Know this: We are witnesses, and we will never forget. There is no door in the world on which your beloved family did not knock for you, for your rescue and well-being. There is no stone they left unturned, no prayer or plea they did not cry out – from one end of the world to the other – in the ears of God and man. – Isaac Herzog, President of Israel

Hersh, we failed you. We all failed you. You would not have failed you…Maybe your death is the stone, the fuel, that will bring home the 101 other hostages.

– Jon Polin, Father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin z”l

Dear Friends,

The American Jewish community is the strongest diasporic Jewish community in all of history. But in this moment, we feel helpless in the face of overwhelming tragedy. Trauma, pain, grief, and outrage unfolding day after day for countless innocent Israelis and Palestinians.

We now enter the month of Elul, when we say “the King is in the field” as we spiritually prepare ourselves for the days of awe drawing near: Rosh Hashanah – the New Year, the call of the shofarot, and Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement. In just a few weeks, we face a great reckoning between G!d and humanity—and these preparatory days of Elul are already as solemn and desperate as ever before.

We are called to repent, now. We do not wait for the new year; we add extra prayers of repentance—selichot—every day this month, confronting our sins both individually and collectively, searching to find the will and wisdom to chart a different path forward. Teshuvah (returning) is deeply challenging work. It is holy service: avodah. When it is real, it is often transformative: personal and communal, spiritual and emotional, embodied and real. But amidst this calamity? Where do we turn now? And how can we hope to transform our lives and our trajectory, facing such utter tragedy?

I do not have answers. But I do know this: we are not helpless. Each of us, all of us, our choices do matter, and we can do something. We must.

So in this spirit, we are proud to announce our January 2025 Adamah Israel Leadership Mission.

This trip builds upon the relationships and lessons learned during our Israel Farm Volunteering trips earlier this year in March and April. Now, with gratitude to our supporters, we aim to catalyze culture change on a broader scale by bringing a significant group of amazing leaders to Israel for one week immersed in a Peoplehood & Planethood experience. Our group will include Adamah constituents from across the country, community members and leaders, Adamah staff and volunteers, partners, and allies—and together we will connect with Israeli leaders in the fields of environmental education, youth empowerment, green business, climate action, and peacebuilding through environmental cooperation. We will volunteer, learn from Jewish and Palestinian environmentalist peacebuilders, meet Israeli climate tech leaders and climate justice activists, connect with our sister cities, and cultivate partnerships with some of the largest Israeli environmental organizations and Jewish peoplehood organizations in the world.

We do this because at Adamah, we believe in building bridges for the Jewish People from Israel and the Diaspora to create a more sustainable future together.

Click here to learn more and apply to join us.

Wherever you are this Elul, find a forest or a sunset. Go for a walk. Breathe. If ever there were a time for all of us to pray together with all our might, this is it. And somehow, may we find love, healing, joy, and hope. Community and belonging. Peace.

Chodesh Tov. The King is in the field. May we find our way there, together as one.
 
Acheinu kol beit Yisrael. 

We are brothers and sisters, all the Jewish people.

Jakir Manela
Chief Executive Officer

The post Do Something. Elul 5784 appeared first on Adamah.

For me, it’s Grandma’s apple cake, legendary beyond all measure.  Big trays packed with outrageously delicious squares of perfection: multi-layered dough mixed with sweet mushy apple filling, cinnamon, and Grandma’s love. 

Long before I knew what Rosh Hashanah meant—the head of the year—I knew in my heart that it was about family, togetherness, wholeness, and love.  Then at shul, the shofar blasts would reverberate in my body, giving me a real sense of awe.  This is the unique mix of emotion at Rosh Hashanah: wholeness and renewal mixed with vulnerability and yearning for a good year ahead.   

Rosh Hashanah is also Yom HaZikaron – the Day of Remembrance.  The day we remember the Creation of the World, the earth’s Birthday!  The original Earth Day.  And Rosh HaShanah is also Yom HaDin- the Day of Judgment.   

בְּראֹשׁ הַשָּׁנָה יִכָּתֵבוּן, וּבְיוֹם צוֹם כִּפּוּר יֵחָתֵמוּן

BeRosh HaShanah tikvateivu, uvyom tzom kippur yechateimun.   

On Rosh HaShanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed. 

No pressure.  And no wonder Jews are famous for our anxiety… 

There’s no shortage of judgment raining down all around us.  As Ezra Klein asks, What Have We Learned from a Summer of Climate Reckoning? 

It is so easy to become overwhelmed by the state of the world, to turn away from the reality we live in this year, and next.  But our tradition forbids it.  We are called to look ourselves in the mirror, individually and collectively.   

But on this day, judgment is balanced by memory.  Remembrance, like when G!d remembers Sarah and gives her and Avraham a son, Yitzhak.  Remembrance, when G!d remembers Hannah and gives her a son, Shmuel.  Remembrance, when G!d hears our cry, remembers the Israelite slaves, and brings us out of exile, time and again.  Remembrance, when we return- teshuvah- and come back into alignment, into balance, into joy. 

Who will live and who shall die?  Who knows.  We do not know what judgment awaits us or our world; all we know is how we choose to live—today, and every day, for ourselves and our children, for each other and for the world. 

This year, may we be blessed, written, and sealed in the Book of Life.  And may G!d remember us and help us restore justice, peace, and balance on earth.  

Shana Tova!   

Jakir Manela
Chief Executive Officer

Support Adamah in 5784

The post Remember.  And Renew.  appeared first on Adamah.

The tradition is to blow and hear the shofar every day this month, except on Shabbat. The shofar blasts create an awakening, a gift, a moment to choose again: who are we, and who do we want to be?

This summer has been full of wake-up calls. The earth cries out before us, as we find ourselves in a new climate reality.

• The planet is hotter than it’s been in thousands of years
• Vermont saw two months’ worth of rain in two days
• India and Japan experienced extreme flooding
• Scorching streets in Texas, Florida, Arizona, Spain, and China
• Ocean temperatures considered “beyond extreme”
• Unprecedented, ongoing Canadian wildfires
• Tragic loss of life through all of these disasters, and most recently in the horrific wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii—with the death toll still rising

So as the new year appears on the horizon, where do we look for hope?  Where and how do we find the strength and inspiration we need?

Collective action is an essential remedy in these moments. That’s why I’m inspired by Adamah’s new Climate Action Fund, and why we are proud today to announce the first round of loan recipients. I’m also inspired by Adamah’s recent request to serve as a prime recipient for the Department of Energy’s Renewing America’s Nonprofits (RAN) grant program. If Adamah is selected, we look forward to working with our partners at the Jewish Federations of North America, the Orthodox Union, the JCC Association, and many others, to identify and support impactful energy efficiency projects across the American Jewish community. Over 200 Jewish organizations have expressed new interest in working with Adamah on energy efficiency projects through the RAN grant program, which means we are now connected with well over 400 American Jewish organizations prepared to prioritize energy efficiency and emissions reductions! This gives me hope.

Love is the powerful medicine in these moments too, and my partner, Nets, and our kids—Lev, Shama, Yovel, and Amani—are my remedy. Buoyed and blessed by their love, I keep going. Good news like the landmark climate case out of Montana certainly helps. I’m also blessed by the incredible people I get to work with at Adamah, at Pearlstone and Isabella Freedman; in our community impact hubs in Detroit, New York, Baltimore, Southern California, and Atlanta; our staff and board and supporters and partners. Every Teva educator, Adamah farm fellow, JYCM teen, and Adamah Campus leader. Every founding partner of the Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition, and all 231 members who have joined over the past 18 months.

More than once this summer, I’ve broken down trying to think about and talk to my kids about this. I feel so heartbroken for what they—and kids everywhere—are living through now and what they will step into as they grow up. In the midst of this crisis, and as the high holidays loom, it can be hard not to feel overcome by grief, anger, or both. All I can do, all any of us can do, is root ourselves in love and commit ourselves to action.

The earth’s reverberations are ringing in my ears, in all our ears. So I will try to blow the shofar with my kids a lot this month—praying for the love and action we need.

Who has a shofar near you?

B’Shalom,

Jakir Manela
Chief Executive Officer

The post A Shofar Near You appeared first on Adamah.

We find ourselves in the month of Elul, a time for introspection and checking in with ourselves, a time to confront all the ways in which we missed the mark this past year, and a time to reflect upon who we want to be in the year ahead. We prepare with anticipation of the holy days coming soon, and we begin the work of teshuvah, tfilah, and tzedakah–repentance, prayer, and justice–so that we may transform ourselves and our world.

But this is not just any Elul. This is the end of the Shmita year, and as Rav Kook teaches us, “What the Sabbath does for the individual, Shmita does for the nation.” So now is the time to ask ourselves both individually and collectively, communally, and globally: What does repentance, prayer, and justice mean for all our people, and for all our planet?

Hazon-Pearlstone’s mission is to lead a transformative movement deeply weaving sustainability into the fabric of Jewish life, catalyzing culture change and systemic change through Immersive Retreats, Jewish Environmental Education, and Climate Action.

Through education, we seek to create the culture change that Shmita beckons of us, changing lives and building a new kind of Jewish culture for the 21st century. In June, we shared an introduction to one pillar of our work, Jewish Retreating; today we want to share with you an introduction to another pillar of our work: Jewish Environmental Education.

We are blessed by amazing leadership in this realm, with Yoni Stadlin stepping into the role of Chief Program Officer leading an awesome group of educators who collectively provide hundreds of programs inspiring tens of thousands of participants across North America and around the world. I cannot imagine a better leader for this transformative work than Yoni. Thank you, my friend!

Thank you, Jakir!

Over the past twelve years I served as Founding Director of Eden Village Camp, and was continually inspired by the children, teens and people of all ages who brought our farm-to-table community to life. I’m excited to continue the momentum of nature connection, movement-building, and positive culture change as I step into this powerful work with all of you. Together, anything is possible. Let’s gooo! I am amazed at the individual and collective impact of our educational programs:

• The Adamah Fellowship, a 3-month program for adults in their 20s & 30s that integrates organic agriculture, farm-to-table living, Jewish learning, community building, social justice and spiritual practice.
• Teva, connecting Jewish youth to G!d’s Creation through multi-day immersive Jewish outdoor educational experiences that foster a deep connection to nature and Jewish tradition.
• The Jewish Youth Climate Movement, a Gen Z-led movement dedicated to combating climate change and environmental injustice from a Jewish lens and empowering the next generation of Jewish youth to be leaders in our fight to build a sustainable and equitable world for all.
• Hazon Detroit, inspiring local Michigan congregations, organizations, and community members through education, earth-based ritual, and sustainability projects exploring health, environmental awareness, nature, the outdoors, and food in all its delicious interconnectedness.
• Pearlstone Programming, integrating Jewish Wisdom, Nature Connection, and Edge Experiences into programming for Youth, Families, Young Adults, and Leaders across the Baltimore Jewish community and beyond.
• Leading the JOFEE movement, collaborating with leaders and educators across the country in order to strengthen and support one another in our shared work in Jewish Outdoor Food Farming & Environmental Education.
• Torah of the Earth, inviting Jewish learners and teachers of all backgrounds into dialogue with Jewish tradition’s deep wellspring of wisdom regarding the natural world and our role as Shomrei Adamah, stewards and guardians of Creation.
• Hakhel, an international Jewish Intentional Communities Incubator mobilizing the power of community to create and sustain Jewish identity, and revitalizing Jewish life by building vibrant, sustainable Jewish intentional communities of unaffiliated Jews around the world.

The change we need is vast, profound on many levels – so it is with deep gratitude to our supporters, partners, and talented educators with whom we celebrate this powerful array of programs and the great source of hope for the future that our collective impact represents. Together, we are worthy of the challenge that Shmita presents us – not just for the year gone by, but for the tremendous opportunities awaiting us in the seven years ahead.

Speak to the earth, and it will teach you. – Job 12:8

May we each find time this Elul to listen to the Torah of the earth, and to our loved ones all around us. And may we work together to inspire countless more life-changing, culture-changing experiences for communities everywhere.

Together, in partnership,

Jakir Manela                                                                                           Yoni Stadlin

Chief Executive Officer                                                                         Chief Program Officer

Our mission at Hazon-Pearlstone is to lead a transformative movement deeply weaving sustainability into the fabric of Jewish life, in order to create a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable world for all. We connect people to the earth and to each other, catalyzing culture change and systemic change through Immersive Retreats, Jewish Environmental Education, and Climate Action.

The post Elul, Shmita, & Culture Change appeared first on Adamah.

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Shalom, 

About 4 months ago Israel announced it had “overcame Covid”, opened everything and life returned to normal, to how it used to be before 2020. 

A few other countries were about to initiate similar declarations until reality fought back. With rapidly growing numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths worldwide, it seems like we are doomed to relive 2020 again. 

I feel like the optimistic announcement only made it worse. I mean, we sort of learned to live alongside Covid restrictions, and the hope that it’s now over made the backlash even more painful. 

But then I thought about the Hebrew cycle. Every year anew, in the month of Elul, we hope and pray and congratulate each other for Shana Tova, hoping for a better year than this one. Not all years are necessarily better, some are worse. However, the mere idea that life is not an endless cycle that repeats itself, but rather that there is progress towards a better future, is profoundly an original Jewish (or actually Hebrew/Biblical) idea. 

Along the way, there will be backlashes and pitfalls, but looking ahead and remaining hopeful is not good only for our internal well-being. It drives us to make the world a better place in practice.

So may we all have, truly and genuinely, a Shana Tova.

Yours truly,

Aharon Ariel Lavi

Designing the High Holidays events with “Belonging” in mind:

High Holidays are an ideal time for the community to provide opportunities for people to get together, connect, celebrate and share.

In the past (almost) couple of years, we have all faced an unprecedented reality that challenged our ability to design experiences that build a sense of belonging and connection. Unfortunately, some of us are still, or once again, faced with the challenge.   

Creating a sense of belonging takes intention and practice and it is the core of community building and the key for vibrant and sustainable communities. Like so much of Jewish life, it can’t be done alone. 

When planning your upcoming High Holidays experiences, we encourage you to be mindful of the following three key aspects that create unique, personal, community-driven shared experiences, elevating a sense of belonging:

Cultivate ownership  – Inviting participants to play a role at the event

A community-building event is not a “one-person-show”, therefore: 

• Set a committee or few committees that plan and lead aspects of the event, always inviting more people to take an active part.
• Aim to design the different roles required for the events’ success so that community members can step up based on their unique skills and passions. 
• Initiate via your communal communication platform, a wide call to join committees or step up for a role, as well as personal reach-out, emphasizing the unique added value and expertise members can bring to the collective effort. 
• Prefer internal community talents/ professionals/ joint efforts over service providers from outside. 

Foster more personalized, more intimate encounters and conversations

• Make sure everybody is being seen and that it matters that they showed up.
• Provide meaningful opportunities for people to share about themselves (multiple aspects of their lives) and allow deeper connections.
• Set the space to allow interpersonal interactions.
• Acknowledge the contribution of individuals to the event and celebrate the joint effort.  

Develop and strengthen a unique communal identity

• Include features that can become a tradition and can continuously be embedded in community activities. 
• Give a place and stage to the strengths and uniqueness of the community and its values.
• Highlight previous successful experiences curating the communal narrative 
• Create something together (before, during, or after the event) that demonstrates the community’s social fabric, characteristics, symbols, and values (Communal cookbook, Sharing family traditions, photo gallery, Shanna Tova cards, etc.). 
• Find engaging ways to tell the story of the event to create memories, set the narrative, highlight engagement, and excite members towards future events (Video clip, Blog, Gallery, etc.)

Additional resources for the High Holidays:

If you’re in a mood for a more in-depth Jewish learning with your community, check out these two source sheets and High Holiday reader: 

• Connection Points: Hadar’s 5782 High Holiday Reader 
• “The Inner Spot”: How can we use Rosh HaShana as an opportunity to reassess our life’s path? 
• “Shmita Unplugged”: Get the inside insights for the upcoming Shmita year.

A study of how intentional communities have responded to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021

The Foundation for Intentional Communities (FIC) partners with hundreds of intentional communities around the world. FIC administered an interesting study in the spring of 2021, of how intentional communities have responded to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The report from this study showcases the wide diversity of responses to Covid amongst intentional communities, offers guidance to other communities during the “opening up” phase of the pandemic, uplifts critical questions, and shares insight into both the opportunities and challenges of living in a community.

Click here for the full report. 

The post Hakhel Newsletter September 2021 appeared first on Adamah.

When this pandemic began it was winter. You may remember it snowing while we were Safer At Home. Winter eventually gave way to spring, as it does, and life bloomed bright while we remained in quarantine. As the months rolled by, the heat quickly picked up and summer kicked into high gear. And now, with Coronavirus still present as ever, fall is here. Our days are getting shorter while the golden hued sunlight mimics the bashful change of leaves.

On the Jewish calendar, these subtle changes in light and leaf mean that the High Holidays are just around the corner. Today we find ourselves squarely in the Jewish month of Elul, a month of introspection and penitence that leads up to Rosh HaShanah. We know that this period is one of intensity and spiritual work. We’re reminded of that each day of Elul, when the shofar (ram’s horn) is blown. We know it’s a time of teshuvah (return) and selichot (repentance), illustrated by the cheshbon ha’nefesh (soul accounting) that we’re instructed to do all month. And many of us attend religious services (virtually, of course, this year) more in the weeks ahead than we do the rest of the year combined.

And yet, if we’re only experiencing this period as solemn and heavy and hard, we’re missing something. As Hazon’s Executive Vice President Shuli Karkowsky beautifully wrote last week, this time is also about joy. And perhaps not just any kind of joy, but the joy of love and mutuality.

Since the days of the Talmud (approximately 200-500 CE) the month of Elul has been connected to a line from Song of Songs (6:3) that says: Ani L’dodi V’dodi Li – I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me. How come? Well, the first letter from each of the words in that phrase form a Hebrew acronym that spells Elul (אֲנִ֤י לְדוֹדִי֙ וְדוֹדִ֣י לִ֔י = אֱלוּל).

What does “I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me” have to do with Elul? Well, first off, this is a time for us to deepen our love and connection to the Divine. How am I allowing Divine goodness to manifest in the world? In what ways might I be blocking that flow? But it also has to do with how to treat one another. How have I treated my fellow, my neighbor, my friend? In what ways could I be more kind and generous and compassionate to those around me? And maybe most connected to the work of Hazon, it asks us to consider the mutuality of those relationships and how we are all implicitly responsible for each other. I am to my beloved. We are connected. I am responsible. And my beloved is to me. There is no separation. You are responsible to me. If I am hungry, my beloved feels those pangs. If my neighbor is hurting, it hurts me, too.

Elul comes to remind us that we are all part of the fabric of humanity and the more-than-human world. It urges us to take seriously that we are part of a single system that benefits from our common grace and suffers from our collective callousness. That until we are all free, none of us are free. That my liberation is bound up in your liberation and that I am positively impacted by positively impacting those around me. That we truly are better together.

This is a guiding principle for our work at Hazon Detroit. It’s what prompted us to launch our Relief Garden Initiative this summer, delivering compost and soil to over 400 people to grow food for those most food insecure. And it’s why we’re launching another fall round of “grow kits” that are available now in limited quantities (sign up here). It is what inspires our daily food rescue work and motivates us to keep going, even after rescuing more than 65 tons of food in the last couple months. And it’s what made us absolutely convinced that we needed to find an alternative to our annual Food Festival this year, that would be safe, accessible, good for the environment, good for the local economy, and most importantly, would help our long-standing food entrepreneur partners during an especially difficult time for small businesses.

I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me is a clear and direct call for mutuality, for mutual-aid. It’s a recognition that the real work of teshuvah (return) and the real possibility for freedom comes from the steadfast belief that we owe it to ourselves and to each other to see each other as beloved and to act accordingly. Dr. King called it a “beloved community” for a reason.

Now into month six of this pandemic, we have learned many things. But perhaps none more important than the need for love, for care, and for seeing it as our responsibility to take care of one another. Thank you for helping us do that, and thank you for being part of this precious work.

In loving community,

Rabbi Nate, Wren, Marla, Brittany, and Hannah

The post Hazon Detroit: I Am To My Beloved appeared first on Adamah.

Dear All,

Today is my grandma’s 17th yahrtzeit. Tomorrow, the first of Elul, would have been my father’s 88th birthday.

To be honest, we didn’t realize that this was Dad’s birthday until after he died.
But in my grandma’s case, her yahrtzeit has always been significant to me. This is because of the fascinating construction of Rosh Chodesh Elul. It’s a two-day new moon – today and tomorrow – but today is the last day of Av, and tomorrow, which is the second day of Rosh Chodesh, is the first day of Elul. And so tomorrow is the day we start to blow shofar.
To me, my grandma’s yahrtzeit comes to remind me, as it were – tomorrow it begins…

And by “it” I mean this whole period, from now through to the end of Simchat Torah, with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as the twin apex points, in the middle. “It” is a shorthand for “teshuvah, u’tefillah u’tzedakah” – teshuvah, striving to return to our best selves; tefillah, something about looking both within and beyond, for guidance and with gratitude; and tzedakah, not just in the broader sense of doing justly but in this case in the narrower sense too, of specifically giving money to make the world a better place.

From Hazon, right now, and in this spirit, four things.

First – here’s a video about blowing shofar. Rabbi Felicia Sol at B’nai Jeshurun asked us if we would do something about shofar. We were happy to – and we’re happy now to share this far and wide. It’s short and serious and fun. We hope that, whoever you are, it will genuinely offer fresh insight and perspective in the multiple different ways we can and should relate to blowing the shofar.

Second – if the shmita year is, as it were, the shabbat of years, then this new year kicks off a year which is in a certain kind of way, “Friday” – the year before the shmita. To honor that, together with Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin, Dr. Jeremy Benstein, and a bunch of friends, we’re offering a weekly reflection on the parsha in relation to shmita. More info here.

Third: this period which begins with the shofar tomorrow, culminates with the prayer for rain, which we say on Shemini Atzeret. An entire tractate of the talmud, Masechet Ta’anit, addresses the question, what happens if the rains don’t fall? It’s an ancient question with contemporary salience, in this time of plague and climate change. We’re proud to announce four consecutive online lectures, during the four intermediate days of Sukkot, by Rabbi Yedidya Sinclair, looking at how Masechet Ta’anit can offer real wisdom and fresh perspective at this strange moment in human history. They’re at noon EST each day on October 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th. Registration is free – info here – please put it in your calendar. Yedidya is a brilliant teacher, and this will be an important and thought-provoking series of talks.

And fourthly, and finally – joy. The day after the prayer for rain we have Zman Simchateinu, the time of joy. That’s how this period culminates. And, despite all the heaviness in the world right now, it’s with some leaning-in to joy, to simcha, that I believe we best accomplish the work of teshuvah. So I wanted to share these words from Shuli Karkowsky, who is Hazon’s EVP, who has shouldered a remarkable load during this COVID period, and yet who epitomizes joy – simcha; the joy we share with others – in all she does.

From me: chodesh tov, shabbat shalom.

Nigel

The Instinct for Joy, by Shuli Karkowsky

My third child just turned one, and reminded me, delightfully, of distant memories of his older brother and sister.  As soon as any of my children were old enough to stand, they danced.  When music comes on, anything with the slightest beat or melody – the background of a car commercial, a melodious phone ring – my one-year-old sticks his itty bum out, and starts moving it rhythmically, flexing his chubby thighs in time to the music. No one taught him to do this.  He’s not mimicking any behavior they had seen their parents do. He just has a deep-seated instinct to dance.

It is only during coronavirus that this struck me as remarkable.  Generally, our genetics embed in us instincts without which we cannot survive as a species.  Those same genetics decided that every baby must know how to dance. 

Watching my son dance as we socially-distance during coronavirus felt profound.  Every day, I remind myself how lucky I am.  My immediate family remains healthy. I have a job I love. We have food on the table, and a roof over our heads.  We have so many things that so many others are struggling with these days.

And yet….even those of us lucky enough to have our basic requirements met are struggling. Because coronavirus has stolen from us all of our communal expressions of joy.  Our dance parties.  Our weddings and bnai mitzvah.  Our sports games.  Our play dates. Our coffees with friends.  And though these aren’t as essential, day to day, as food or shelter, without joy and community, we cannot thrive as a species.  

Joy is codified throughout our Jewish tradition.  We are commanded to rejoice in our holidays (Deuteronomy 16:14) to bring joy for a bride and groom (Berakhot 6b). Joy is consistently and repeatedly mandated as a mitzvah.  Because, though we don’t think of it as a basic instinctual need, without joy and communal celebration, we cannot survive.  

Today we celebrate Rosh Chodesh Elul, the start of the month that celebrates the Jewish high holidays. Traditionally, this is the launch of our journey to repentance. Throughout my childhood, it was a pensive, somber season, with hours spent mumbling opaque Hebrew verses in shul, and yeshiva classes focused on all the apologies I owed G-d, others, and myself. 

In Orot Hateshuvah, Rav Abraham Isaac Kook (1865-1935) argues that the act of repentance – though soulful – is not somber.  Rather, teshuva, which literally means “return”, is about returning to the essence of one’s souls, and in finding oneself and completion, finding joy. It is therefore no accident that the ultimate day of judgment, Yom HaKippurim, can literally be translated as “the day of the Purim” – referencing another Jewish holiday that is the epitome of joy. 

Throughout this pandemic, we’ve spent much time at Hazon thinking about what communal joy looks like during a pandemic.  We hosted a virtual #SoundTheCall event on Earth Day which welcomed over a thousand people to celebrate Planet Earth; we invited hundreds to join us in cycling together through our 2020 Vision Rides even when we’re apart; and we’ve welcomed a safe number of people back to the Isabella Freedman campus for short, socially distanced tastes of its magical escapism. 

As we think about all the things we must do differently in the next year, see it as an opportunity to become your fullest self, as we hope to return to our old joyful routines and rituals, but new rhythms that are healthier and more sustainable. During times that feel incredibly dark, I welcome you to give yourself the reprieve of doing your own teshuva soulfully, but from a place of sincere and soaring joy.  As I learned from my baby son, it’s a matter of survival. 

Chodesh tov, shabbat shalom,

Shuli

The post Rosh Chodesh Elul, the instinct for joy – and a great short video on blowing the shofar appeared first on Adamah.

This month of Elul, as you reflect back, wrestle with personal and communal accounting, and contemplate the future, Hazon is here to support your personal and communal goals for environmental teshuva.

What is teshuva? What is environmental teshuva?? 

All good questions. Read about it here. And don’t miss Nigel’s message at this important time of the year, and at this critical moment in human existence.

There’s so much coming up, multiple opportunities to bring your home, your immediate circles, and your communities closer and more connected. We invite you to walk more gently on this earth with respect and appreciation for its fragile balance – and to inspire others to follow you. So ask yourself, and your neighbor:

How will your community make 5780 the year of environmental teshuva?

Here are some suggestions, and stay tuned for more to come this month.

Best wishes and Shabbat Shalom,

Merav

P.S. Please remember to log into the Hazon Seal Portal at seal.hazon.org to explore resources, make sure you are on top of the program deadlines, and find all program related information.  For any questions email us seal@hazon.org. 

September 20: Global Climate March

L’dor va’dor: Generation to Generation Protecting Creation

Young people around the world have been striking for climate action every Friday for the past year. On Friday, September 20, while the UN General Assembly meets in New York City, adults will join the youth strikers in the Global Climate Strike to create a roaring upswell of public support for ambitious climate solutions.  

Find a strike event near you 

Check out these resources to get your Jewish community involved (including a blurb for your synagogue newsletter! Use this great poster and email Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman to customize the poster for your community!  

You can also support the multi-faith voice by signing this statement of people of faith. 

IN NYC:

• September 20th Climate Strike in NYC will include a Jewish pre-rally gathering at the Manhattan JCC from 9:30 to 11am, assembly at Foley Square starting around 12pm, a march to Battery Park starting around 1pm, and a rally at Battery Park from 2:30 to 5pm. If you can’t skip work perhaps plan to leave work early and join the rally at Battery Park in the late afternoon. RSVP to attend and get location updates!
• September 21st: Community Wide Musical Havdalah for Planet Earth (NYC). The day after the Global Climate Strike, come together in community with people dedicated to the earth and climate change for havdalah, song, and a selichot-infused night of dedication and connection.

Chazak V’ematz!  Be strong and of good courage!

Use this flyer by the Jewish Earth Alliance to advertise in your community:

September 20-29 is Climate Week

Check climateweeknyc.org for all the excellent opportunities to learn and engage with the topic in NYC!

Your Hands-On Climate Advocacy Opportunity

Jewish Earth Alliance is raising a moral voice on climate change to the US Congress. JEA makes it easy for us to have our voices heard by our representatives. JEA will send you just one Advocacy Alert per month. It will be short, clear and complete. Your job is to pass this alert on to others in your community and then collect their personal letters. Even better is to meet together to write your letters. Then you send your letters to JEA and local volunteers in DC will hand-deliver these letters to your elected representatives.

There is still time to collect letters which will be personally delivered to Congress! Letters can be accepted no later than September 9. Check out our last webinar on Climate Advocacy here! 

What to do?  

The 100% Clean Energy Economy bill should be introduced the week after Labor Day. This means we will be delivering our letters on this topic at just the right time to let our Members of Congress know that this must be a top priority.  Read this Action Alert for info and guidance on writing your letter (all other Action Alerts/Sample Letters are available on line). Thank you for your activism!

This High Holiday Season Choose to Invest in “Higher Welfare” Animal Products

Consumers have the opportunity to support farmers at the forefront of upholding higher standards of animal welfare and environmental protection in production. This meat is priced higher than what you would normally find in your grocery store. This reason for the increase is based on what environmentalists call “the externalities”: the cost of preventing all the harm that is associated with factory farming, such as animal suffering and air, water, and soil pollution. These externalities are completely unaccounted for in the widespread corporate-industrial model of factory farming. Purchasing these industrial products perpetuates a cruel and environmentally harmful system. “Higher welfare” meat comes from animals that live longer lives because they are not bred to grow unnaturally fast. This costs more for farmers and consumers, but it is better for the animals, the planet, and people’s health, not to mention makes a delicious product you can truly enjoy and celebrate.

Yes, it costs more.

So eat less, but eat better and in alignment with your values. 

To help our Hazon Seal sites explore such superior kosher meat products, enjoy the discounts below from our friends at Grow and Behold and Kol Foods. Both companies also work with organizations to match their needs with product availability in ways that are most cost effective for the organization. 

• Grow & Behold: Use the code GBSeal for 10% off your first order. Pleasecontact them at info@growandbehold.com for more information on wholesale pricing for events or regular meals at your institution.
• Kol Foods: Use the code HazonSealSite for 10% off yourfirst order. Contact them for wholesale rates.

Up to $1,000 to Support your Ethical Eating! 

We still have a couple of spots open! Learn about and apply for our Ethical Eating Mini Grant*, so that we can help your institution serve food that aligns with your values for environmental protection and humane treatment of animals. This matching grant of up to $1,000 can help make your tables rich in plant based foods and/or humbly celebrate better, healthier animal products produced with careful consideration to animal welfare.

*This offer is open to communities and organizations participating in the Hazon Seal program (a.k.a. Hazon Seal Sites), excluding those in Detroit, Chicago, and Colorado, which are supported by local grants. 

September 19th:  We are the Weather  Book Launch! 

Jonathan Safran Foer’s We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast will be released—how timely—right before Rosh Hashana. Keep your eyes peeled for this super-important publication! Hazon’s discussion guide for Jewish communities to accompany this book will be available later in September. 

You can pre-order the book online now, or get it from your local bookseller after the release date. I’m reading my pre-publication copy right now and can’t wait to share my thoughts with you when I’m done. 

If you’re interested in hosting a book group or other program related to We Are the Weather, or anything at the intersection of Judaism, food, and climate, contact Becky O’Brien, Hazon’s Director of Food & Climate, becky@hazon.org.

Interesting Articles and News

How Carbon Farming Can Help Stop Climate Change in Its Tracks

London University Just Banned Meat to Combat Climate Change

The post L’dor Va’dor: Important Hazon Seal News for Elul appeared first on Adamah.

By Rabbi Ora Weiss

Restorative Judaism
Boston, MA

One of the great gifts of Judaism is its exquisite ability to teach us to tune in and use the energy of each month. The energy of Elul offers us unique support. But, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page when we speak of energy – so, a short explanation:

Everything – and I mean everything – is energy. Just in different forms, and different frequencies. When I say frequency, it is that everything is vibrating at different rates. The different forms of energy include matter – such as the earth (remember E=mc2? – matter is just densed-down energy), light, humans and thoughts. Time itself is not homogeneous, but rather flows with different qualities of energy, different frequencies, at different times.

Judaism recognizes that each month has different energies and qualities. The Bnei Yissaschar notes that chodesh – month – can be understood as chidush – renewal, (or, even entirely new!) That is, something new comes into being with each month, different flows of energy from God given to us to affect change and growth.

Elul has a very special energy: it gifts us with a foundation from which to do a unique shift in consciousness, allowing for a very high-level form of teshuva. What is this magical energy?

Some of the energies of Elul can actually be felt through our senses. The earth’s energies that we can experience in Elul are very comfortable, even sweet. It is not quite the heat of summer not yet the chill of autumn, it is a very balanced time of comfort. We feel supported to move forward in starting teshuva for our Slichot practice, a return to ourselves, to God, to prepare for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. But more than just an examination of where we went wrong, Elul provides a platform to go deeper. The non-binary nature of the time, not quite summer, not quite fall, without any structured holidays, allows a “time out of time” for reflection, for a deeper look at who we want to be, what the “return” could look like this next year.

Some of the energies of Elul cannot be felt with our senses. They are spiritual and emotional energies that are present for us, if we pay attention. These energies are represented in the rabbinic teaching that during Elul “The King is in the field”. That is to say, unlike the Yamim Nora’im, The Days of Awe in Tishrei when God is on a throne in judgment, during Elul God comes close to be with us where we can meet in an accessible, non-threatening, comfortable place on earth. In the field there are no physical structures to restrict us, no hierarchical structures to interfere with our reflections or our conversations with God, and no holidays to structure how we spend our time or our thoughts. During this time of accessibility and the comfort of the earth, Elul is understood to be Eit Ratzon, a time of favor before God. It is not that God has changed, but that God’s presence and comfort of the energy allows, maybe even inspires us, to forge a more intimate connection and ability to make the shift in returning.

The unique gift of lack of structure during Elul – the lack of prescribed holidays, of any prescription for how to do your return while feeling the emotional and spiritual support of God being present in the field gives an incredible freedom to work on the self, to go as deep as you wish, to say what comes up out loud to God. This field is a wide-open field of love, perhaps of sweet roses. This field might evoke even a desire to dance and to sing, both of which are pathways to reach places inside and to connect with God that words sometimes fail to do. Elul beckons us to be outside, connecting with the earth. Indeed, we are to read Psalm 27 each day during Elul, where the psalmist calls for connection with God “b’eretz Chayim” – “in the living land”. It is a key to know that we can find God by connecting with the earth, the holy, living earth.

And perhaps, in this field, we could come to be playful as children and regain our imagination. In the end, if we are to find our way back to ourselves, not just as we were before we went off the mark since last Yom Kippur, we need to find our shoresh – our pure root self, our highest and best self. Perhaps the only way to realize what that might look like, the self we have not yet seen or dared to know, is to use our imagination.

And when we find that root self, it just might lead us to the Thirteen Attributes of God. (Stay tuned for more on this next month, Tishrei.)

The post Getting in Sync with the Treasure of Elul by Rabbi Ora Weiss appeared first on Adamah.

Dear All,

Nigel

The post Gratitude… and getting ready… appeared first on Adamah.

Parshat Shoftim

The parsha of the week is Shoftim, which means Judges. As Moses nears the end of his life, he wants to ensure there is a system of governance in society. Shoftim gives detailed ordinances on many topics of law, including appointing judges, laws that kings should follow, creating cities of refuge when crimes are committed, and the rules of war. For example, the parsha states that appointed judges are forbidden from taking bribes and there must be two credible witnesses for a conviction. Another ordinance demands that kings must not have too many horses and must always carry around two Torah scrolls to remind them that G-D is above them. The Torah even provides a city of refuge for those who accidentally murdered someone to live in safety!

While many of these laws do not apply to modern society, there are some important insights into preventing corruption and treatment of humankind that we can still learn from. Moses recognized that every generation has the obligation to critically examine and apply the laws of the Torah.

As Jews we should examine the laws that govern the places we live and work to protect the rights of marginalized peoples. Here in Canada, there are many laws that have allowed me to live in safety and with freedom. For example, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms sets out the rights and freedoms Canadians feel are necessary in a free, democratic society. However, not everyone who lives in Canada has benefited from these laws.

Following colonization, the Indigenous people that live on Turtle Island (also known as North America) have been systemically stripped of their land and rights by treaties allegedly created to protect them. There were a total of 56 land treaties signed between 1760 and 1923 by the crown and Indigenous people. The treaties provided an agreement for sharing the land in exchange for the Indigenous peoples receiving benefits such as medicine and education. In reality, Indigenous groups surrendered the land in exchange for minimal compensation and small reserves. The treaties were often not signed on equal terms. They were negotiated verbally and the written agreement differs from the spoken. In addition, Indigenous people do not have the same concept of private land as the crown.

In Judaism we have a similar teaching that the land belongs to G-D, and we are all stewards. In Genesis Rabbah, it is written, “Be careful not to spoil or destroy My world – for if you do, there will be nobody after you to repair it.”

From the Indigenous perspective, these treaties are supposed to confirm Indigenous rights, not withhold them.

The land I am living on is held sacred by the Indigenous peoples of this land (includes the First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples). Since colonization, we have created mass ecological destruction, species extinction, and deforestation on this land. Shoftim gives the prohibition against the destruction of something of value when laying siege to a city. This makes me think there is a parallel in how the actions of the colonizers on this land went against the prohibition to destroy something of value – our precious natural land and resources.

At Shoresh, we teach about Bal Tashchit, the prohibition against wasting anything, even a mustard seed and mobilize the community to be responsible stewards of nature at Bela Farm (http://shoresh.ca/bela/).

Judges by means of enforcing laws have the power to amend past injustices.  As a Jewish community who have been the victims of marginalization and systemic oppression throughout our history, it is our responsibility to stand as allies with the Indigenous community and work towards tzedek.

In 2015, Jewish organizations released a statement that aims to strengthen relations among the Jewish community and Indigenous community in Canada. This statement offers support for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which aims at supporting the process of reconciliation through promoting public awareness and education, health care, capacity-building, advocacy, and leadership training.

To show your support of the statement, you can SIGN HERE. Also, check out or get involved with Ve’ahavta located in Toronto, ON and learn about their work engaging the Canadian Jewish Community in building partnerships with Indigenous people s. Taking these actions is an important first step in learning about Indigenous culture and doing our part to show solidarity and support.

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Jared Kaminsky is the Director of Program for Shoresh Jewish Environmental Programs in Toronto, ON. He spends his weekends deep in the forests of Ontario intentionally getting lost. He is passionate about working to further Shoresh’s mission to educate, empower, and inspire our community to embrace our role as Shomrei Adamah, protectors of the earth. Read his full bio here.

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Editor’s Note: Welcome to D’varim HaMakom: The JOFEE Fellows Blog! Most weeks throughout the year, you’ll be hearing from the JOFEE Fellows: reflections on their experiences, successful programs they’ve planned and implemented, gleanings from the field, and connections to the weekly Torah portion and what they’ve learned from their experiences with place in their host communities for the year. Views expressed are the author’s and do not necessarily represent Hazon. Be sure to check back weekly!

The post Indigenous Rights and Reconciliation | D’varim HaMakom: The JOFEE Fellows Blog appeared first on Adamah.

Originally posted in the Forward on August 30, 2017.

“Who shall live and who shall die,” a line in the prayer Unetanneh Tokef, is the emotional highpoint of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur liturgy. The power of it is that, despite antibiotics and micro-surgery, we really don’t know who will live and who will die; not in the coming year and not in the coming day. Those of us who were in New York City on Rosh Hashanah in 2001, five days after 9/11, remember the power of reciting this haunting, awful, and awe-filled prayer. The shul community was in full attention; people wept — some silently, others audibly.

Close to 3,000 people were murdered by terrorists in the attacks on 9/11. Since then, terrorists have killed another 403 people in the United States. In that same period, deaths by handguns amounted to 406,496.

Overall, roughly 33,000 people are murdered every year in the United States. Slightly more — roughly 35,000 — die in traffic fatalities. In Israel, more people have died in traffic accidents since the establishment of the State of Israel than in all the wars and incidents of terrorism combined. Even more shocking are the number of deaths from respiratory diseases.

In the United States, several trillion dollars have been devoted to the war on terrorism since 9/11; quantitatively less has been spent to address avoidable deaths. Fear drives the enormous sums we spend on defense. And yet, we rarely consider the additional human costs, above and beyond the financial costs of imposed security measures.

Two interconnected stories: On October 10, 1982, on Shemini Atzeret, outside the Great Synagogue of Rome, two smartly dressed men arrived. When asked by the shul’s security guards to identify themselves, they lobbed several grenades into the shul and sprayed the crowd with bullets. The target of the attack was the shul my sister often attended while living in Rome that year as an au pair for an Orthodox family.

And here is a postscript. Soon after the attack, the 10-year-old boy in her charge, Gadi, a talented violinist, started a new music class. It was nearby and he walked home by himself. But one day, she picked him up, and when she entered the school and asked for Gadi, she was told that there was no Gadi in the class. When my sister described him, the teacher replied: “Oh, you mean Giovanni.” And my sister realized that Gadi, 10 years old, had figured out that (a) Gadi was a Jewish name; (b) to have a Jewish name potentially made him a target; and thus (c) he’d be safer using an Italian name.

What I learned: First, in assessing risk and responding to it, let us acknowledge some sense of proportion. While we guard against terrorism and fight terrorists and terrorist ideologies, the resources we deploy should be proportionate to the threats and human costs. If, as a society over the past fifteen years, we had deployed a proportion of the resources devoted to the “war on terror” to a “war on sugar” or a “war on guns,” fewer people would needlessly have died, and projected death rates would continue to fall for another two generations.

And, second, it is now more than 80 years since Franklin D. Roosevelt famously told Americans, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Though a cliché, these words are so true today. We need to be more resolute and less fearful. In the 1930s, Americans faced enormous challenges — the Depression, Nazis, and the assault on Pearl Harbor — with resolve. Today, we need a clear sense of hope and vision — the antidotes to the fear that incapacitates us. It’s not about having no fear at all, but rather about how we operate within the fear and move forward. Since last Rosh Hashanah, we have seen the inauguration of perhaps the most unique presidential administration in the history of this republic. For many people, it has ratcheted up their — our — sense of fear to wholly new levels. And so, we must remain steadfast. We must not give in to our fears, and we must not act based on our fears. Rather, we must hold fast to hope and to vision — this year, more than ever before. Vision and hope are what we should be considering as we enter these holy days. And this might be our meditation as we chant the words of the Unetanneh Tokef.

The post Less Fear, More Resolve appeared first on Adamah.