1989 results for tag: Uncategorized

Coming Together

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 loved ones on 9-11, I feel compelled to convey a story of hope that is also ...

What is Public Narrative?

Although I have participated in all three of the Jewcology Public Narrative trainings, I still struggle to succinctly describe the experience (don’t tell). So I did what all good folks do in this day and age, I googled it. Marshall Ganz, Professor at the Kennedy School, long time organizer, has this to say in his course outline where he teaches the tenants of it: The questions of what am I called to do, what my community is called to do, and what we are called to do now are at least as old as Moses’ conversation with God at the burning bush. Why me? asks Moses, when called to free his people. And, who – or what - is ...

Baby steps…

As a participant in the recent Jewcology Public Narrative Training—surrounded by a collection of eloquent and accomplished Jewish environmental/ social justice activists—I couldn’t help but recall the classic “sailing” scene in the delightfully goofy 1991 Bill Murray comedy “What About Bob?” For those of you who haven’t seen the film, Murray plays Bob Wiley—a man so overcome by obsessive-compulsive fear and anxiety that he can hardly make it through his morning hygiene ritual, let alone face the world outside his front door. At a certain point in the movie, Bob is offered the opportunity to ...

Sit Under a Vine and Fig Tree, and You Shall Not be Afraid!

‘Every one shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for Hashem has spoken.’ Micah 4.4 What is it about growing your own fruits and vegetables that alleviates fear? Why does Micah believe Hashem has spoken through the act of farming or gleaning? Why a grape vine and fig tree? Why not under the string beans or cherry tomatoes? As I sit in my back yard, positioning myself between my grape vine, fig tree, string beans and cherry tomatoes, I begin to understand what Micah might have meant all those years ago. When I bought my house 4 years ago, there was no garden, it has taken much ...

Grassroots Jewish Women’s Community

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 women for women - a radical innovation that invites Jewish women to engage with each other and with all women of diverse ages and heritages. The orchard is an ecological and spiritual learning space where integration of mind, body and spirit is the key to maintaining a healthy garden and healthy selves. As you enter through ...

I Can’t Convince You

As an environmental activist, human being, and as a Jew I have worked to mitigate the effects of climate change. I have planted gardens, taught classes, composted my own trash, as well as the trash of my neighbors, relatives, and friends. However, the more time I spend thinking about climate change and reading scientific articles pertaining to climate change, the more I realize that there is nothing we can do to stop it. Climate change is a reality. The Earth’s temperature is rising. Sea level is rising. Endangered species are disappearing. Habitat is being irrevocably lost. And cultures are fading. It is a sobering realization, but it is ...

Alienature (the alienation of people from nature)

(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 when we put those ions on the end of a leash. The power we have harvested removes from us the awareness of the every day life. We forget the precious heaviness of water. We are blind to the ebb and flow of day’s light and darkness. Our spaces are filled with noise that ...

Radical Judaism Book Review

Shalom, I’d like to dedicate my first Jewcology blog to Rabbi Arthur Green and his latest book, Radical Judaism. I believe this an extremely valuable and important book as we head into the next centuries of Jewish life. What do you think? What books would you recommend? I look forward to the conversation. David Arfa, Maggid (Mah-geed; Storyteller)/ Environmental Educator Radical Judaism is written for all of us who are exploring fresh relationships between mind, forest, earth, cosmos and religious life. It is not a how-to primer for greener holiday celebrations or eco-prayers. It is not written for those ...

Leadership training!

When I was three years old, my parents started to worry about my development. I was taking the steps and growing up like any normal child, except for one major problem: I wasn’t talking. As the youngest girl of two extroverted sisters, talking was never a necessity. All I would have to do is point, and perhaps make some noise to get attention, and my sisters would quickly understand or explain what it was that I wanted to say. My mother breathed a sigh of relief when, one day, I broke out into song, repeatedly quoting the lyrics from the “My Little Pony” movie that I had apparently memorized. I wish I could say that from that ...

Reusing the land: then and now

(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 and farmed the rich soil. They occupied about 9 acres there. They created the foot paths (and followed the animal trails) that became the city's major roads. They plied the rushing waters of the river when it was not yet tamed. It is believed that the area around the Genesee has been inhabited for thousands of ...

Israeli pump technology uses air to heat water instantly

By Alona Volinsky Photo stevendepolo Phoebus Energy, an Israeli startup, has come up with an innovative technology to heat water, by using air. Hydra is an intelligent heat pump that delivers energy to heat water in large complexes such as hospitals and hotels that need enough energy to sustain hot water in all rooms, pools etc. Hydra technology absorbs the energy from the air turning it from thermal to kinetic energy. On its own, the traditional methods to heat water, such as gas and heating oil are costly and polluting. Phoebus Energy’s system works as a hybrid; connecting its network of heat pumps with the traditional systems, ...

Reflections on the Jewcology Leadership Training

One of the major things that struck me during my time at the Jewcology Leadership Training in Public Narrative, that felt powerful and resonant, was the fact that several trainers and participants cried (heck, maybe we all did!) at different points in either listening to others’ stories or telling their own story, and that it felt completely natural and unsurprising. I felt like everyone who attended the training was feeling the catharsis of telling about our frustration and our emotional discomfort with mainstream acceptance of environmental degradation. Many of us shared the feelings that were being relayed in these stories- the moments in ...

Jewcology mentioned in El-Al in flight magazine!

Jewcology mention in Atmosphere, the El-Al in flight magazine! See: http://www.roicommunity.org/blog/el-als-atmosphere-magazine-roi-feature-a

Leadership Training #3

Thanks to everyone who participated in the third Jewcology Leadership Training, which took place on August 21 at UC-Davis, a bonus day to the Hazon Food Conference. Fourteen participants learned to tell their own stories, the story of their communities, and stories to motivate action now. We learned how to inspire and motivate others with stories, and to overcome our own fears and burnout by finding continual inspiration from our passion and purpose. More details about the training results will be coming soon, but in the meanwhile we wanted to share some photos from the training. Congratulations to all who participated! To see the ...

I am not an Environmentalist

My name is Noam Dolgin. I am environmental educator, activist, organizer, advocate, campaigner, crusader, agitator, professional, and I aspire to someday play the role of envrio-guru. But I am not an environmentalist! I do not ascribe to a ‘distinct doctrine’ known as environmentalism. It is not my ‘belief’ that I exist due my relationship with the Earth, I know it to be true. The fact is, each of us breaths eats and drinks from the Earth. We utilize Earth’s minerals, fossil fuels, and land in every moment. Our carbon footprint, our waste, and the resources we extract from Earth are not beliefs, they are an ...

The Israeli Summer: Tent Cities, Bombs, Boycotts and Herzl’s Dream

NEW YORK (Aug. 22, 2011) — If you thought Theodor Herzl’s dream was fulfilled with the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948, think again. Thousands are camping out in Israel’s cities, demanding social change. Thousands more around the world, angered by the Palestinians’ situation, seek to boycott Israel. Meanwhile, Egypt, Israel and Gaza volley bombs and rockets in escalating attacks and counterattacks. Which brings us back to Herzl. His dream wasn’t simply the creation of a Jewish democratic state, but the creation of a model state — a place that would protect its environment, a place powered by ...

Israeli company brings light to third world countries

By Eva Levin Photos by Irene2005 and Globe Light & Water Systems Inc. The giant structures line most of our major roads and have become an integral part of the urban landscape. Yet to most Westerners, streetlights are so common they hardly get noticed by anyone. That is not the reality for most third world countries. Many African countries, for example, have a complete lack of street lighting on major streets, making it extremely dangerous to drive in anything but clear and sunny conditions. That is why Globe Light and Water Systems (GLW,) an Israeli company, has developed a new standalone light fixture that relies solely on ...

On Jews and Gold

As the global economy continues down the tumultuous path toward financial meltdown, the value of gold has correspondingly skyrocketed. From a value of around $300 an ounce in the year 2000, the price of gold today sits at $1,784. The price of silver has had even more of a meteoric rise during this same period. Very likely this move toward the precious metals is a reflection of investors fears regarding the fiat money system itself and the reserve-banking ponzy scheme that is destabilizing governments worldwide. What, you might ask at this point, is a blog post about currency and gold doing on a Jewish Environmental website such as Jewcology? ...

On Golden Opportunities

Lexus has a commercial out that was bothering me enough that I ranted to my husband about it. He suggested that perhaps some of that ranting might make for a good blog posting... thus these lines. The commercial talks about all of your missed opportunities - the race you never ran, the ship around the world you never took, the novel you never wrote. And then it poses the one opportunity that you shouldn't miss. The opportunity to - da-dum! - buy a car. I am appalled by this message, not just because I still hope to do some of those things, but because I can't honestly believe that anyone could propose that a car purchase could be ...

Incorporating change in a radically different Jewish world

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 their approach to implementation of mission and vision in an ever-changing landscape: For decades, communal professionals have been searching for “best practices” to recruit, train and retain individuals with passion, excellence and vision to lead our Jewish communities into the future. ...