49 results for tag: Experiential Learning

Mysticism and Making a Difference: Tu b’Shevat in Silver Spring

My local community group, the Kayamut Silver Spring Sustainability Circle, held our Tu b'Shevat Seder on February 7. It was the first time in a long time that I hosted a Tu b'Shevat Seder that was actually on Tu b'Shevat. So I wanted to make it special. Instead of being a mock seder or a model seder, it was a real seder and an opportunity to experience Tu b'Shevat for itself. I know that Tu b'Shevat has mystical meaning in addition to the more modern, environmental meaning we've given to it. For this seder, I wanted to blend a little of the mystical back into our understanding of Tu b'Shevat. I believe that this ...

The Voices of the Whales and the Trees: Lessons for TU B’SHEVAT

It was not a typical Shabbat afternoon that August of 2001. We were sitting on the shore of Windfall Island, on the edge of Tebenkof Bay in Southwest Alaska, watching the Humpback whales feed in Chatham Strait. As we watched, they moved across our view from north to south, diving and surfacing as they fed. They moved behind a small island and as they came back into view two whales suddenly threw themselves into the air at the same time. Then others followed as we shouted in delight. It was a fitting climax to a wonderful and inspiring experience. The “we” in this case were ten Jewish environmentalists from all over North America and ...

Teva Ivri Is Spreading the Light in Jerusalem – Meet JiVE!

Teva Ivri Is Spreading the Light in Jerusalem – Meet JiVE! At Hannukah, we learn that even one little bit of oil can spread a lot of light - all it takes is a group of dedicated Jews to uncover it. Teva Ivri is excited to introduce you to a new project which is helping young Jews light the spark of their Jewish identity and helping the holy city of Jerusalem to shine. Meet JiVE: Jerusalem Volunteers for the Environment , Teva Ivri’s newest innovative environmental education program! JiVE connects young Jews from around the world to Israel through community service and Jewish learning in Jerusalem. Participants ...

Fostering Environmentally Sustainable Behavior

Many of us who want to get people to behave in an environmentally sustainable way, tell them why they should do so. Sometime we even tell them how to do so. But research studies confirm what many of us have learned through personal experience. For most people, having the right attitudes, values and information is not sufficient to produce the amount of environmentally sustainable behavior that we would like. I attended Doug McKenzie-Mohr’s workshop on Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community Based Social Marketing and learned much about how to be more effective. Sometimes, doing the right thing requires too ...

Eco Connection launches in South Africa!

From the baking heat of Israel’s summer, Sviva Israel’s Director of Media & Technology flew last week to a chilly Johannesburg winter, to launch the Eco Connection in our first South African school. Despite the cold, she was warmly welcomed by the Israel Centre, under the directorship of Shimon Shamila, and the 7th grade students of the Torah Academy Girls School, who were all very excited to begin their participation in the Beit Shemesh-South African Eco Connection. The Beit-Shemesh South Africa Eco Connection is supported by the Beit Shemesh-Mateh Yehuda-South Africa Partnership 2Gether of the Jewish Agency for Israel and the ...

Tu B’Shvat Reflections and Beyond

Now that Tu B’Shvat has past and the Seder which my Sunday School class led is over, its time for some reflections on what went well and what could be improved upon. Following this period of reflection, it is also important to identify some ‘next steps’ as far as the direction to take my students in, as well as the direction to focus our collective efforts towards. While I feel some relief that the Tu B’Shvat seder is over and that it was a successful event for the community, there is also a feeling that the ideas discussed during the Tu B’Shvat holiday must be examined in further depth and expanded upon in the weeks ...

Primer seminario eco-judío en español

Hace dos semanas se llevó a cabo en Yerushalaim el primer programa en español de Jewish Eco Seminars (organización con sede en Israel que involucra y educa a la comunidadjudía a través de seminarios inspiradores sobre la sabiduría judía en relación al medioambiente). En medio del invierno, un grupo de treinta y un personas de Midreshet Chail, (incuyendo alumnas de Chile y Argentina, sus coordinadoras y dos de sus rabinos), más el staff de educadores de Jewish Eco Seminars, dejaron de lado el frío para aventurarse por los bosques de Har Nof, para experienciar y estudiar sobre el ...

First Jewish Eco Seminar for Spanish-speaking communities

Two weeks ago, first Jewish Eco Seminar’s program for Spanish-speaking communities (Jewish Eco Seminars engages and educates the Jewish community through inspiring seminars on Jewish environmental wisdom) took place in Yerushalayim. In the midst of winter, a group of thirty one people from Midreshet Chail (including students from Chile and Argentina, their coordinators and two of their rabbis), besides the Jewish Eco Seminars’ staff of educators, put aside the cold to venture into the forests of Har Nof, to experience and study about the environment in Judaism. After a short walk, the girls participated in an experiential activity ...

Israeli, New Jersey teens team up in Eco Connection

Sviva Israel's Eco Connection has been featured in The Jewish Week. Here is the article: A Green Exchange Israeli, New Jersey teens team up in program to raise environmental awareness and make an Eco Connection. Michele Chabin Israel Correspondent Tuesday, January 11, 2011 Seeds of a partnership: New Jerseyites look at soil samples with Israeli sixth graders at the Chalmish School in Arad. Arad, Israel — Tu b’Shvat, the tree-planting holiday, was fast approaching, so it seemed only fitting that the project ...