[Newsletter May 09, 2013] An Extraordinary Weekend

In this email:

 

AN EXTRAORDINARY WEEKEND AND TWO-DAY BIKE RIDE

The Community

Celebrate Shabbat and recharge for the Jewish New Year at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center

Make new friends and rekindle old connections

The Ride

Enjoy two days of cycling with routes for riders of all levels

Fully supported with bike mechanics, rest stops,
luggage transport, and farm-to-table kosher food

The Cause

Support innovative farm, food, environmental, and educational programs, such as Adamah and Teva

REGISTER AT HAZON.ORG/NYRIDE

Spring low prices end in two weeks,
register before May 20th for the best rate!

 

Farm & Garden with the Jewish Farm School!

[Image]I have participated in and taught at eight of the last nine Teva Seminars (I only missed last year because I had just gotten married). As both a learner and an educator, it is one of the most inspiring gatherings of the year. People of all ages, from many different backgrounds, and working in a wide range of settings, all come together to explore the connections between Judaism and the environment, and how we can transform the world through innovation and education.

-Nati Passow, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Jewish Farm School

Nati is a writer, carpenter, and educator living in Philadelphia. From 2005 to 2007, Nati ran an award-winning garden construction program for the Urban Nutrition Initiative at University City High School. Over the last several years, Nati has led service-learning trips in the developing world for American Jewish World Service, and in the US for Jewish Funds for Justice. He enjoyed two fall seasons at the Teva Learning Center, and has continued to work for Teva as a curriculum writer. Nati has studied sustainable building design and natural building, and is a certified Permaculture designer. He holds a B.A. in Religion and Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and was a recipient of the Joshua Venture Group Fellowship for Jewish Social Entrepreneurs.

Significant scholarships are available for participants in the Farm & Garden track at the Teva Seminar!

Featured Jewish Farm School Classes at the Teva Seminar:

  • Farm to Table: Pickling and Cheese-making
  • Introduction to Permaculture Design
  • Spiral Dynamics: The Ecology of the Jewish Calendar
  • The Giving Tree: How to Care for and Utilize Fruit Trees in Your Jewish Educational Community Throughout the Year
  • Mechayei HaMeitim: Understanding the magic and science of Compost

The Jewish Farm School teaches about contemporary food and environmental issues through innovative trainings and skill-based Jewish agricultural education. It is driven by traditions of using food and agriculture as tools for social justice and spiritual mindfulness. Through its programs, the Jewish Farm School addresses the injustices embedded in today’s mainstream food systems and works to create greater access to sustainably grown foods, produced from a consciousness of both ecological and social well-being.

The Farm and Garden Track at the Teva seminar will provide training in the the skills, knowledge, and Judaic background needed to start a Jewish agricultural project in your community. Explore the fields, gardens, greenhouses, pastures, and farm animals of Isabella Freedman’s Adamah program (a Jewish farming apprenticeship), and learn how to facilitate Jewish gardening activities and do-it-yourself food projects for all ages. You will also study ancient and contemporary texts exploring themes of food justice, Jewish agricultural laws, and sustainability. Whether you are an experienced gardener looking to add an educational component to your work, or if you are a novice looking to dive into the world of Jewish agricultural education, this track will give you the skills you need and connect you to a vibrant community of like-minded educators.

Learn More…


 

 

Intergeneration Jewish Survey

Hazon is participating in a new intergenerational survey of the American Jewish community. The researchers’ goal is to stimulate new conversations about engaging people more actively in Jewish life. The research targets all four adult generational groups (Millennials, Gen X-ers, Boomers and WWII/Greatest).

Click here to add your input before the survey closes on May 20th!

Learn More…



What Are You Doing for Shavuot?


Shavuot: This Year’s Revelation

[Image]Join us for a Shavuot filled with all night learning, and ecstatic prayer during a sunrise Shacharit. Adamah Foods will be serving a First Fruits Farm-to-Feast Kiddush, there will be a Pilgrimage Parade with costumes and goats, and a midnight hike to the top of the mountain!

Featuring kosher artisanal cheese and cheesecake, and one-on-one spiritual direction opportunities, this year’s Shavuot retreat at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center continues to be a space for deep teachings that renew Jewish spirituality. Families are welcome –Camp Teva will be providing Torah and outdoor fun for kids!

May 14 – 17, 2013
Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, Falls Village

Learn More and Register


Shavuos on the Farm

[Image]Stay up all night eating good food, making friends, watching the stars and learning Torah.

Don’t miss Shavuos at Yiddish Farm!

No Yiddish knowledge required.
Registration closes on May 10.

Want a $30 discount? Get a group of 5 people to make up a discount code and plug it in on the registration form before the10th of May. $30 will automatically be deducted from registrants who use a discount code that 5 or more people share.

May 14-16
$180

Learn More and Register