Peace Subscribe
A selection of initiatives, blogs, resources and communities on Jewcology which focus on peace.
Blogs
What Would Herzl Do? Zionism and Muslim-Jewish Dialogue
- July 15, 2014
By David Krantz. SARAJEVO (Sept. 1, 2013) — What happens when Jews sit down in the same room with Muslims? We ask lots of questions. The Muslims ask: What is the significance of the kippah? Why can’t you do anything on Shabbat? And what is Zionism? The Jews ask: What does it mean for you to cover your hair? What is the range of opinions in Islam about homosexuality? What would your ideal solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict be? And in a twist on the classical Christian question, a Zionist ...
Environmental Diplomacy and the Middle East
- July 14, 2014
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By Rabbi Michael Cohen. KIBBUTZ KETURA (Dec. 26, 2009) — The folk rock musician James Taylor laments in one of his songs, “And in between what might have been and what has come to pass, a misbegotten guess alas and bits of broken glass.” The ongoing tragic saga of the Arab-Israeli conflict can be summed up in this poignant line. This conflict repeats its refrain of violence and dehumanization over and over again. Like a song, its lyrics do not change. Click here to continue reading this article
Vegetarianism for a More Peaceful World
- April 2, 2014
The universal dream of a peaceful, non-violent world will never be realized as long as we continue to consume the flesh of animals. Simply put, the senseless, mind-boggling, global slaughter of over 65 billion chickens, cows, turkeys, pigs, sheep, goats, ducks and other farm animals and an even greater number of fish and other sea creatures constitutes the largest source of pain, suffering, bloodshed, and killing on our planet. It is a bloodbath of inconceivable magnitude. Through the consumption of flesh, we desensitize ourselves to all forms of suffering and ...
The Urban Adamah Fellowship Now Accepting 2014 Applications
- October 17, 2013
Connect to Something Bigger: Earth, Community, Social Justice, Jewish Spirituality The Urban Adamah Fellowship, based in Berkeley, CA, is a three-month residential training program for young adults (ages 21–31) that combines urban organic farming, social justice training and progressive Jewish learning and living within the setting of an intentional community. Through the operation of Urban Adamah’s one-acre organic farm and internships with social justice organizations, fellows gain significant skills, training and experience in all aspects of ...
Earth Etude for Elul 6 – Today the World is Born
- August 11, 2013
by Rabbi David Seidenberg On Rosh Hashanah we hear the shofar and call out, "Hayom Harat Olam"! "Today is the birthday of the world; today the world is born." So says the liturgy according to most readings. And this birthday is not just one of celebration: "Today the world stands in judgment." These two motifs alone should give us pause today to consider what we are doing to the planet, to how we can restore the balance of the atmosphere, the balance of the waters and the air, of the forests and ...
Support a joint Israeli- Palestinian organic farm!
- July 22, 2012
Despite all the headlines and rhetoric of conflict here is a positive project for understanding and co-existence- Heavens Field Farm- where the emphasis is on our belonging to the land, not ownership. A small group of Israelis and Palestinians are working together to create an organic farm- a piece of land where both sides will aspire to respect each other and the Land that is our common source- of life and strife. Please check out the video and campaign on http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/95349?a=552277 . We are trying to raise our seed money for the first years ...
What I Learned from Going Unplugged
- January 3, 2012
From December 25-28, I took four days off work and also, I disconnected myself from facebook, twitter and email. I felt that it wouldn't be a real vacation from work if I was still connected to facebook, twitter or email at all. This might not be the case for everyone, but for me, the virtual world always pulls me back into the stress of work life. Whether it's day or night, vacation or work time, I feel obligated to act on whatever I see there. If I don't act on it, I feel stressed. (If I do act on it I also feel stressed.) The only solution was ...
Living our Values at the Festival of Eden
- October 24, 2011
Warm autumn sky, a mega-stage, bicycle-churned ice cream and over 450 people celebrating sustainable Jewish living.... On September 25, 2011, Eden Village Camp held our first annual Festival of Eden. The event was a tangible way for the community to experientially connect with principles of sustainability, environmentalism, and Jewish tradition. Eden Village Camp nourishes the connections between self, community, earth, and spirit with socially and environmentally conscious programming that is firmly rooted in Jewish tradition. The Festival of Eden showcased this ...
Coming Together
- September 11, 2011
Writing a blog post for Jewcology is usually a fairly fluid process for me. Throughout the month I generally collect different articles and compile thoughts in a document that I then go back to when I am trying to figure out what theme I want to address in my blog. This month was different. It did not occur to me until last week that the blog I was going to post had a deadline of September 11th. Sitting in the passenger seat of my car, with the Hudson River to my right and my wife listening to NPR which is playing personal stories of families who lost ...
Emerging Leaders Project
- July 31, 2011
The Emerging Religious Leaders Sustainability Project brings together Muslim, Christian, and Jewish seminary students from Israel and the West Bank for a series of ten interactive seminars on human coexistence and environmental sustainability. The seminars, spread out over six months and centered in Jerusalem, will focus on how we live on the land (environmental sustainability) and how we live together (human sustainability). The seminars will incorporate sources of profound wisdom and teaching concerning harmony and balance with nature that have arisen in several ...