Just weeks ago, many American Jews were deeply upset by reports of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s last minute appeal to Jewish voters to come to the polls to counter the strong turnout by Arab Israelis.  The prime minister of Israel should represent the nation’s highest ideals, not purposely exacerbate ethnic tension and undermine Israel’s democracy.

Netanyahu apologized after the election for his remarks, but the problems facing the Arab minority in Israel remain.  Despite their strong showing in the election, the Arab parties’ influence in the Knesset is likely to be limited.  Discrimination will continue and the principle of equality for every citizen will be undermined.

Israeli Jews often seem surprised by the depth of concern that American Jews show for Arab Israelis.  But the situation of Arabs in Israel speaks to us.  We know what it is like to be in the minority.  We are grateful for the welcome we have received in America.  We take pride in the way we have fought to be accepted as Americans, and how our success has opened the way for other immigrant groups.  We see a parallel between our experiences and those of Israel’s Arab minority.

Is there anything we can do from here to ease the tension between Arabs and Jews and strengthen Israel’s democracy?

The answer, surprisingly, is yes.  Because as American Jews, we can vote for the World Zionist Congress that in turn selects the leaders of the Jewish National Fund in Israel.  Like other Israeli institutions, the JNF could do much better in meeting the needs of Arab citizens. Our votes can make that happen by putting the right leaders on the board of directors of the JNF.

Environmental activism is one of the bright spots in relations between Arab and Jewish Israelis.  Despite the lack of official support, there are many grassroots efforts to work together to protect shared resources and improve the quality of life for all.  Alon Tal and Orr Karassin, the Aytzim (Green Zionist Alliance) representatives on the board of directors of JNF in Israel, have been leaders of many of these efforts.

Thanks to Tal and Karassin, the JNF is changing.  Recognizing its past mistakes, the JNF has hired Ralab Majadlah, a former member of Knesset and Israel’s first Arab minister, as an advisor.  JNF’s Land Development Committee has decided to prioritize projects in the Arab sector and has budgeted one million shekels to help Arab municipalities prepare the detailed plans required to receive JNF funding.  Several projects are now moving ahead, including a bike lane in Rafah — the first such resource in an Israeli Arab community; restoration of a stream in Rahat, the second largest city in the Negev and the largest Bedouin city in Israel; and a stream restoration initiative that will connect the Arab city Sakhnin with Jewish communities in the Galilee.

American Jews put Tal and Karassin on the JNF board of directors by voting for the Green Israel slate in past elections for the World Zionist Congress.  By voting now, we can affirm the new direction taken by the JNF, increase the number of change-makers on the board, and take another big, green step toward peace and understanding between Israeli Jews and Arabs.

Whether or not Prime Minister Netanyahu goes beyond apologies to repair the damage done to Israel with his campaign rhetoric, we can do our part by voting green in elections for the World Zionist Congress.

About Eden Village Camp: Eden Village Camp aims to be a living model of a thriving, sustainable Jewish community, grounded in social responsibility and inspired Jewish spiritual life. By bringing the wisdom of our tradition to the environmental, social, and personal issues important to today’s young people, we practice a Judaism that is substantive and relevant. Through our Jewish environmental and service-learning curricula, joyful Shabbat observance, pluralistic Jewish expression, and inspiring, diverse staff role models, we foster our campers’ positive Jewish identity and genuine commitment to tikkun olam (healing the world). Our 3 acre educational farm and orchard are based on principles of permaculture, sustainable and organic farming. We produce annual vegetables, perennials, and tend educational gardens as well as animals.

About the Farm Educator Apprenticeship: This is a paid six-month apprenticeship for young adults seeking hands-on experience. In the Spring build your knowledge based on agriculture, farm-based education and Jewish community. In the Summer, work at our 8-week intensive summer camp as Jewish Farm Educators. In the fall, take ownership and integrate your new skills by diving deeper into independent projects.  Live on-site at our beautiful camp, one hour north of New York City. By joining the farm staff at Eden Village, apprentices will hold two main responsibilities – tending our growing spaces and educating in our all of our programming through the spring, summer and fall. Apprentices will also have an opportunity to dive deeper into one of four focus areas: perennials, annuals, animals, and educational gardens. In these specialties apprentices will gain a deeper understanding of certain aspects of farming and will take on leadership and special projects to booster their learning and the learning of campers and program participants.

Details: April 14th, 2015 – October 22nd 2015, Apprentices receive full room and board at Eden Village, as well as a modest stipend. Extensive experience is not necessary but experiential curiosity is required. We recommend you explore our website thoroughly to get more information about our apprenticeship, farm, camp, and more at Eden Village Camp.

More questions? Explore the FAQ page. For all other questions, contact farm@edenvillagecamp.org

There is a place in Shabbat tefillot where we should have “Yemima bat Avraham Avinu haKadoshah” in mind together with all who died Al Kidush HaShem. It’s the part called “Av HaRachamim” found before Ashrei of Musaf.

Karen Yemima Mosquera Barrera, 22, was buried on the Mountain of Olives in the Holy Land this week. The story of Yemima’s life is becoming known during these days preceding the anniversary of the death of our matriarch Rachel.

Sabrina Schneider stands behind Yemima’s mother Rosa Cecilia Barrera and sister at the funeral. Source: Metro Ecuador

“She was buried at midnight of Oct. 27th – on the Mount of Olives. The cemetery facing the Old City of Jerusalem – the site famous for being the place where the righteous ones will first be resurrected at the End of Days,” wrote Chaya Lester, co-founder of Shalev Center, spoken word artist, and tour guide in the Holy Land in the Jewish arts online publication Hevria.

“It is the greatest spiritual aliyah that any man or woman has ever attained in the history of Am Yisrael, granting her the privilege of being buried on the highest point of the Mount of Olives and earning her the title ‘HaKedoshah Yemima bat Avraham Avinu, H”YD,’”wrote Sabrina Schneider, women’s health and childbirth worker and relative of Yemima. “Among many other things that were said in her hesped, one Rebbe said she will be the first to rise from the dead.”

Schneider’s posek, Talmid of HaGaon Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, t”zl advises all of Am Yisrael that there is a place in Shabbat tefillot where we should have “Yemima bat Avraham Avinu haKadoshah” in mind together with all who died Al Kidush HaShem. It’s the part called “Av HaRachamim” found before Ashrei of Musaf.

Schneider has been posting updates to her facebook wall since the senseless tragedy at Ammunition Hill light rail station October 22, 2014, where the first to die was 3 month old baby Chaya Zissel Braun. A look into on Yemima’s background was published in Voices Magazine blog when she was in critical condition at Hadassah hospital October 24. Reports included information for praying, offering charity, or doing other mitzvot for her recovery.

The Foreign Ministry of Israel flew in Yemima’s family from Ecuador following the attack. The Jerusalem Mayor and the Ecuadorian Ambassador to Israel were at the funeral, but no state representatives attended.

“My daughter died in God’s name. I don’t want her death to be in vain,” said Yemima’s mother Rosa Cecilia Barrera at the funeral. “Her dream was to come to Israel to start her life. I am heartbroken. No one can heal my sorrow.

“It pains me that these terrorists are so full of hate and they set out to murder innocent people… She was murdered just because she was Jewish.” In fact, Yemima was murdered on her way to study Torah.

Rachel Cries for her Children

Mothers of the then-kidnapped boys Rachel Frenkel, Bat Galim Shaer and Iris Yifrach appeal to the United Nations. Source: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs Website

Earlier this year, we heard from the mother of a kidnapped boy, when she spoke at the United Nations in defiance of a request from the government of Israel appealing for the safe return of her son and the two other abducted boys. Rachel Frankel, director at the Jewish women’s studies institute Advanced Halakha Program at Matan and Jewish law instructor at Nishmat, continued on as a spokesperson for the missing and then murdered children.

Rachel Frankel said kaddish at the funeral for her 16 year old son Naftali Frankel on July 1, 2014. It was the first time most Israelis and Jews on the planet saw and said “Amen” on a blessing spoken by a woman. “Rachelle Fraenkel became a public leader, a national heroine and, just as important, a religious heroine as well, over the 18 days that her son and his friends were missing,” wrote Haaretz reporter Yair Ettinger.

Rosa Cecilia Barrera and Rachel Frankel are two of many mothers grieving the loss of their children to violence, terror and war. May these mothers and all the mourners be comforted.

Our great matriarch Rachel Imeinu cries, in the Jewish bible, the book of Jeremiah, grieving the exile of her children. And the Creator annuls a decree against the Jewish people in her merit, promising that they will return home.

Avi (C) and Rachel (R) Frankel and their son (L), recite Kadish close to the body of their son Naftali Frankel, 16, (unseen) during his funeral service in the Jewish settlement of Nof Ayalon, in the Israeli West Bank, on July 1, 2014.(AFP PHOTO/DAVID BUIMOVITCH)

Heart and Prayer of the Jewish Matriarchs

As we read in the book of Samuel during Rosh Hashana, Hashem “remembered” Chanah and blessed her with a child after her heartful pleas. The way that Chanah prophetically prayed at the holy site became the basis for how Jewish people pray the Amidah – sober and standing, with their lips forming their words from the heart.

We have a story about Yemima praying Shemona Esrai, and it serves as another model for devotion. Yemima prayed the Amidah so devoutly that she did not notice that a 7.1 Richter earthquake hit, describes Varda Epstein in her blog post after attending Yemima’s funeral. This experience as well as a dream that her mother had, propelled Yemima to go to Israel from Equador, her country of origin. “She would bring her mother and her sister over to Israel and help them follow in her footsteps,” Epstein wrote.

In a report in Israel HaYom, Yemima’s teacher compared her to another great biblical woman, Ruth. “She was like Ruth the Moabite, who came here and sought to be part of the Jewish people… She really loved Israel, and was connected to it in an exceptional way.”

Yemima converted to Judaism 5 months ago. Like so many people across the Americas today whose ancestors were forced to convert to Christianity or die, many descendants of Converso Jews have retained some rituals, and Yemima’s mother had inherited the customs of lighting candles Friday nights, and covering mirrors in the home after the death of a family member. Yemima is not alone in her passion to return to her Jewish spiritual roots, a phenomenon among Conversos from the American Southwest and southward. In Jewish tradition, converts are highly regarded for making the incredibly heroic life transformation.

A week after her burial, next Monday night November 3, 2014 is on the Hebrew calendar 11 Cheshvan 5775 the yarzeit of Rachel Imeinu, also referred to as Jewish Mother’s Day. Customarily, Jews around the world honor the anniversary of the Matriarch Rachel’s passing collectively and individually.

The Grace of Rachel Imeinu

“Take me to Israel! That’s my country! That’s where I’m going to marry and have children, and that’s where I’m going to die and be buried,” Yemima’s mother heard her exclaim one night while she stayed up late studying Torah at home in Ecuador, according to Sara Yoheved Rigler who wrote about Yemima’s tragic death on Aish HaTorah’s website. Yemima worked hard and travelled far to reach her spiritual status and eventually the sacred site on the Mountain of Olives where she was buried.

“My dream is to be buried on the Mount of Olives, because when Moshiach [the Messiah] comes, I will be the first to rise up and be in the Holy Temple. Can you imagine that?” were Yemima’s words, her friend Yael Barros recounted of their walks outside the Old City walls.

Various blogs quoted NRG news’ report that Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat at the funeral described Yemima as, “a delicate soul and guardian of peace who fought to be a Jew.”

“A modest, perfectly righteous convert sacrificed her life for her people, in the Holy City,” writes Varda Epstein of Yemima. Yemima and Rachel Imeinu both exemplify the grace of a Jewish woman, and they both died tragically young.

“At her funeral, one Rebbe said that Yemima is the modern-day prototype for TODAY’s righteous woman… Just by learning about her life, we as women elevate ourselves spiritually,” Sabrina Schneider posted to her facebook wall.

“She was known especially for her tzniut (on ALL levels not just clothing),” in other posts, Schneider described Yemima’s outstanding character. “She was fearless, patient, strong, silent, wise, gentle, compassionate and respectful of others… not to mention, smart.”

Wendy Kenin (left) and Chaya Kaplan Lester (right) visiting Rachel’s Tomb, Summer 2011. Kever Rachel is the 3rd holiest site to the Jewish People.

Yemima travelled far to reach her exalted resting place on the Mountain of Olives, just as Rachel Imeinu travelled far before she was planted in Bet Lechem – the third holiest site to the Jewish people. Yemima worked hard to attain her Jewish life, as Mama Rachel struggled spiritually for years before Hashem blessed her with children.

Yemima succumbed to injuries on the second day of the Jewish month Cheshvan. A week after her burial, next Monday night November 3, 2014 is on the Hebrew calendar 11 Cheshvan 5775 the yarzeit of Rachel Imeinu, also referred to as Jewish Mother’s Day. Customarily, Jews around the world honor the anniversary of the Matriarch Rachel’s passing collectively and individually. Thousands visit Rachel’s Tomb, and more gather around the world to learn Torah in her merit. Saying blessings, giving charity, and doing mitzvot are some of the customs that can be performed individually.

“It is to this beauty of Jewish nature and character that we return during the month of Cheshvan by reconnecting with our matriarch Rachel, with our own Jewish nature, and with ourselves,” writes Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh on the Chabad website, who says that Rachel is described as the most beautiful woman in the Torah. In contrast, he makes reference to terrorism in relation to Jewish nature. “True Jewish beauty and grace destroy the enemy indirectly by leaving him void of any beauty or grace himself, making him irrelevant and powerless.”

Yemima’s life demonstrates the spiritual growth and pure aspirations that can be achieved by each person, and should serve to inspire and increase the prayers, devotion, and grace of the Jewish people as we cry and pray for peace. May the memory of the holy be a blessing.

Sabrina Shneider articulates about Yemima’s passing:

Am Yisrael has gained a great soul in shamayim along with our great patriarchs and matriarchs. A tremendous warrior for peace. She is a tzadika amitit, more alive now than ever. B’zchut her mesirut nefesh to give her life al kiddush HaShem all of Am Yisrael along with the entire world should merit to see a geula shleima karov v’yameinu!

I will always be a vegan because animal-based diets contribute significantly to heart disease, several forms of cancer, diabetes, and other killer diseases.

I will always be a vegan because animal-based agriculture is a major contributor to climate change, deforestation, soil erosion, deforestation, water pollution, rapid species losses, and other environmental threats to humanity.

I will always be a vegan because animal-based diets require far more land, water, energy, and other resources per person than vegan diets.

I will always be a vegan because of the widespread, horrific mistreatment of billions of animals on factory farms before they are slaughtered.

I will always be a vegan because, at a time when an estimated 20 million people worldwide die annually of hunger and its effects and almost a billion of the world’s people are chronically hunger, 70 percent of the grain produced in the U.S. is fed to animals destined for slaughter.

I will always be a vegan because in an increasingly thirsty world, with glaciers melting, aquifers shrinking, and lakes drying, it takes up to 14 times as much water for a person on an animal-based diet than for a person on a plant-based diet.

I will always be a vegan because it is my way to protest against the "madness and sheer insanity" that animal-based diets represent.

I will always be a vegan because it is arguably the most important thing I can do for my health, animals, the environment, the efficient use of natural resources, hungry people, and efforts toward a more peaceful, just world.

I will always be a vegan because only if many people become vegans will we have a chance to help shift our imperiled planet onto a sustainable path.

I will always be a vegan because there are so many delicious, nutritious vegan foods that can keep me in good health, without having to harm animals or damage the environment.

Here are the eggs from some local chickens.

The Kayamut Sustainability Circle in Silver, Spring, MD was formed in 2010, and led by a team of local Torah-based Jewish environmentalists who met regularly to learn about community opportunities for environmental action.

Over three years, members met local chickens, explored invasive plants, experimented with composting, learned what’s recyclable in Montgomery County, and much, much more.

Andrew Gohn presents to Kayamut about wind power in Maryland.

We’re most proud of the work done on the Maryland Offshore Wind Power campaign, where our shared activism and concern influenced Delegate Ben Kramer to support wind power in Maryland, leading to the passage of the bill in 2013. Our activism was even mentioned in the Washington Post!

In 2014, we concluded hosting our regular events and created a new “Kayamut” listserv on YahooGroups to continue the conversation.   Although Kayamut will no longer be hosting regular events, happily, the values of Torah based environmentalism are alive and well in our community. Members of the Silver Spring community are actively involved in pursuing environmental education in our schools and green solutions to our modern challenges.

Learning about invasive plants.

Just to name a few examples:

• The Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy has solar panels and a new children’s garden, and the Jewish Primary Day School features a green team with some of our community members as participants.
• On Tu b’Shevat, our community hosted quite a few local programs related to protecting the environment through a Jewish lens.
• The Kemp Mill Synagogue hosted an “Earth Day” lunch last month, including a speaker about climate change.
• We hope that these expressions of Torah-based environmentalism will continue to emerge and receive your support throughout our community. If you have your own ideas of how to bring it alive, we encourage you to jump in and implement them!

Lag B’Omer Night Hike.

Some files and links from our history are below.

Why we created the Sustainability Circle

• Community is the Missing Piece

Eileen Kao’s presentation about recycling in Montgomery County on June 18, 2012.

• Presentation
• Watch portions of Eileen’s presentation

Anton Goodman on Sustainability in Israel (2013)

• Open dropbox folder to download audio and three photos of the event

Learning about local CSA opportunities.

Tu b’Shevat in Silver Spring (February 2012)

• Mysticism and Making a Difference

Victoria Rothenberg’s presentation on Food Storage

• Food Storage Presentation to the Kayamut Circle (download word document)

Reuven Walder’s Presentation on Energy Efficiency (2011)

• Energy Efficiency: The Whole Home Approach

Evonne Marzouk spoke on behalf of Kayamut at a Town Hall meeting on Wind Power in November 2011

• In Support of Off-Shore Wind Power in Maryland

Presentation by Anton Goodman.

Steps we can take to improve our air quality

• Tips to improve local air quality (download word document)

Audio presentations on Rain Barrels (information for Montgomery County, MD) and Energy Efficiency (Rabbi Gedalia Walls, Reuven Walder)

• Open dropbox folder with WMA files

Join the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (the RAC) in commemorating Earth Day with an online information session on how to successfully create a green “culture” in your congregation. How do we make our environmental efforts an integral part of the culture of our congregational communities? How do we align our actions with our Jewish beliefs of environmental stewardship? Our synagogues have the potential to model environmental behavior and inspire individual action and advocacy. Join expert rabbis and staff from the RAC and GreenFaith in discussing how our congregations can foster a “culture” of environmentalism that goes beyond independent greening initiatives.

Join: “Earth Day Every Day: Creating a Green Culture in your Congregation” – Thursday April 24, 3:00pm ET

As indicated in my article below, a major societal shift by Jews (and others) to veg diets is essential to efforts to avert a looming climate catastrophe, major food, water, and energy scarcities, and other potential environmental disasters.

“Environmental Catastrophes or a Sustainable Future? It Depends on Our Food Choices” at
http://jewishveg.com/schwartz/EnvironmentalCatastrophesOr.html

My experience has shown that it is not easy to get Jews (and others) to make dietary changes. However, we have a powerful case because animal-based diets and agriculture violate basic Jewish teachings on preserving human health, treating animals with compassion, protecting the environment, conserving natural resources, and helping hungry people. This is discussed in my article “Should Jews be Vegetarians?” at
http://jewishveg.com/schwartz/should_jews.html and many more of my articles at www.Jewishveg.com/schwartz.

Unfortunately, in spite of our trying to spread this message for many years, it is apparent that our progress has not been sufficient. I think we need to start a major campaign to contact many rabbis, Jewish educators, Hillel directors, editors of Jewish publications, and others, and respectfully urge them to address the many moral issues related to the production and consumption of meat and other animal products. Because shifts to plant-based diets are so important, we should be persistent and use many different approaches, including letters to editors, calls to talk shows, and questions to online “Ask the Rabbi” websites. One approach is indicated in my article, “A Dialogue Between a Jewish Vegetarian Activist and a Rabbi” at http://jewishveg.com/schwartz/dialogue.html

One specific approach is to continue and expand our efforts to restore the ancient New Year for Animals (Rosh Hashanah LaBeheimot) and to transform it into a day dedicated to increasing awareness of Judaism’s beautiful teachings about compassion to animals and how far the realities of factory farming and other animal abuses is from these teachings. This is discussed in my article, “An Audacious Initiative to Restore the Ancient New Year for Animals” at http://jewishveg.com/schwartz/AudaciousInitiative.html

Other specific suggestions are in my article, “Ten Ways to Create a Vegetarian World”” at http://jewishveg.com/schwartz/tenways.html

Since dietary shifts are so important to leaving a decent world for future generations, suggestions about the approaches mentioned above are very welcome.

==========

Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA), of which I am President Emeritus, is against all slaughter, but we object when shechita is signaled out for criticism or is banned. Shechita was designed to minimize pain, but even if it is carried out with a minimum of pain, the many months during which animals are mistreated on factory farms should be considered.

People who think that other methods of slaughter are more humane than shechita should read the book, "Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry," by Gail Eisnitz. It documents the many problems at slaughterhouses where animals are stunned prior to slaughter, with many of the workers becoming sadistic and cruel under the horrible conditions of their daily efforts.

There is a familiar admonition that states that when one is given a lemon they should make lemonade, meaning make the best of what appears to be a negative situation. JVNA believes this can happen in the case of the Polish ban on shechita. While we appreciate that meat-eaters will understandably have a negative reaction to the ban, if it leads some Jews to shift to a vegetarian diet, there could be many benefits: .

* There would be a reduction in the widespread heart disease, several types of cancer, and other diseases afflicting many Jews and others.

* There would be a reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases. While the world is increasingly threatened by climate change, a 2006 UN Food and Agriculture Organization report, "Livestock’s Long Shadow," indicated that animal-based agriculture emits more greenhouse gases (in CO2 equivalents) than is emitted by the cars and all other means of transportation worldwide combined.

* There would be a reduction in environmental problems, including deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution, loss of biological diversity, and desertification.

* Resources would be used more efficiently. In an increasingly thirsty and energy-dependent world, a person on an animal-based diet requires up to 14 times as much water (mainly for irrigating feed crops) and 10 times as much energy as a person on a vegan (only plants) diet.

* There would be a reduction in the number of animals who suffer greatly from cruel treatment on factory farms.

* There would potentially be a reduction in the number of hungry people. At a time when food prices are skyrocketing, an estimated 20 million people are dying annually worldwide from hunger and its effects, and almost a billion of the world's people are chronically hungry, 70 percent of the grain produced in the United States and 40 percent produced worldwide are fed to farmed animal. What makes that even more shameful is that the corn, soy, and oats that are high in fiber and complex carbohydrates are converted into animal products that are devoid of these nutrients, but high in cholesterol and saturated fat that are so harmful to health.

It should also be considered that plant-based diets are most consistent with Jewish teachings on preserving human health, treating animals with compassion, protecting the environment, conserving natural resources, and helping hungry people. Also, such diets are consistent with conditions during the two ideal times pictured in the Jewish tradition: the Garden of Eden (based on Genesis 1:29) and the Messianic period, based on Isaiah's vision of a Peaceable Kingdom (Isaiah 11:6-9).

Hopefully, rabbis and other Jewish leaders will help increase awareness of the many benefits of vegetarianism and of Jewish teachings that point to it as the ideal Jewish diet. This would help revitalize Judaism by showing the relevance of its eternal teachings to current realities, bring many idealistic Jews back to Judaism, and help shift our precious, but imperiled, planet onto a sustainable path.

Let’s face it. Our Jewish communities are failing miserably to respond to the greatest threat that humanity has ever known. For a people that (rightfully) prides itself on the utmost value that our tradition places on the preservation of life, our unwillingness to respond collectively as a people in any significant way to the threat of global warming is as hypocritical as it is suicidal. With each new report that points to how little time we have left if we want to try and sustain life on this planet as we know (and like) it, the persistent Jewish narrative about our being “stewards of creation,” rings more and more phony.

Until we as a community in some sincere, organized and bold way step up to the plate and actually behave in ways that are consistent with the notion of being shomrei adamah (protectors of the Earth), we should stop telling ourselves and the world that Jews care about creation—because we just sound foolish. What will it take for our community to live up to the standards that our tradition has set for us? What will it take for us to actually internalize the singular message that is articulated in hundreds of different ways in the Torah and throughout rabbinic literature—namely, that the “Earth is God’s and everything in it.” (Ps. 24:1) What will it take before the Torah’s basic premise that “ki-li ha’aretz, ki gerim v’toshavim atem eemadi,” (“For the Earth is mine (God’s), and you are but strangers and temporary dwellers with me”) (Leviticus 25:23) is a notion that informs how we actually live?

I wish that I was more optimistic about the Jewish community stepping up to the plate. Our relative economic comfort and privilege makes the necessary behavioral changes and political decisions particularly challenging. There is a global movement to solve the climate crisis that is gaining momentum. It is being led by activists like Bill McKibben and his 350.org grassroots organization. Judaism was once a radical movement led by prophets who, like Isaiah and Amos, spoke truth to power and were willing to sacrifice their popularity and personal comfort for the noble pursuit of justice. Do we have prophetic leaders who are willing and able to shake our people from our complacency in the face of impending catastrophe or will our community continue to turn its back on our tradition and humanity’s future?

The first grown man I saw openly crying was in Jerusalem, on Tisha B’Av, our day of mourning and lament. I was in Jerusalem during the summer of 1987, sitting on the floor with the ash from a burnt egg on my forehead. When the chilling and eerie sounds that came from the book of Lamentations filled the room, I found not only one, but several men were crying.

Needless to say, growing up in Suburban Detroit, we boys did not learn to nurture our tears as a vital part of our humanity. My journey awakened that day, and has been supported by many including this amazing poet of truth- Jimmy Santiago Baco.

Do you have a favorite poem or story that has helped you on your journey?

Maggid David

PS Tisha B’Av, the 9th of Av (10th if falls on Shabbat), a full fast day filled with mourning and laments. Remembering past tragedies including the siege and utter destruction of ancient Jerusalem and entering a period of exile and slavery. Many other national calamities have been added to the memory of this day of mourning. Along with the sorrowful chant of the book of Lamentations, reading Kinot (hebrew for poetic elegies) are also part of our remembering.

A Story: Reb Shimon Bar Yochai and his son Elazer were banished to a cave by the Romans- inside they survived because of the generosity of a Carob tree that was fruiting and a fresh stream that was flowing. They learned the mysteries of Torah with the Angel Gabriel for 12 years and survived. When they finally came back into the world- they saw, heaven forfend, people farming and not studying! Their eyes burned with the fire of righteousness and memory of roman persecutions and the fields burned wherever they gazed. A Bat Kol, a heavenly voice had to stop them. After another year in the cave- they came back out- yet Elazer still burned all that he saw- thankfully, his father was able to restore what he burned. What happened to Elazer? Reb Art Scroll suggests that only by writing of the Kinot was he able to soothe the inner burning that came out his eyes.

Contemporary communities also understand the wisdom that a day of grief is important in our world as well- our world which contains many persecutions and horrors portrayed in any daily newspaper. Tisha B’Av allows these truths to be acknowledged, in grief. To acknowledge that activism alone is not enough. The Rabbi’s emphasize this point in the Midrash by saying that the afternoon of Tisha B’Av is the time that the Mashiach, the Messiah will be born.

Crying Poem

By Jimmy Santiago Baco

For the longest time,
I haven’t been able to cry.
Tears start to come while I’m watching a movie tears
starts to come,
swelling my whole body a tulip starting to open under moon,
then the petals of my eyelids
stiffen
and something in me braces
and I don’t cry.
When we crashed into a telephone pole
my dad yelled me not to cry,
I was terrified, almost killed –
but don’t cry,
he said.
I couldn’t cry because men don’t cry.
When the dog bit me on the leg I couldn’t cry,
when Joey died I couldn’t cry –
how cool it would feel
to have a tear slide down the corner of my eye
on my cheek,
to the curve of my lip,
where I could taste it –
but I don’t cry.
Something blocks the paths, channels
under my skin.
Tear ducts are red cracked clay,
for thirty years,
drought famine’d,
since I was eight when I got a beating for crying.
My heart an open furnace oven door,
rage seething for tears to cool it down,
but coal hoveling men keep feeding it
don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry.
I want to untie my hands like a tired boxer’s gloves
and lay them down on the table, gripped in their tight
clench of defense,
and I want to grow new hands
open flowers,
moistened by my tears.
I love the color blue
color brown.
I’d love
to touch my chapped cheeks
and whisper in tears
my compassion.
But I’ve always had to stop it up in me, hold my breath back,
keep my mouth shut tight
so as not to cry.
Man, I cry,
and it’s a lie I don’t.
I embrace my brother and pray shoulder to shoulder.
I kneel and kiss earth,
and I cry — if only I could cry.
Don’t translate my tears into thought,
I want to sob autumn tears on my window,
streaking the pane blurring the world.
I want to fill every hole in my heart with glimmering tear pools,
fill my kitchen sink with tears,
just thinking of me not crying all these years,
makes me want to cry,
but I been taught not to cry –
big people don’t cry, people say,
ain’t those alligator tears boy,
can’t fool me with those tears –
bullshit!
Fooling no one but myself not crying
step aside –
I’m going to cry,
until my shirt is drenched,
and my hands shimmery wet
with tears,
running down my face on my arms,
my legs and breast,
and you have to look at me,
because I’m drowning your manly ways in my tears,
to get back my tears.
I’m crying until there isn’t a single tear left
crying,
for what we been through not crying,
how we fooled ourselves thinking men don’t cry.
I’m crying on the bus, in bed, at the dinner table, on the couch,
enough to float Noah’s boat,
let out the robin of my heart,
bringing me back my own single shoot of greening
life again –
and you go fuck yourself
dry eyed days,
here I come,
giving you a Chicano monsoon season,
here comes this Chicano cry baby,
flooding prison walls,
my childrens’ bedrooms,
splashing and tear slinging
tears up to my ankles,
planting rice and corn and beans
in fields glimmering with my tears,
and all you dry skinned nut-cracking ball whackers,
don’t want to get your killer bone-breaking boots wet,
step aside,
because I’m bringing you rain.

Goodbyes were crying events –
Goodbye to grandma, to my brother,
friends, my neighborhood,
teachers and other boys,
and I never shed a tear,
though I felt them coming up in me.
I bit my teeth down hard to hold the tears back,
lowered my face and thought about something else.
I kept hearing voices in me,
telling me not to cry, don’t cry, don’t cry!
Boys don’t cry,
leave yourself open,
become liable to get an ax in your heart by some non-crying fool,
be a sissy,
puto, you be hurting
yourself if you cry.
I hurt when I didn’t cry,
all those times when I didn’t cry ashamed
to in front of people,
fearful others would think I’m not a man,
fearful I’d be made fun of,
whole groups of us heard tragic news
and no one cries,
because it ain’t right –
we need to weep –
get up in the middle of the night,
and cry, like a endurance’s hips and stomach convulse during
child birth, we need to give birth
to that terrible convulsion of tears,
weep for those we never wept for,
let the legs shake and your arms embrace you
in a junkie habit for tears,
weep for the poor in prison
taken from their families,
the fieldworker’s daughter
eaten by cancer from pesticides,
and weep,
for all those homeless
who couldn’t meet mortgage payments,
those sleeping under bridges,
and the hopeless,
cry our differences into a lake,
where we can all cleanse our goodbyes and apathy,
papas cry for their children,
let children cry in my arms,
men cry in my arms,
endurance cry in my arms,
let us all cry,
after lovemaking and fighting,
make cry a prayer,
a language made of whimpers and sniffles and sobs,
cry out loud, louder, cry baby, cry! Cry! Cry!

source: http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/baca/online.htm

It’s happened to each and every one of us.

You’re at the beach in Tel Aviv, surrounded by white sand, blue sea, shining sun…and, of course, bronzed bodies. With the enthusiasm of a kid in a candy store, you run to the water and jump in. “This is just too perfect! This has to be a dream!” you think to yourself. You dip your head, envisioning yourself recreating one of those movie scenes where you emerge from the water with your hair slicked, basking in the Mediterranean sun.

Unfortunately, when you break the surface, you find yourself donning a hat…an empty Bamba bag that somebody threw in the water.

Not into the beach? May you have walked the streets of holy Jerusalem only to find cigarette butts strewn across the ancient stones? Perhaps you have hiked the green hills of the North and found yourself questioning if empty plastic bottles are a form of natural plant life that grows in the region? Or could it be that you have trekked through the desert and stopped questioning how deserted it was because there was enough garbage left on the trails to signal the existence of human life.

A few weeks ago, four Israel Government Fellows, non-Israelis who committed themselves to the State of Israel for ten months by contributing their unique talents in government ministries while living the Israeli life, were discussing this problem at Masa’s Building Future Leadership (BFL) Program in Jerusalem. After yearning to reclaim the land of our forefathers for millennia, how could we then return just to litter? They recognized that the only way to revitalize the land would be to reconnect the Jewish people to it. Only by taking the reins and leading by example could this vision of a cleaner, greener Israel become a reality.

Enter Clean the Land.

Clean the Land (CtL) is a social initiative with two simple components: a coordinated, annual, nation-wide trash pickup day, and, a mission to educate communities about recycling, sustainability and environmental protection.

The initiative aims to not only clean up the Land of Israel, but to instill within its people a respect for the land and to refresh their connection to it. CtL employs what the founders call a “village model” whereby leaders within the community accept the responsibility of organizing Clean Teams and sites. The concept behind this approach is twofold: 1) a far greater impact can be achieved when there are numerous coordinated satellite operations rather than a single massive clean-up, and 2) people will be more likely to join the effort when they are improving the places that are important to them as individuals.

The date for the inaugural Clean the Land Day will be Friday, May 18, 2012. We invite you to join us by leading a Clean Team or by joining one.

You can sign-up on our website at http://www.cleantheland.org/sign-up.html.

Most importantly, we encourage each of you to reach out to the people around you – family, friends, classmates, colleagues, congregation, city council, the guy who runs the falafel stand, etc. – and get them involved.

CtL’s motto is Love It. Live It. Clean It. Each of us came to Israel because, as the homeland of the Jewish people, it is the place we love. Because of that love, we came here to live Israel, not just experience it through the window of a bus. Now that we are living it, we believe it is our responsibility to take the initiative, set the example, and Clean the Land.

We’re looking forward to the day when we’ll be able to have that magical movie moment where we break through the water, walk the Old City, hike the Golan, or trek the Negev with no garbage in sight.

Join us. Clean the Land. Friday, May 18, 2012.

Have questions? Just want to express how excited you are to Clean the Lean? Email us at cleantheland@gmail.com or “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cleantheland.

A.The Israeli media has recently been occupied with the six-month anniversary of the past summer’s social justice protests, in which scores of young activists (me included) declared themselves the “New Israelis.” “We are the New Israelis,” we called from the stages and street marches, “and we have a dream – to live in this land, to build our homes here, to raise our children here, and to weave our life story out of it.” This is how we “New Israelis” feel – a new generation not locked into stereotypes, one that refuses to view current reality as predestined…a new generation that loves this country and intends to turn it into a place worth living in.

Truly, we couldn’t have declared on ourselves as New Israelis if there hadn’t first been “Old Israelis.” And the Old Israelis would not have been here if there hadn’t been Jews dreaming of and working toward the moment when we would live sovereign lives in the land of our ancestors.

This connection of past, present, and future is essential. In order for social-environmental change to be sustainable, it must relate to the drive for change that has always existed here. Relate to the “Old Israeliness” – otherwise known as Zionism. Relate to Judaism, which links us to this land over which we anguish. The drive to protest, to rebel, and to change is part of a long tradition of “tikkun olam.”

There is much to learn about sustainable social-environmental change from Tu b’Shvat, the New Year of the trees. Tu b’Shvat found its way into Jewish consciousness as a time marker for tithing from trees. In the 2,000 years of Jewish exile, up until our return to the Jewish homeland, Tu b’Shvat has undergone many permutations. It is a day of longing for the nature of the Land of Israel; a spiritual day of tasting the fruits of both the upper and lower worlds; a day of living Zionism through tree planting; and as a Jewish Earth Day. The persevering force of this holiday lies in the fact that every aspect of it is tied to the past and the future, always drawing upon the relation of nature to the Jewish people, the Jewish homeland, and the entire world.

B. “We go to plant, singing in heart and in hand, from the city and the village, from the valley from the mountain, on Tu b’Shvat, on Tu b’Shvat,” sing Israeli children passionately on this special holiday. There is something unique about the planting of Tu b’Shvat. When we plant wheat, we are caught in the grind of life and the work that repeats itself year after year; we “plant with tears.” In contrast, when we plant trees for future generations, we are full of song and joy. Perhaps this explains the sense of euphoria that accompanied the protests of this past summer.

C. “If you are busy planting a tree, and someone should say to you: behold, the Messiah is here, you should finish planting your tree, and then go to greet him”. (Avot d’Rabbi Natan)

In this day and age, with what type of “planting” should we be so busy that we are allowed to delay greeting the Messiah? The deepest significance of our planting is the decision to plant. Planting essentially represents consideration of future generations; what do we want to plant on their behalf? We can plant social action, promotion of just law, communal lifestyle, or anything else we believe in. Thus, though we may not speed up the coming of the Messiah, we will certainly provide him with a beautiful orchard in which to speak and share his wisdom.

Happy Tu b’Shvat!

Einat

We are now in “sphirat ha-omer,” the count-up to Shavuot—the time of the giving of our Torah.

Our study and transmission of our Written and Oral Laws ("Torah Shebichtav" and "Torah Sheba'al Peh," respectively) has benefitted from technological advancement. We are known as the “People of the Book”—five books of Moses, 24 books of Tanakh, countless written commentaries—but many are beginning to find the content of these books moving from paper to electronic form, soon making us “People of the PDF”.

Historically, Jews have written and accessed their Judaic texts in a physical form. For example, klaf (parchment made from the skin of a kosher animal) is the required medium for Torah Scrolls. As written media developed—papyrus, cloth, vellum and paper—Jews began utilizing those media to write commentaries or carry their own personal copy of such books. With the advent of modern technologies, many Jews now use an electronic tablet or smartphone to access prayers or daily study sessions during the week. Mishna Brurah? There’s an App for that.

We are increasingly living our lives—both Jewish and Secular—through our electronic devices. At first thought, it seems that relying on an electronic copy of a book may be the more “eco-friendly” or “green” solution. The production of paper uses many natural resources—water, wood, glue, energy—and the medium itself has a limited capacity—only so many words can fit in one book. Electronic devices, alternatively, have a seemingly infinite capacity to store information and the files stored on such devices and relatively cheap reproduce. However, the manufacture, use and disposal of electronic devices and the hard drives that are used to save and record content can have a significant energy consumption footprint: no matter which medium one prefers, the issue of sustainable energy and resource consumption is always at play.

For many reasons—Shabbat observance, ease of access, personal preference—many of us will continue to read and collect paper versions of our favourite books and seforim. From a sustainability perspective, there remains a role for paper, as a biodegradable, renewable, sustainable product made from trees.

In order to minimize impact on the environment, the paper used by a publisher to print books, reports and documents should come from sources which themselves have already been recycled, thus minimizing the impact on existing forest stock. If any of these publications contain holy words, they cannot be recycled, only buried, following the principals of “shaimos” or “genizah” which require that such books be stored and properly buried to allow for natural decomposition.

Jewish organizations such as schools, social service and fundraising agencies that use paper based communications and do not print holy words avoid the need for the documents to be buried. They have both the choice of paper to be used, and the opportunity to recycle the paper after use.

Next month, as we get closer to Shavuot, we will explore the lifecycle of paper and the options and impacts of the paper we choose to use as the “People of the Book”.

winegust@gmail.com

In addition to being — as you might guess — an excellent opportunity to network with other Jewish leaders, the event had a specific purpose. In sessions ranging from panels and talks to participatory opportunities in using models like World Cafe and Open Space, we had the opportunity to explore what networks are, how they work, and what they can offer to us as a Jewish community. The wise people at Schusterman (led by new network guru Seth Cohen), have recognized that while young Jews may not be interested in joining Jewish organizations for life, we are interested in connections in our Jewish journey. We understand — and participate — in networks.

The sessions gave me an excellent opportunity to explore how networks are active in the Jewish environmental movement, and what we can do to strengthen them in order to achieve our mission.

In networks, people know each other, educate each other, and inspire each other to act. Networks are bound together through ties between people and generalized reciprocity — the idea that if I help you today, someone else in this network will help me tomorrow. There are three types of networks: centralized (in which all elements are connected through a single hub); decentralized (in which numerous mini-network nodes are connected to a central hub), and distributed (in which all elements are connected to each other through random ties). See a visual representation of the three types here.

While networks may happen on their own, there is an art to building them. One can learn techniques to strengthen networks. We also had the opportunity to evaluate the strength of our own networks in the Jewish community, using a network effectiveness diagnotistic tool.

Of course, the Jewish environmental movement is already a network. Anyone who has been to a Hazon Food Conference or a Kayam Beit Midrash knows that! We know each other, we share a common language and values, we make and strengthen connections between our communities. I often comment that one of my greatest pleasures at a Jewish environmental conference is having a roommate who also uses Tom's of Maine toothpaste — then I feel at home. It is the ties between people of shared values that hold our network together.

But there is still a lot of opportunity for growth when it comes to the Jewish environmental network, because in addition to building ties between people of like minds, we have a mission we're committed to.

That mission includes the greening of Jewish homes and institutions, modeling and practicing sustainable eating and agriculture, learning and practicing Jewish wisdom as it relates to the modern environmental challenges — and for many of us, working together for a more just society. In addition to these goals, we also seek to identify and implement strategies by which the Jewish community can act to make a true and important difference in our global sustainability challenge.

Achieving that mission will require a stronger network than we've got so far.

The Jewish environmental movement includes numerous mini-networks – large and small groups of individuals who know each other, share ideas and work on common campaigns. However, we have lacked a central hub to tie these individuals and organizations together effectively. A central hub does not have to be prescriptive – it does not have to direct how the movement should go. But a central hub IS needed to foster communication between the various mini-networks of the Jewish environmental movement.

In the Jewish environmental movement, when a single individual or organization has a campaign, it will generally want to reach beyond its own network to engage Jews of different organizations – from different mini-networks. To illustrate, say that the Green Zionist Alliance (GZA) wants to engage Jewish environmentalists in a campaign to save the Samar desert. The GZA has a network that it can reach to engage on this campaign. However, to be truly effective, it will want to engage other Jewish environmental networks as well.

That is the role of the central hub – to foster communication between the different nodes of the Jewish environmental movement, so that Jewish environmental activists and organizations can more easily engage each other – and each other’s networks – in shared efforts that will help us achieve our broader mission. And indeed, when the GZA used Jewcology for this purpose, it engaged numerous other Jewish environmental leaders and organizations. This shared effort helped to produce a positive result in postponing the destruction of the Samar.

Jewcology — a social media portal connecting the Jewish environmental community — provides a tool to help Jewish environmentalists build their own virtual networks andshare campaigns with people beyond their own networks, so that we can strengthen the Jewish environmental movement and join together move effectively to achieve our mission.

Of course, there is much more to do to build Jewcology into a better virtual tool for this purpose. One of the virtues of networks is that they take into account the skills and perspectives of their participants, so I hope you will post your comments and suggestions for how we can do that, below.

I look forward to working with you and building the network of the Jewish environmental movement — and I’m excited to partner with you in this new phase of Jewcology!

While we’ve made some headway as a movement, we certainly have not mastered environmental motivation in the Jewish community.

The key to understanding motivation is that it comes from the heart, not from the head. We touch people at the level of values not by sharing sources and facts and actions, but by sharing stories.

With the support of the ROI community, on June 2, Jewcology hosted our second Jewcology Public Narrative Training at the Teva Seminar on Jewish Environmental Education. Utilizing the “leadership story” techniques developed by Harvard Professor Marshall Ganz , participants learned how to identify and tell powerful stories that can express our purpose, unite our community and inspire meaningful shared action. The training is based on the famous Hillel dictum:

“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, who am I? And if not now, when?” (Pirkei Avot 1:14)

The training was a part of Teva’s “Eco-Change Makers Track.” Rachel Konforty, an experienced trainer in the public narrative methodology, led the training along with Matt Lewis and Evonne Marzouk. The training was similar to the one offered on March 14 at the Kayam Beit Midrash, but also incorporated the excellent feedback provided at that session: additional time focusing on the Jewish environmental context and applications of this tool, and additional Jewish context to ground us in our tradition.

The essence of the training was organized around three different “stories” which one defines for oneself and the group: the story of self, the story of us, and the story of now.

• Self: Participants were invited to identify their own personal story so that they can explain how they because committed to Jewish-environmental activism.
• Us: Drawing upon common values with the group in the room, each participant had to identify a “story of us” which would resonate with the values of all the people there.
• Now: Finally, participants were asked to identify a story of now: one single, specific, urgent action that could be requested of all the participants.

Following the session, attendees completed an online evaluation suvery. 100% of respondents indicated feeling more empowered to speak to their target engagement audience, 90% indicated that they felt more empowered to speak to people who do not share the same Jewish or environmental values; and 90% indicated that they planned to use this model in speaking to one or more of their primary engagement audiences. 100% also indicated that they would recommend this model or this training to a friend or colleague.

Participants indicated that they intended to use this tool with a wide range of audiences, including educators, synagogue members, potential funders, students, and local environmental groups. Attendees also indicated that they would be interested in continuing to use the Jewcology community to support them, including by using the Jewcology "Leadership Trainings" Community to continue discussions, attending follow-up trainings, connecting with the global Jewish environmental community through Jewcology (70%), and meeting with others in their region (60%),

Asked how to improve the session, participants indicated they would appreciate more time, more model stories, and providing more opportunity and resources for follow up. We’ll have the chance to implement these improvements at our third Jewcology leadership training, which will take place on August 21 as a bonus day to the Hazon Food Conference at UC-Davis! We’ll be offering the same training with the improvements described.

This training will help you develop your own personal Jewish-environmental story, connect with the values in a group of others, and ask for meaningful shared action. We hope you will join us there!

While not particularly an environmental friendly event (judged by the location, quantity of disposable dishes, etc.) the organizers went out of their way to include two environmentally themes sessions, one on food and one on energy. Both were well attended with 100 – 150 participants.

Participants at these sessions asked a lot of good questions, particularly regarding how they can bring these ideas to their communities. They were interested and wanted to be more connected, but most s had not heard of our organizations or even our movement. (I was able to distribute a lot of Jewcology magnets!). It is clear that we still have a lot to do educating the general young adult population and the Jewish community as a whole about the work that we do.

On the flip side, as mentioned in my previous blog post the Jewish environmental movement is well represented in the motivations of many Jewish leadership and this was seen at Tribefest as well. Many of the presenters and Jewish leaders I talked to where well informed about our movement and excited about our growth and possibilities for collaboration.

Bridging the gap between the acceptance of Jewish environmental work within the Jewish leadership, and the continued lack of understanding or exposure by the general Jewish population, is a major concern that must be addressed.

This discrepancy has a number of dangerous effects which I believe are hurting our movement including:

* Lack of community support for environmental initiatives at synagogues and community buildings.

* Lack of political strength behind our legislative initiatives

* Lack of funding due to a ‘catch 22’, small numbers of private donations not growing fast enough to cover our needs, and large foundations believing we are not cutting edge enough for funding

I hope we can begin a dialogue as a Jewcology community about how we can bridge this gap and help our message spread beyond the leadership and into general Jewish community. And I hope that in years to come at Tribefest and other Jewish conferences we’ll continue to see more people who know about and want to get involved in Jewish environmental initiatives.

Duration: 15 – 40 minutes

Materials: Flip Chart, Dry Erase Board, Markers

In advance of this project, consult with the synagogue greening committee and find a project or selection of projects for theses students. Projects should be synagogue specific. Good easily achievable projects include:

Changing all light bulbs to low energy compact fluorescent

Arranging a carpool board or list serve for the school

Researching recycled paper distributors for the synagogue office

Procedure:

The goal of this session is to empower the students to be involved in ‘greening’ the synagogue, taking the first steps in beginning a project, and laying the groundwork so the students will have a clear idea of what to do in the weeks to come.

1. Give a background on any synagogue ‘greening’ initiatives already underway. Explain to the students the project options available to them.

2. If you have more than 1 option, have students discuss and vote on a project.

3. Chose one student to take notes on a poster board (paper, so you can keep it).

4. Conduct a brief brainstorming session on how to implement the project. Write down all suggestions.

5. Eliminate any suggestions that are not realistic, based on conversations with teachers and/or common sense

6. How will you best accomplish this task? Decide on actions to take, and how you will divide responsibilities amongst the group. Use the “Greening our Synagogue Worksheet” on next page.

7. Divide into subcommittees. Examples: education, research, decorating, lobbying

8. Develop a to-do list for each group

9. Fill out form

No matter how far you get in the session, it is important to write up a to-do list and to try to get the students to develop a timeline with certain deadlines. These two factors increase the likelihood of the project’s success. .

Materials developed by Noam Dolgin and the Teva Learning Center

All content is subject to the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. (Ie. Tell other where you got it from and don't sell it)

1. BUILDINGS
Get Energy Star programmable thermostats, divided by zones, so you’re not heating or cooling the building beyond what’s necessary. Cutting back on the heat or A/C by just 1 degree saves an average of 3% on your utility bill — and on your greenhouse emissions.

2. GROUNDS
Plant native species around your building, which provide much-needed habitat for local birds and other creatures while also needing less water, and no chemicals.

3. PURCHASING
Reduce, reuse, and recycle in the office: print fewer copies than needed and let people share them; keep a pile of clean-on-one-side paper for use in printers & copy machines; recycle used paper; and purchase paper with high post-consumer recycled content.

4. PROGRAMS
With your social action committee or other group within the synagogue, plan events that are social, educational, and tikkuning-the-olam all at once – like Torah-nature hikes while picking up trash, or pulling non-native weeds from nearby woods.

5. YOUTH EDUCATION
Implement at least one of the many great curricula that teach our young people about nature and Judaism together – kids are ripe for it, and the materials are out there.

6. ADULT EDUCATION
Teach a timely topic that conveys Creation care together with Torah teachings — such as the shiurim (text studies) on Jewish responses to global climate change and biodiversity.

7. RABBINIC
For rabbis, take advantage of the sermon-starters and notes on integrating environmental concern into life-cycle events found here. For non-rabbis, feel free to do the same – and to tell your rabbi about these resources!

INTRODUCTION TO COEJL'S
GREENING SYNAGOGUES RESOURCES

God’s circle of concern extends far beyond ‘us.’ It includes untold future generations of humans, who face a doubtful future due to our actions. It includes billions of God’s children, alive and suffering even today from poverty, injustice, environmental degradation, and other social ills. And it includes tens of millions of species, many under threat today, all of which are part of the intricate and sacred and “very good” (Gen. 1:31) web of Creation.

Judaism has specific sacred language for all these concerns, which are not only God’s, but ours as well. We speak of transmitting that which matters l’dor vador, from generation to generation. We promise to follow tzedek tzedek tirdof, the commandment to pursue justice (Deut. 16:20). And we claim to be enlightened stewards of the seder and ma’aseh beresheet, the Divine order and the integrity of the works of Creation.

Synagogue life is about many things. We come to our batei knesset to create community, praise God, educate adults and children, celebrate simchas and mourn sorrows, heal ourselves, heal the world, connect with Israel and with Jews around the world, observe holidays, and much more (including the volunteer and financial infrastructure which enables all the rest to take place). Within that larger context, “the environment” may seem like one small piece of one piece.

But in fact, ecological concern is not something we can opt out of. Minimizing our environmental footprint is a communal, a Jewish, a civic, and a theological imperative. All streams of American Jewish religious life acknowledge this, through their involvement in COEJL (Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, including URJ, USCJ, JRF, and UOJC). As Martin Buber wrote (On Judaism, p. 209), “real relationship to God cannot be achieved on earth if real relationships to the world and to [hu]mankind are lacking. Both love of the Creator and love of that which [God] has created are finally one and the same.” And a popular new saying puts it succinctly: “no planet, no Torah.”

On the pages within this website that follow, you will find numerous resources to help synagogues, as key centers of Jewish life, become ever greener (though many of the same resources work for homes, schools, offices, and other facilities, too). On the main page, there are links to seven different areas where we can make a difference – one meaningful ‘sample’ action is listed here for each area, but dozens more will appear at the click of a hyperlink. Each of the seven sections begins with a short description of what we can do through our building / program / education / etc., and how and why to do it; much more detail is found in numerous specific webpages under each category.

May we all be shomrei adamah, guardians of God’s good Earth. And may we all help our synagogues and other sacred communities to better care for Creation.

Greening Synagogues

A Project from COEJL and GreenFaith, New Jersey’s Interfaith Environmental Coalition 2005-2007

Introduction
COEJL worked to transform New Jersey synagogues into centers of environmental awareness, stewardship, and justice. This project served as a prototype for synagogues in other U.S. metropolitan areas and with houses of worship from Christian and other faith traditions in New Jersey and beyond.

Together with the New Jersey based nonprofit group, GreenFaith, COEJL reached congregations representing all of the major Jewish denominations. We helped these institutions conserve energy and use renewable energy, improve the environmental sustainability of their operations, deepen their awareness of environmental stewardship in a Jewish context, and encourage their involvement in environmental advocacy.

Participating congregations included 1) Bnai Keshet (Reconstructionist) in Montclair, NJ; 2) Congregation Agudath Israel (Conservative) in West Caldwell, NJ; 3) Congregation Sharey Tefilo-Israel (Reform) in South Orange, NJ; 4) Kesher Community Synagogue (Orthodox) in Englewood; 5) Temple Israel (Conservative) in Ridgewood; and 6) Temple Beth El (Reform) in Closter

How Does Greening Synagogues Work
*Note: We are currently not accepting applications*

After receiving the completed application, COEJL and GreenFaith staff scheduled a consultation to determine the synagogue’s suitability for Greening Synagogues. COEJL and GreenFaith based their determination on factors such as breadth of rabbinic and lay leader commitment and synagogue willingness to serve as a public model site.

Once a synagogue was selected, COEJL and GreenFaith presented synagogue leaders with a Menu of Options outlining potential activities in each of the three areas. Synagogue leaders selected their options and worked closely with COEJL and GreenFaith to publicize and carry out the activities. Potential activities included:

• An energy audit and energy conservation retrofits
• Torah study for adults on Judaism and the environment
• An environmental health and justice tour of an environmentally blighted area
• Jewish environmental education for children
• Solar panel installation at the synagogue
• A Jewish-environmental advocacy visit to legislators
• Reduction/elimination of toxic cleaning/maintenance products

View a Print Version l View a Source Sheet

The Land of Israel has been conquered and divided, and Jewish farmers have settled into the yearly cycle of growth and harvest. Now they are given a special commandment, one applying only in the Land: they must take their first fruits to the Temple to express their gratitude to G-d. The first verses of this week’s Torah portion of Ki Tavo describe the ritual of bikurim (first fruits): “…you shall take of the first of every fruit of the ground that you bring in from your Land that HaShem, your G-d, gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that HaShem, your G-d, will choose…"[1] As we will explore below, the farmers were not only thanking G-d for an abundant harvest, but also affirming the link between G-d, themselves, the Land of Israel, and the collective history of the Jewish nation.

The Jewish farmers, upon bringing their bikurim, recited a passage relating their ancestors' journey to and from Egypt. [2] The Land of Israel is the culmination of this journey. The recitation of this passage, in addition to acknowledging Jewish historical continuity, can be understood to reflect the spiritual journey from self-reliance to G-d-reliance.

In the Land of Israel, the most basic sense of faith stems from an agricultural dependence on G-d. The Jewish farmer, whose livelihood is entirely dependent on G-d's blessing, must live in a perpetual state of faith and appreciation. This faith is even indicated in the kind of fruit farmers brought as bikurim; they only offered the seven species for which the Land is praised – wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranate, olive, and dates. [3] These species are native to Israel and are especially dependent on the blessing of rainwater for their growth.

The agricultural enterprise does more than just sharpen one's awareness of G-d. According to Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook [4], it also has the power to unify the Jewish nation. Rabbi Kookproposes that the ideal Jewish society is one based on an agricultural rather than a mercantile economy. [5] Commenting on the bikurim ceremony described by the Mishna, [6] he writes that "the first fruits symbolize the special love the nation [of Israel] has for agriculture… As opposed to the nations of the world where cohesion is fostered by trade fairs, here [in an agricultural ritual] it is built through the common denominator of pure worship of G-d."

On the following Mishnah, "All the professionals in Jerusalem would stand before them (the farmers) and inquire as to their welfare,"[7] Rabbi Kook comments: "….When the nation is morally depraved, when individuals' eyes and heart are only upon money, these two types, those who engage in nature and those who engage in artifice become alienated from one another. The farmers, who dwell in villages close to nature, will be the object of disrespect on the part of the professionals who have figured out how to live by civilization divorced from nature."

In the colorful ceremony of bikurim, which involved Jews from all walks of life, Rabbi Kook saw an opportunity to rectify the disrespect and alienation between the farmers and the townspeople. In a G-d-fearing society, each individual sector of society recognizes the relevance of the other sectors. Among the Jewish nation, farmers were given particular respect. This recognition is exemplified by the townspeople "standing up" before the farmers during the ceremony.

Note that Rabbi Kook is not saying that all Jews should become farmers! Rather, he is proposing that the integrity of the nation of Israel, and of humanity as a whole, is contingent upon the cosmopolitan city-dweller acknowledging his deep connection to the provincial farmer.

Today, most people live the state of alienation between nature and civilization described by Rabbi Kook. Most of us don't realize that many of the things we use in our "civilized" daily lives – including food, medicine, and even plastic – have their origins in the natural world. We are also unaware that our individual cultures were once inextricably linked to nature. The loss of local culture – that intricate web of language, food, religion, economy, and ecology – is disastrous for both people and the planet. Wendell Berry, an American farmer and writer, suggests that "lacking an authentic local culture, a place is open to exploitation, and ultimately destruction, from the center."[8] He advocates strengthening local economies, fostering connections between generations, deepening religious convictions, and most importantly, building cohesive communities centered around specific places. The sound integration between place and culture, which implies an understanding of the interconnectedness of all of Creation, is critical for the development of positive environmental ethics.

Jewish life during Temple times, which wove together religion, economy, food, language, and local ecology, can be viewed as an integrated local culture. Today, the Jewish people are, on the whole, alienated not only from nature, but also from G-d, the Land of Israel and each other. We are not in a position to rectify the situation through the bringing of bikurim, since the Holy Temple, to our sorrow, is no longer standing. The Temple, as the bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds, was the center of a proper Jewish culture rooted in the Land of Israel; without it, our ability to reconstruct such a culture is limited.

Yet there are many things that we can do even now to help recreate a local culture that acknowledges the links between G-d, the Land of Israel, and the Jewish people. We can grow and eat the seven species, taking the extra time to learn about their spiritual symbolism. [9] We can be more conscious of how our moral and practical actions determine the abundance or lack of blessing in the form of rain.[10] We can become acquainted with the traditional agricultural practices of the region and support farmers who implement them. And we can build stable, diverse, morally upright communities in the Land of Israel. All of these small tikkunim (repairs) serve to reinforce our dependence on G-d and maintain a balance between different sectors of Jewish society.

Even in the Diaspora, we can still experience a sense of partnership with G-d by growing our own food. We can help maintain an environmentally sensible food culture by purchasing locally grown products in season. We can grow some of the seven species that might be compatible with our bioregions. And most importantly, we can dedicate time to learning Torat Eretz Yisrael, the Torah of the Land of Israel, including a trip to the Holy Land itself!

Every year upon bringing the bikurim, the farmer announces, "Today I am affirming that I have come to the Land that God swore to our fathers to give us."[11] Rashi (France, 1040-1105) comments that this is an expression of thanks to God for having given us the Land of Israel. It would make sense to give thanks upon initial entry into the Land, but why would a farmer need to repeat this every year? It must be that coming into the Land, and the expression of gratitude commensurate with such a gift, are part of an ongoing process. May we merit to continually "come into the Land," reinforcing our commitment to it, to God, and to all of the Jewish people, and may this strong bond serve as an example to all of humanity.

_________________________________

Suggested Action Items

• Get closer to the land! Grow your own food.

• Support a Community Garden or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project.

• Buy food and other products that are made or grown locally, in season.

Click here for many more helpful hints and resources written by this author on this topic.

Leiba Chaya David moved to Israel from the U.S. in 1996 and ever since has been exploring the Land of Israel and the Israeli environmental movement. She studied for a year at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, and is a certified field guide of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI). She also holds an MA in Jewish Education from the Hebrew University. Currently, Leiba Chaya is director of Ru'ach HaSviva, The SPNI Center for Jewish Environmentalism. She lives with her husband and three small children on a moshav near Jerusalem.

1

Deut. 26:2 (translation by Artscroll Mesorah)

2

Deut. 26:5 “An Armanean tried to destroy my forefather. He descended to Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation – great, strong and numerous…Then we cried out to HaShem, the G-d of our forefathers, and HaShem heard our voice and saw our affliction, our trevail and our oppression. HaShem took us out of Egpyt with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, with great awesomeness, and with signs and with wonders. He brought us to this place, and he gave us this Land, a Land flowing with milk and honey. And now behold! I have brought the first fruit of the ground that You have given me, O HaShem!” (translation by Artscroll Mesorah)

3

See Rashi on Deut. 26:2

4

Rabbi Kook (1865-1935) was the first chief rabbi of the State of Israel.

5

Based on an idea from Eyn Ayah, Rabbi Kook’s commentary to Eyn Yaakov, the 16th century collection of the aggadot (Legends of the Talmud by Rabbi Yaakov Ibn Habib). The ideas and translations used in this piece are from a book titled Of Societies Perfect and Imperfect – Selected Readings From Eyn Ayah, translated and annotated by Bezalel Naor, Sepher-Hermon Press, 1995.

6

Tractate Bikkurim Chapter 3, Mishna 2: “How do we bring up the first-fruits? All the people of the towns belonging to the maamad (convocation) gather to the city of the maamad and stay overnight in the city plaza. They do not enter the homes. The next morning the appointee would call: ‘Rise, let us go up to Zion, to the house of the Lord our God.’”

7

Tractate Bikkurim Chapter 3, Mishna 3

8

Berry, Wendell. What Are People For?, 166. San Francisco: North Point Press, 1990.

9

See, for example, Eitz Chaim Hee’s teaching on this theme by Rebbetzin Chana Bracha Siegelbaum on the Torah portion of Eikev.

10

On this theme, see Eitz Chaim Hee’s teaching by Yonatan Neril on the Torah portion of Bechukotai.

11

Deut. 26:3 (translation by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, The Living Torah)

Thanks to Edith Stevenson of Vancouver, BC for her input on this list. Please continue to add your own ideas in the comments section.

Start a kiddush committee at your synagogue. Get together a group of people who like to cook and give your usual caterer a break. Try offering a “homemade Kiddush” once/month where everything is cooked (not just taken out of boxes) by the volunteers and is mostly locally-sourced and organic.

Use smart plates. If your synagogue does not have the resources to use reusable dishware on Shabbat, use post-consumer waste paper or plant-based ones. More info on this here. http://www.ecoproducts.com/ And use linen table cloths instead of paper or plastic ones.

Go free range – Egg salad is a staple of the Kiddush table. Try making egg salad from cage-free eggs.

Veggie cholent – Serve vegetarian cholent at your Kiddush. Try featuring a new grain like brown rice, barley, or millet.

Feature seasonal fruits. Fresh fruit platters are commonly found at Kiddush tables, and are both beautiful and healthy. But if you live outside of California, it can be next to impossible to source these fruits locally during the winter months. Focus on fresh fruits when they’re in season – strawberries in June, melons in August, apples in October, root veggies in December. Try serving dried fruit or frozen fruit in winter. Read Anna Stevenson’s post on Jcarrot for more info.

Skip the crème puffs. There’s nothing wrong with a little something sweet, and cookie platters are a great Kiddush table nibble. Try buying (or making) cookies made with organic ingredients and fair trade chocolate. Brands to try: Newman’s Organic Kosher Cookies – chocolate chip, mint crèmes, orange chocolate chip, Alphabet cookies….

Can the soda. Avoid sugary sodas and fruit punches – instead, serve seltzers, 100% real fruit juices (and scotch, of course!). A grape juice to try: If you live in the Northeaset, try serving the kosher grape juice from Glendale Farms – 607-546-8479.

Keep it Fair. Congregations across the country are switching to Fair Trade coffee, tea, and chocolate! Equal Exchange offers an interfaith program where they specifically work to bring fair trade products to faith congregations.

Family style. Try serving Kiddush family style – with the food on small platters on tables, rather than vast quantities at a long buffet. This allows people to see what’s available and encourages them to take healthy portions.

Hummus! Hummus is relatively simple to make fresh in large batches, and tastes amazing. Here’s a great and easy hummus recipe from Epicurious.com

The salatim. Try serving pickles, dilly beans, or other value-added products from local farms. Invite the farmers to speak to the congregation about their farm during Shabbat lunch.

Educate. The most important thing you can do at a healthy, sustainable Kiddush is educate the people in your community. Make an announcement before Kiddush, and have table tents and resource sheets available explaining the important changes on the table. If a member of the community helped sponsor your healthy, sustainable Kiddush, don’t forget to raise a glass to them. L’chaim!

Leftovers. “If you run out of food, or there is none left by the end of Kiddush, then the amounts were perfect,” Edith Stevenson comments. “The idea that we must have LOTS of food at a Kiddush is a Jewish tradition that I think is just plain wrong!” If you do have leftovers, consider donating them to a local Food Bank or other food recovery organization.

Greening Your Shabbat Table

Set a kavannah (intention) to “go local.”
Whether you decide to make all your dishes from scratch, or purchase some things ready-made, make a pledge to feature ingredients and dishes that are locally grown. Remember that the definition of “local” is loosely defined – so decide in advance where you want to draw the boundary. Even if you don’t manage to eat all local, all the time in your day-to-day life (and really, who does?), Shabbat is the perfect time to strive for that ideal. See just how local you can go!

*Teaching moment: Think about your guest list and what interests your invitees share. If several your guests are vegetarians, or committed meat eaters, consider brining this topic into the meal as well. If there are people who are involved in social justice causes, or grow their own herbs, consider what kind of menu and discussion questions would draw them in most.

Involve your friends.
Don’t take on the local kavannah alone – get your friends involved! Invite them into the conversation about where ingredients for your shared meal will come from. If no farmer’s market is readily available at which you/your guests can buy local produce, what other criteria can you use for buying locally or sustainably? Perhaps everyone will pledge to use no plastic bags in their shopping (including those little bags for vegetables and fruit!) or to bike to their supermarkets instead of hopping in a cab with an armload of groceries.

Utilize peoples’ skills. Maybe someone is a great baker—ask him to make challah. Someone else might have a knack for roasting her own peppers or making fruit preserves—find a way to use that as well!

*Teaching moment: If you do decide to ask your friends to bring dishes to the meal, consider giving them questions to think about while they are shopping or preparing their food. For example, if someone is bringing fruit, try giving them the task of asking the fruit vendor about the origins of the produce, or what makes organic food different from pesticide-free food. Ask them to share what they learned at the meal.

Drink locally. If you are comfortable drinking non-kosher wine, try to find a bottle (or box!) of wine grown and produced close to home. If you prefer kosher, check out a wine on The Jew & The Carrot’s kosher organic wine list.

Check in with the season. If you are hosting in the winter, think about making a winter vegetable theme, e.g. winter squash, or using lots of peaches, nectarines, and cherries if you are hosting a summer meal. And realize that as the seasons change, the ingredients will as well so that allows you to have original menus numerous times a year!

Bless your meal. Other than the traditional brachot (blessings) birkat hamazon (grace after meals), invite your guests to discuss whom they want to thank before, during, and following this unique meal and encourage them to create their own blessings or songs if they so choose.

Eat together.
With intention.
In silence. (Try spending the first 10 minutes of your meal just enjoying the food and company without speaking. It might feel a little strange at first, but see if you can relax into the idea. And of course you can share your experiences afterwards!)

Learn together.
Rabbi Shimon said: If three have eaten together at one table and have not spoken over it words of Torah, it is as though they had eaten of the sacrifices of the dead (Isaiah 28:8)…but if three have eaten at one table and have spoken over it words of Torah, it is as if they had eaten from the table of God (Ezekiel 41:22).

In other words, learning together over food is a good thing! Identify a learning coordinator for your meal who will come up with questions to lead the discussion around the table, and identify short texts that can be learned together. Discussion questions can include: “What does sustainable mean to you?” “How is your relationship to this meal different from other meals knowing how it was prepared and where the ingredients were purchased?” “What is the connection between Shabbat and having a sustainable meal?”

Texts are another great way to create an order and guide your meal. Try to focus on Jewish texts (Hazon’s book “Food for Thought” curriculum book is an incredible resource for relevant texts), but feel free to bring in non-Jewish texts as well that might speak to your dinner’s theme, i.e. highlights from Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma or Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Clean up green. After your sustainable meal, clean up with green cleaning supplies like Seventh Generation or Ecover. Invite your friends to help you wash dishes and put leftover food away. Whether or not you made all the food yourself, or invited friends to help, clean up should be a communal effort (which is more sustainable for you)!

Be Creative.
Don’t feel limited by these ideas! This is just a starting point for making sustainable Shabbat “seders” a tradition that any community, group, or city can take part in and make their own!

Thanks to Nadya Strizhevskaya for pulling together this resource page.

I love the famous line from Robert F. Kennedy: “There are those who look at things the way they are and ask why? I dream of things that never were and ask why not?”

It’s in that spirit that I want to address this topic. This is more about what might be than about what is. Here are three things that already exist within Jewish life — but which I’d like to see grow dramatically in the next five years.

Creating inclusive community

What common thread runs through B’nai Jeshurun, the popular independent synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the annual learning retreat known as Limmud New York, and Hazon’s New York Jewish Environmental Bike Ride? Each goes a long way in seeking to create inclusive community. Each eschews the implication of questions like, Which person is the oldest or the youngest? The least religious or the most observant? Whose Hebrew isn’t so good? Who’s not Jewish, or not white, or not heterosexual?

“Inclusive community” is a contemporary phrase that encompasses the biblical “love the stranger, because you were strangers in Egypt.” The single most common phrase in the Torah, “love the stranger” has been a leitmotif throughout Jewish history. If you were to decide to conduct a decisive campaign over the next two years to make your school or synagogue or JCC a fully welcoming place in ways major and minor, to include anyone who might in any way feel left out — within five years your community would be transformed.

Push yourself a little The rhetoric of contemporary life is “go with the flow” — or as the pre-Kabala Madonna put it, “express yourself.” Jewish tradition dissents somewhat from this idea, inviting us to hold ourselves to high standards. At Hazon, for example, we encourage people to push themselves on multi-day fund-raising bicycle rides in New York and Israel. It’s both a physical and fiscal challenge: Last year’s riders, to their own astonishment, generated more than 3,000 individual donations for Hazon and its partners, including the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, the American Jewish World Service, and the Hudson Valley Sustainable Communities Network. We live in a Jewish metropolis that offers more opportunities to learn and grow than almost any in human history — but most of us don’t avail ourselves of them. Sign up for something new at your JCC. Learn with your rabbi. Take a class at the synagogue. Or join or form one of the New Jersey teams for our Israel and New York bike rides. (The Israel ride takes place May 9-16; the New York ride Sept. 1-4. Visit the Hazon web site for more information.)

Noninstrumental Judaism

Too much of organized Jewish life is about persuading someone else to be Jewish in a particular way. “You should be Orthodox. You should be a Reform Jew. You should be a Zionist.” Noninstrumental Judaism essentially says, “I think this is amazing (or rich or enjoyable or worthwhile), and I invite you to join with me in doing this.” That’s actually very different from “You should….” Telling someone else to be Orthodox or Zionist or anything else involves a considerable degree of presumption — that you know better than the person you’re talking to about how he or she should live.

If we focus less on persuading others to be “our kind” of Jew and more on pushing ourselves to be the best kind of Jew each of us can be, then we will transform ourselves and our families — and we may also find that we transform our communities and the world around us.