1989 results for tag: Uncategorized

Environmental Stewardship Can Be A Bridge

It is hard to believe that the non-profit organization I helped build has been closed for over a year. When my friend and I decided to form Faiths United for Sustainable Energy, we did so because we were frustrated with the level of engagement by religious communities in the public discourse related to energy, climate, and other environmental issues. While I was brainstorming on what I wanted to discuss this week on Jewcology, I began to think about the power of interfaith work focused on environmental stewardship and eco-spirituality. I decided to use my blog this month to relay a few stories and websites related to faith-based organizations ...

PotatOde

The 2nd in a series of poems about vegetable growing in my garden. Enjoy! PotatOde I’m growing potatoes it’s ever so sweet They grow underground and taste good to eat They take up much space as the plant it abounds You pile up dirt over the tubers in mounds The plants grow wild, a darkish green color Purple and white comes the small gentle flower I am forced to choose between beauty and function Do I remove the flowers at this early junction? Doing so now would hurt the aesthetic But might make the harvest less pathetic If I am lucky the plants last a while And potatoes abound throughout the pile The ...

Jewish youth starts teen environmental group

Ariel Allen, age 16, a resident of Atlanta, GA, a student of The Paideia School and a current Bronfman Fellow, is a winner of Action For Nature’s 2011 International Young Eco-Hero Award. Allen was honored for starting a Jewish Teen environmental group. San Francisco, CA (July 22, 2011) – Kosher Crew, founded by Ari, motivates Jewish teens to become active conservationists by taking part in tikkun olam, or “healing the world.” Inspired by two summer internships with the Student Conservation Association, he runs fun, peer-led outings to do hands-on environmental work. Kosher Crew’s goal is to motivate ...

Impact of the Jewish Farm movement – how have you been affected?

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 a few minutes to help in this important research! https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3QDTGNV

The Beauty of Compost

(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 or rice or granola or some such. We keep it by the sink and dump our food shards in there. Surprisingly, fresh compost is not always unattractive. Neither is nicely "cooked" compost. Good finished compost ready to be used is often rich and aromatic. It is only the in-between stage that is yucky. One afternoon last week, we cleared ...

The Power of Electronic Recycling

“Look at My works. See how beautiful they are, how excellent. See to it that you do not spoil or destroy My world. For if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you.” (Midrash Ecclesiates Rabbah 1 on 7:13 c. 9thcentury) In today’s ever more technological world, the number of electronic items the average person uses and wears out continues to grow. According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Americans now own approximately 24 electronic products per household. As Jews we should be mindful not to immediately throw out that an old laptop, cell phone or iPod. Rather, look to e-recycling as the best ...

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 ...

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Note: The Jewcology site will be down for a scheduled server transition from Sunday night to Monday morning. We'll see you on the other side!

Changing the world through gardening

It’s official, Camp Sprout Lake in changing the world through gardening. Today, the campers had a crash course in Rambam’s levels of Tzedakah, Pe’ah— a Jewish agricultural law regarding mandating the corners are the fields are left for the poor— and the pandemic of hunger plaguing the world. Campers began the activity not understanding the importance of justice, not willing to share their privileged lives in the form of tzedekah, or indifferent to it all. They left running up to other friends telling them we are all able to change the world with our own two hands. Today we did not just discuss ideas; rather, ...

Georgia youth wins International Young Eco-Hero award

Kosher Crew, founded by Ariel Allen (Ari) of Atlanta, Georgia, motivates Jewish teens to become active conservationists by taking part in tikkun olam, or “healing the world.” Inspired by two summer internships with the Student Conservation Association, he runs fun, peer-led outings to do hands-on environmental work. Kosher Crew’s goal is to motivate participants to be active and healthy and to make a positive impact on the environment while encompassing core values of Judaism. He wanted to create something for Jewish youth because so many environmental events are on Saturdays which they are unable to attend. Participation, ...

Bill McKibben Calls for Civil Disobedience Campaign in Washington DC in August 2011

By Rabbi Arthur Waskow Bill McKibben and several other leaders of the USand world-wide movement to prevent climate disaster have called for a wave of nonviolent civil disobedience at the White House gates between August 20 and Labor Day. The action will focus on convincing President Obama to withhold permits for the so-called ‘Keystone XLPipeline’ from Canada’s tar sands to flow to Texas refineries, thence to add enormously to planet-scorching CO2. Below you will find McKibben’s letter. More than 1100 people have signed up already. I am intending (God willing & the creeks don’t rise, or ...

4 Jewish Summer Camps Sell “Fracking Rights” that Endanger Drinking Water, Food, Health, & Climate

By Rabbi Arthur Waskow (7/14/2011) The Forward, the leading national Jewish weekly, on July 14, 2009, reported that four Jewish summer camps in Pennsylvania have signed leases with gas exploration companies to allow “fracking” –- the hydro-fracturing method of pouring tons of highly chemicalized water to smash shale rocks into releasing natural gas. The four are Starlight’s Perlman Camp, which is owned and operated by B’nai B’rith; Camps Nesher and Shoshanim, which share a property in Lakewood and are owned and operated by the New Jersey Federation of YMHAand YWHA; and Camp Morasha, an independent camp in Lakewood. The Forward reports ...

Embracing the Beast Within

I am not going to overcomplicate this. I’m an animal. We all are. And I’m not simply referring to our taxonomic classification. I’m talking about being the kind sweating, salivating, heart-pounding beasts that you see on the National Geographic channel. As Jews we tend to shy away from describing ourselves this way. We prefer to stress our godly characteristics; reason, free will, and control (after all, it was a snake that got us banned from the Garden of Eden). However, our inner animals don’t wither away and die when we deny them. They wait. Like a lion stalking its prey. Then when our defenses are down the animal ...

Sustaining Community – the Jewish Baltimore Way

(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 envisioned a day in which gasoline would cost more than $4.00 a gallon and that in some parts of the world, the scarcity of water would have profound economic and political consequences. The role of THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore has remained a constant since its ...

Deadline for Hazon Leadership Training, Friday August 12

Jewcology - Public Narrative Leadership Training Sunday, August 21st, 10:30am - 6:30pm, $60 Deadline for registration: Friday, August 12! As a Jewish environmental leader, do you know how to motivate people into action? Are you able to inspire people who don't share the same values as you? Jewcology is partnering with educators from Harvard University for this one-day workshop where you will learn how to share the experiences and values that have led you to engage in Jewish environmental education and action; gain skills to help you tell your personal stories in a way that connects you with others and clearly expresses your ...

The Tar Sands, Hydro-fracking, and Climate Reality

After the failure of the climate negotiations in Copenhagen 18 months ago, it seemed to me that the environmental movement was taking a long pause, trying to figure out how to engage the American population in the greatest challenge of our time. It seems to me now that this pause has ended, with a flurry of new activity that I’ve seen recently encouraging action on energy and climate change. There are three campaigns that I’ve recently become familiar with, and I will mention them with an eye toward what they are fighting and the difference they hope to make. The first campaign is the Tar Sands Action, which ...

The 3 Weeks

I'm still in shock. I have no words to describe what have happened in Israel a couple of days ago. Rabbi Elazar Abuhatzeira Z'L, a great cabbalist rabbi and grandson of the Baba Sali (the Baba Sali was a great and righteous rabbi, famous for his miracles), was murdered on Thursday night. When I first heard about it, I thought that for sure it was an Arab, a terrorist attack or so. But it is even worse; he was murdered by a Jew! A fellow Jew who frequently visited R' Abuhatzeira to receive blessings and advice, that was upset because he did not succeed after receiving his advices! But beside the spiritual loss, what distress me the ...

Testimonials from the October 2010 teachings

“Thank you so much for your moving d’var Torah at Temple Emanu-El this past Shabbat. A number of people commented to me on your combination of passion and erudition, and two people volunteered that same evening to participate in our Temple’s ‘Green Team’. -Chair of Green Committee, Temple Emanu-El, New Jersey “Rabbi Neril’s teaching is compelling and relevant to the environmental issues we face today. He beautifully bridges the gap between Jewish tradition and ...

Testimonials from Participants in the Seminars:

“Rabbi Neril’s Jewish Eco Seminar put a spiritual foundation to the challenges we face with the environment.” "Transcendent moments at Jewish Eco Seminars!…Jewish values grounded us in bringing heaven and earth closer together to do Tikkun Olam for the environment.” “Jewish Eco Seminars provided me with electrifying insights into Judaism and its teachings on the environment." “An inspiring educational experience that created an interactive dialogue for what Judaism teaches about caring for the environment.” &...

Teacher Trainings

We offer professional development programs for Jewish educators of all denominations in teaching Israel-focused Jewish education. Goals: * Bolster Jewish educators’ awareness and knowledge of Jewish environmental teachings and empower them to teach on Judaism and the environment *Engage and inspire young Jews concerned about the planet’s future by linking a core area of concern for them to Jewish teachings * Reinvigorate Jewish education, enhance Jewish continuity, and catalyze a Jewish response to the environmental crisis Objectives: * Serve as a bridge connecting a cohort of dynamic Jewish environmental ...