(reposted from Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin's blog, dated October 18, 2011: http://blog.bjen.org/) We can learn a lot from Dr. Seuss, or a local CSA, or a child's coloring book. That is: there's a lot more variety in the world than we think. Not all carrots are orange; not all potatoes
(reposted from Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin's blog, October 16, 2011: http://blog.bjen.org/) This is the city of Antwerp, circa 1572. It was one of the most cosmopolitan, creative, commercial cities of the 16th century, and home of some of the era's most impressive engravers and printers. I found this particular map
(Reposted from Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin's Blog from October 3, 2011: http://blog.bjen.org/) In the run-up to the New Year, a bit of news may have escaped noticed: "Wangari Muta Maathai died on September 25 (1940–2011). She was a Nobel Peace Laureate; environmentalist; scientist; parliamentarian; founder of the Green Belt Movement;
In honor of Rosh HaShanah, a post from Rabbi Nina Cardin (http://blog.bjen.org/) dated September 27th, 2011: When the rabbis-of-old mused about the nature of the universe, their telescope was the Tanakh (the Bible), their philosophical society the pathways of Yavneh and Babylon. Without advanced technology, with no peering devices beyond
As we head into this New Year, let us reflect on the impact our activites have on our local surroundings, in our own neighborhoods and communities. We were recently made keenly aware of the devestation and havoc that could be wreaked on our local watershed, the Chesapeake, from two recent
(Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin explores nature's attempt at maintaining permeable surfaces, right in her own yard, in her blog from September 15, 2011: http://blog.bjen.org/) An enterprising man in a white pick-up truck came to the house yesterday, lured no doubt by the state of our driveway. He was not the
By Teri Jedeikin Kayam Farm Multicultural Educator True to its name sake, The Matriarch’s Orchard watches over Kayam Farm from its place upon the hill. Its landscape, gently sloping towards vineyards and strawberry patches, is rich with fruit trees, berry bushes and spiritual symbolism. It is a space created by
(reposted from Nina's Blog: http://blog.bjen.org/ Thursday, September 1, 2011) It all began when we caged electricity. This miraculous taming of God’s fierce fire; the channeling, damming and undamming of the stuff that drives the pulse of the universe and every creature’s heart. Our slow, sad alienation from nature all began
(from Rabbi Nina Cardin's blog, posted August 21, 2011 http://blog.bjen.org/) By a bend in the Genesee River, fast along the eastern shore, right about where the massive Hutchison Building of the University of Rochester stands today, an Algonquin tribe once thrived. They built homes from the forest's abundant tree bark
The Going Green Campaign of the Baltimore Jewish Community has been engaged with answering the charge of how to grow numbers, engage more people, and invigorate the masses. This blog, written by DFI's Executive Director Cindy Goldstein,( The Darrell Friedman Institute for Professional Development at the Weinberg Center ) addresses
Survey from Rachel Berndtson, a doctoral student in the Department of Geography at the University of Maryland. Her dissertation research is on the impact and diffusion of Kayam Farm throughout and beyond Baltimore … to generate knowledge on this *specific* movement, occurring in *this* area, at *this* time… Please take
(reposted from Rabbi Nina Cardin’s blog: http://blog.bjen.org/ ) A brief respite from the summer’s heat: I had been looking for the perfect counter-top compost container and had not been able to find one. So, in desperation, I simply reached for a clear plastic cannister that would otherwise be holding flour
(By Ben Greenwald: Ben Greenwald is the founding chair of THE ASSOCIATED’s Green Task Force. To learn more about THE ASSOCIATED’s efforts, visit www.associated.org/sustainability.) When our parents, grandparents and the founding leaders of our community first established communal priorities and identified pressing issues to address, it is unlikely that they
Hello! My name is Rachel Berndtson and I am a doctoral student in the Department of Geography at the University of Maryland, completing my dissertation research is on the diffusion of the Jewish farming movement in Baltimore. As a geographer, it is my aim to better understand the interactions between
