trip and Summit

We are so excited to see many of you at the Hakhel May Israel Trip and Summit! There are numerous opportunities for you to step up as a leader and share your talents during the Summit. If any of the below is something you are eager to share, please reach out to Deborah Fishman at deborah.fishman@hazon.org.

• A talent or act of any sort for Hakhel’s Communities Got Talent
• Leading us in Yoga/ Morning Meditation
• Leading a Kabbalat Shabbat/Shabbat morning prayer service

Or if there is some other way you would like to contribute, please be in touch about that as well! Thank you and see you soon.

Our Efforts in Ukraine

Passover is the time of our freedom.

Hakhel has done so much over the last two months to help so many people reach freedom and safety. Sarit Cohen, Hakhel’s Administrative Director, who was there for them, wanted to share just one personal story, as told to her by Alina Bitel. 

My first adopted family were Nadiia and Serhii. I met them checking them into the refugee hotel, fresh after crossing the border. When I asked where they’re from- Nadiia was eager to share the story, but Serhii cut her off saying “nobody cares”. I promised Nadiia that once they settled and had lunch – I will be waiting for her and she can tell me everything.

She sought me out after lunch and we sat down to talk. Nadiia is a Holocaust survivor and a well-known journalist who was very excited about their new home. They saved for years to buy it, and planned to spend their post-retirement in it, in the beautiful Irpen suburb of Kyiv.

They didn’t want to leave their home until the very last minute. Even when there was no water, gas or electricity. After two weeks Serhii saw the last bus leaving the city and a decision to leave was made in seconds. They walked out of their dream retirement home in sweatpants, flannel shirts and with a bag of blood pressure medication. A day later neighbors sent a picture of a rocket hitting the house next door. The fire spread and Nadiia and Serhii’s home was burnt to the ground.

They wanted to go to Israel, but since they got their citizenship there years ago, but didn’t stay, they were not eligible for anything: not the airline ticket, nor housing upon arrival.

So here they were, their home and all of their belongings burnt to the ground, with no support, wandering.

And here the magic of Jewish community and connections came into play. Within 48 hours an Israeli friend in Budapest found a sponsor for their ticket, a fellow volunteer I met in Budapest 4 days earlier found a hotel for them, and even a taxi to get them to the hotel in Israel. In parallel, a very considerate immigration officer spent 3 hours (!) hours with them at the airport while I was on the phone making all the arrangements from Budapest.

They have already arrived safely in Israel, and starting a new life there, at the age of 81

Photos by Maya Oshri Meshel

As the crisis endures, your support is more important than ever. Please click here to partner with us:

https://donate.hazon.org/give/276717/#!/donation/checkout

If you received this email or WhatsApp message and you’re still not on our list, click here to stay informed and involved:

https://forms.gle/Ak8ctK81PUTMpNft8

Or click here to join our WhatsApp group:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/JbstV8zuxHb32NM7NHgNz0

Hazon Shmita Sourcebook

The Hazon Shmita Sourcebook presents a guided exploration of the history, concepts, and practices of Shmita, from debt forgiveness to agricultural rest, economic adjustment to charitable giving. The updated sourcebook explores texts and commentaries that build the framework of Shmita within the biblical and rabbinic tradition, as well as contemporary voices that speak to Shmita as it relates to our modern world.

This comprehensive, accessible sourcebook is well-suited for individual, partnered, and group study, with guiding text and discussion questions to enhance your learning, regardless of educational background. The Hazon Shmita Sourcebook offers a holistic understanding of Shmita, from the depth of Jewish tradition to the most pressing issues of our time.

Download here: https://hazon.org/resource/updated-shmita-sourcebook/ 

The post Hakhel Newsletter: April 2022 appeared first on Adamah.

I hope you and your community celebrated a very happy Purim! We are now in the lull between Purim and Pesach (always shorter than you think!), but that doesn’t mean there’s an end to the work to be done. 

One thing that should be top of your to-do list is signing up for the Hakhel Israel Trip and Summit, taking place from May 9-15 in Israel. We may be fewer, due to the war in Europe, but we are strong as communities and as a network, and we are here to carve out the next phase of this work in person together even in hard times. 

Please sign up and have your community members sign up. Registration ends on March 31. See below for more details.

Our own efforts have been focused on supporting our communities in Ukraine at this terrible time – through sending Hakhel delegations and thousands of dollars of medical supplies and food. Read on below for more info about these efforts and how you can help.

In this week’s parsha, Shemini, we see a lot of divine activity – a fire issues from G-d to consume offerings on the altar, G-d’s presence comes to dwell in the Sanctuary, and Nadav and Avihu die due to offering a strange fire, which G-d commanded them not to. Where and when do you feel the divine presence in your life? Perhaps your community helps you feel more connected to the Divine – or perhaps you feel it in human connections you forge with other Hakhel community leaders at opportunities like the Summit!

At the Summit, we plan to consider how we can enter the coming year with a renewed focus on being of service, contributing to the greater whole, and supporting those who cannot be there in person with us.

Wishing you a good and productive month ahead, and hope I’ll see you in Israel!

Yours truly,

Deborah Fishman

Hakhel Network Manager

Pictured: A Marom Seminar

Meet Roni Levin of Marom

This month, Deborah Fishman sat down with Roni Levin from Marom, the Masorti (Conservative) movement branch serving those in their 20s-30s. She is new to the Hakhel team as a partner and advisor. 

Tell us about your background and how you came to your community-building work.

If I’m honest, I wasn’t looking for a position in community-building. But when I read the description of my current position, it seemed related to my past experiences with people and team building. I know to take a task apart and see who’s doing what. I know how to get people involved as volunteers. When I was a youth director and in my shlichut, I worked a lot at making people realize they are doing what they do because they are committed. Then you can get people on board with your idea, and that’s what I was looking for: something meaningful.

What is Marom and what do you do to build global Jewish communities?

Marom is an organization serving young adults in the Masorti movement. We wish to create a meaningful Jewish experience for young adults. This age group travels and moves a lot. They don’t stay too long in one position, and it takes them longer to settle. We created the Marom network to shift from being a locally-based to being a globally-based community, so people will have the opportunity to connect wherever they go. If they want to do Kabbalat Shabbat and continue with a meaningful Jewish experience wherever they choose to be, locally and internationally, they can stay connected.

What do Marom communities have in common and how do you promote this shared mission/values in the world?

Our communities are Masorti communities; we’re all looking for a Jewish experience and to be part of a community. People are looking for meaningful experiences, communities, and friends. What we have in common is people looking to celebrate their Judaism: from the simple things of Kabbalat Shabbat and holidays to getting deeping in limmud (learning) in chavruta (group of people studying together). It’s about being Jews together. 

What’s your vision for the international network of Marom?

Today we’re creating leadership that works together internationally. For instance, we’re building two volunteer programs in Uganda and Budapest, which people can come to from all over the world. My dream vision is Jewish couch surfing. I want people to tell me that being part of the Marom community made them look for the Jewish aspect of the locations they go to, such as seeking out the local synagogue for Kabbalat Shabbat or just to be Jews together, that it made their Jewish identity strong and confident.

What advice, lesson from your work, or Jewish wisdom do you have that might inspire Hakhel communities in their own Jewish community-building?

The advice: that the community always knows best.  Listen to what they have to say and how they go about things, what troubles them, what concerns them. You can talk to them a lot about the great ideas you have, but at the end of the day, it needs to be relevant to them; you need to give them hope. In the end, I always felt like I’m getting more than I gave back.

Hakhel May Israel Trip and Summit

Jewish intentional community leaders from around the world will gather in Israel from May 9-15 for Hakhel’s Israel Trip and Summit and to determine how Hakhel is going to look in the upcoming 7 years. Will you step up as a leader in shaping this emerging global movement of communities?

Here is how the summit is going to look:

Monday-Thursday: Israel trips touring inside the world of intentional communities

Thursday night: Exploring our global network.

Friday: Professional training (Community building, leadership and more).

Shabbat: Shabbat experience & Israel-Diaspora connection.

Sunday: Envisioning and strategizing the Shmita cycle of Hakhel.

Who should register?

We have very limited spaces at the Israel Summit and we want to ensure that the attendance is as diverse and global as possible. In particular, you are highly encouraged to apply if you are part of a Hakhel community and have not attended a Hakhel Trip in the past, and/or if you are veteran leader of a thriving Hakhel community and would like to participate as we envision and strategize together how Hakhel should look in the upcoming Shmita cycle (2023-2030).

Register today. Registration closes March 31! 

Our Efforts in Ukraine

Over the past 3 weeks, we met several times with Hakhel community leaders from Lvov and Kharkov. They asked for our help and we, all of us, have responded.

Thanks to the power of Hakhel’s group, we were able to purchase thousands of dollars worth of medications, and put them to use in those cities. We have also been able to send another shipment of food to Medzybudzh, with the help of our Cisco delegation in Warsaw.

This week we sent 2 more delegations, to Kishinev and to Warsaw, in close partnership with JDC, bringing the total number of delegations we have sent to 8. Additionally, 2-3 delegations are planned for next week as well. We are also working on getting urgent medical supplies to one of Kiev’s hospitals before the city is, God forbid, put under siege.

If you want to stay involved and informed, click here to join the WhatsApp group:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/JbstV8zuxHb32NM7NHgNz0

Or here for the email list:

https://forms.gle/Ak8ctK81PUTMpNft8

If you would like to contribute to these efforts, please click here:

https://donate.hazon.org/give/276717/#!/donation/checkout

Hazon Shmita Sourcebook

The Hazon Shmita Sourcebook presents a guided exploration of the history, concepts, and practices of Shmita, from debt forgiveness to agricultural rest, economic adjustment to charitable giving. The updated sourcebook explores texts and commentaries that build the framework of Shmita within the biblical and rabbinic tradition, as well as contemporary voices that speak to Shmita as it relates to our modern world.

This comprehensive, accessible sourcebook is well-suited for individual, partnered, and group study, with guiding text and discussion questions to enhance your learning, regardless of educational background. The Hazon Shmita Sourcebook offers a holistic understanding of Shmita, from the depth of Jewish tradition to the most pressing issues of our time.

Download here.

The post Hakhel Newsletter March 2022 appeared first on Adamah.

“War is a cowardly escape from the problems of peace.”  – Thomas Mann

We are heartbroken and outraged as Putin’s merciless war on Ukraine continues. We will not be silent, and we will do all we can to support our partners impacted on the ground.

At Hazon and Hakhel, we have a three-part strategy in responding to this crisis:

1. Local Leadership: Ukrainian leaders know their landscape and their needs. We are following the lead of Hakhel community leaders inside Ukraine and local rabbis working with refugees on the borders.
2. Collaboration & Partnership: We are partnering with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the European Council of Jewish Communities, Reut, the Jewish Peoplehood Coalition, and more, coordinating our collective crisis response efforts.
3. Global Response: We can all do something to help. The situation is rapidly evolving, both in terms of needs and solutions, all of which require resources and support. Sometimes our Ukrainian partners need volunteers, sometimes they need equipment, and throughout the process they need financial resources.

Here are just a few examples of what this strategy looks like on the ground:

• Following up on our weekly meeting with our Ukrainian partners, we received the list of needs from the Lvov communities and are working to deliver what they need.
• We are organizing another large shipment of food and equipment for the community in Medzyboudzh (the historical town of the Ba’al Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism).
• Hakhel’s second delegation to Moldova has already departed, bringing 14 courageous leaders to support refugees there. The delegation includes medical staff, therapists, educators and logistical experts.

Please support these leaders and all of Hakhel’s crisis response efforts in Ukraine, in collaboration and partnership with all our partners above. Click here to donate and help cover the costs of these extraordinary efforts.

We are deeply grateful to all our donors, volunteers, and everyone who is stepping up to lend their time, expertise, and resources to respond to this humanitarian crisis.  We pray for the violence to end, but we are also preparing for an extended period of great need.  We will hold true to one of the most central teachings of the Torah:

“Love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” -Deuteronomy, 10:19

We send prayers of peace, together, to the people of Ukraine.

B’Shalom,

Jakir Manela, Chief Executive Officer

Aharon Ariel Lavi, Co-Director, Hakhel

Michal Guttman, Co-Director, Hakhel

The post Support our Partners in Ukraine appeared first on Adamah.

We have watched, horrified, as Putin’s Russia has invaded Ukraine, causing bloodshed, destruction, and hundreds of thousands of innocent people fleeing. What you may not know is that Hazon operates a global Jewish intentional community network called Hakhel that includes communities in Ukraine. For the past five years, the Hakhel network has engaged leaders and innovative communities doing great things in Ukraine, in all major cities: Kiev, Harkov, Lvov, Odessa, and Dnepro. They were there before this crisis and they will outlast it, doing amazing things in Jewish education, community building, culture and social activism.

Friday morning, our Hakhel Director, Aharon Ariel Lavi, organized a call for the Hakhel network to hear directly from these Ukrainian Jewish leaders. You can watch the entire meeting here. If you read Hebrew, you might also like this piece on yNet, Israel’s largest news website, covering our efforts.

If you would like to get involved and stay informed, please register here.

These action items emerged from that call:

• Supporting Refugees: A delegation is going tomorrow to Kishinyev, Moldova, to support the local Rabbi in attending over 500 refugees, 200 of whom are children. We expect to receive more requests for delegations. Hakhel communities in Europe are opening their homes and their hearts to refugees who make it into the European Union. Israelis are also opening their homes and hearts for those who can make it to Israel.

• Social Media: Our partners want us to make sure the world knows the truth about this war. Many people in Russia don’t believe this war is really happening. Join our WhatsApp group to get ongoing updates and share them.

• Emotional and Psychological Support: Hakhel partners with Israeli organizations to mobilize professionals and volunteers in order to provide emotional and psychological support for Ukrainian children and families. If you are a Russian/Ukrainian certified therapist, please be in touch and we will find a way to connect you (hakhel@hazon.org).

• Donations: We are grateful to our partners at The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee for their steadfast leadership during over many decades, supporting communities worldwide in their time of need. JDC is on the front lines, delivering urgent, lifesaving care to the Jewish seniors and families who count on us, including activating hotlines, emergency homecare plans, and securing safe facilities for Jews fleeing their homes. Your gift will ensure the uninterrupted provision of food, medicine, and other emergency support — a lifeline to Ukraine’s Jews at this critical time. Donate to JDC here.

• You can also support our efforts at Hakhel to support Ukrainian communities to buy food, pay for housing on the run, and to maintain refugee centers in Lvov (Western Ukraine) and in Moldova, and to send volunteers, food, and equipment there. Once the war is over, we will continue to support our partners as they lead communal rehabilitation. Click Here to Support Hakhel’s Efforts in Ukraine

• Leadership: We are grateful not only to JDC, but also to the European Council of Jewish Communities, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and Makom, the Israeli umbrella organization of intentional communities, for their partnership and leadership during this crisis.

Register on this form or contact hakhel@hazon.org if you would like to stay up to date and get involved.

We pray for the continued safety of our Hakhel friends and partners.

And with all our hearts, we pray for peace.

Thank you for all your support,

Jakir Manela
Chief Executive Officer

Aharon Ariel Lavi
Founding Director, Hakhel Jewish Intentional Communities Network

Michal Guttman
Co-Director, Hakhel Jewish Intentional Communities Network

The post How We Can Help Our Partners in Ukraine appeared first on Adamah.

What makes the world holy, and how can we increase the holiness of the world together? In this week’s Torah portion, T’tzaveh, the Israelites learn about how to organize a community with Torah at the center, in a way that truly elevates the mundane to the holy. For instance, the brilliant priestly garments – with precious stones and metals donated by the community – and the rite of priestly consecration are described, as well as the garb of the High Priest, complete with Stones of Remembrance bearing the names of the 12 Tribes for his shoulders.

It is clear from these instructions that we live in an interconnected ecosystem, where resources, people, and places can be given sacred meaning and influence one another through channels of mutual obligation and responsibility. In today’s context where we face environmental destruction and human suffering, how can we apply these lessons to repair our world and allow it to flourish?

February 20 is the World Day of Social Justice (as referenced in the graphic above). We hope you find inspiration to take this opportunity for your community to engage in social justice projects locally or globally, or even simply to have some of these important conversations about your community’s role in, and impact on, the wider ecosystem.

We look forward to seeing how these conversations develop and how we can work together to change the world. Let’s talk about it – for instance, at the upcoming Israel Trip & Summit in May! See important registration details about this opportunity below. We hope to see you there. 

Until then, yours truly,

Deborah Fishman

Hakhel Network Manager

This month, we feature an interview with Lina Abadi of LAZOS Mexico! Read on here to learn how through LAZOS Lina offers “spaces to get out of the ‘mold’ and live a Jewish life congruent with the wishes and needs of each person.” Want to be the community leader interviewed next? Email Deborah at deborah.fishman@hazon.org! 

Tell us in a few words about your community and what is special about it.

Lazos in México is special because it serves a very important opportunity area for young adults of the Jewish community in México: There are few spaces for those ages, and young people of that profile are not involved, so Lazos generates very important local and international network that strengthens their Jewish identity and their connection with other Jewish youngsters. Also, we offer spaces to get out of the “mold” and live a Jewish life congruent with the wishes and needs of each person. In Lazos we attract profiles that are outside the community sphere and do not identify with that life model either. We seek to strengthen their Jewish identity and ties.

What put you on this path to be a community builder and leader?

My passion for thinking about the future of the Jewish generations, for adapting to the new times, for offering new community models that activate and involve young adults, besides attending to their current needs.

How is Judaism part of your community’s life and identity?

Judaism is transversal, it is in every activity and in every space. It is a fundamental part of what we do because the links between the members provide a new meaning in relation to Judaism and their new ways of perceiving themselves as modern Jews adapted to new challenges.

What is one takeaway or lesson from your work that you would like to share?

I like to know that I can build new models of Jewish leadership that go beyond the typical institutional model, something that is also a new way to activate the youth of today. It is a modern model that does not exist in México and has been very successful for being innovative. I am very happy to bring this to México and teach new models for young people to participate and strengthen their Jewish identity instead of walking away. 

I also believe that I am building new paths to live a life that does not fit into a single conventional model. I believe in models that allow people to be congruent with themselves and be happier, without having to give up their Judaism and their identity.

Hakhel Israel Summit – May 9-15, 2022

Register for the Trip & Summit!

Please join us in Israel for the Hakhel Israel Trip and Summit! Does what happens at the Israel Summit stay at the Israel Summit? For answers to these and more questions you may be wondering about to determine whether it’s the right opportunity for you, please read the following interview with Hakhel’s Director of Israel Programs Gabe Axler.

I hear there’s a Hakhel Israel Trip and Summit in May! Tell me more…

Yes! We’re so excited to have an in-person gathering of global Hakhel communities hailing from so many different places and backgrounds! This is a tour of Israeli intentional communities (May 9-13) plus Summit (May 13-15) package providing you with practical knowledge and inspiration that you can take back home. The Israel trip will offer an in-depth look at existing, thriving intentional communities in Israel and allow you to visit them and hear from the leaders themselves. We will be offering tracks in order to focus on specific community styles, cultures, and expertises (i.e., Arts & Culture, Russian and Spanish-speaking, etc). Then, the Summit will give you many opportunities to learn from and with peers in similar positions to your own, but located around the world! It’s a unique opportunity to delve into real-life community-building concepts and gain concrete tools and insights. 

Most importantly, we hope that what happens at the Israel Summit… won’t stay at the Israel Summit… but rather that our dear community leaders will feel both personally re-energized and also inspired to take home that individual experience for the benefit of their local community.

What happens at the Israel Summit?

The Summit will use the Five Pillars of Hakhel as our guide star as we dive into: Community Development and Building; Leadership Development; Jewish Life & Literacy; Israel Connection; and JOFEE (Jewish Outdoor, Food, Farming & Environmental Experiences). We will address these Five Pillars in unique, experiential ways. For instance, we will have deep conversations about the complex Israel-Diaspora relationship, develop tools for your community-building tool box, and have the opportunity to celebrate Shabbat with people coming from lots of different traditions. First and foremost, we will be utilizing the talents within our network and highlighting that unique knowledge that we hold as a network – as well as bringing in many experts from different fields connected to community-building.

Why is the Summit happening in Israel?

Geographically and also ideologically, the relationship to Israel is a linchpin of what Hakhel rests on and a guide for how we are building our own network. In addition, there’s an important opportunity this year to experience Shmita in Israel, where it is traditionally exclusively observed. Shmita – the Sabbatical year happening every seven years – is a unique concept for talking about how to sanctify communal time, space and land and how that plays out in our relationship to the land and to community.

What about COVID?

We acknowledge that we are still living in a time of pandemic. Rest assured that we will be operating according to all government guidelines, and you will have medical coverage as part of this experience. 

Any further questions or concerns, please talk to us! You can contact Gabe anytime and wherever you are in the world, at gabe.axler@hazon.org. 

Looking for Resources for Jewish Learning?

If so, good news! Hakhel is building a partnership with IYUN, a cohort-based Jewish learning experience for adults facilitated by local educators, which builds community through the study of Torah. Through this partnership, IYUN will provide Hakhel communities with 8-10 weeks of curricular content for Jewish text study, polished marketing materials, teacher training, and ongoing Help Desk support. If you are looking for a well-structured and accessible opportunity for your community to engage in learning – with the partnership of an expert team of Jewish educators and trainers – please contact your advisor for more information. (Currently this program is offered at no cost to Hakhel communities.) We hope this partnership will support our communities in building a thicker social fabric and a shared common language for the rhythms and big questions at the heart of contemporary Jewish life and practice. 

Hazon Shmita Sourcebook

The Hazon Shmita Sourcebook presents a guided exploration of the history, concepts, and practices of Shmita, from debt forgiveness to agricultural rest, economic adjustment to charitable giving. The updated sourcebook explores texts and commentaries that build the framework of Shmita within the biblical and rabbinic tradition, as well as contemporary voices that speak to Shmita as it relates to our modern world.

This comprehensive, accessible sourcebook is well-suited for individual, partnered, and group study, with guiding text and discussion questions to enhance your learning, regardless of educational background. The Hazon Shmita Sourcebook offers a holistic understanding of Shmita, from the depth of Jewish tradition to the most pressing issues of our time.

Click here to download the sourcebook. 

The post Hakhel Newsletter February 2022 appeared first on Adamah.