Yoni Stadlin in farmer mode at Eden Village Camp

Mondays, huh? A complicated and sometimes challenging day, but also a time to assess the events of last week, and plan a coming week that’s even better. Let’s begin with this: last week was great. As you all know, we called it Jewcology week. Our blog had some awesome features from really inspiring guests – farmers, educators and small business operators – all who occupy themselves with living out their ideas about environmentally sustainable practices. So much to learn from these guys! In a world where we see the results of climate change and poor lifestyle and environmental choices all around us, it’s important to have mentors to help us understand how we can change the world around us, and ensure that our descendants can enjoy G-d’s wonderful creations.

Our wonderful Jewcology Shabbat guest speaker Yoni Stadlin put it beautifully; we’re all on the same boat. Drilling a hole in one part of the boat doesn’t just effect that small corner of the boat. It sinks everyone; we’re all responsible for each other. If you think about it, this idea is manifest on so many levels – when you act positively, even if it’s just doing a small deed, or helping someone out – this spreads light. It betters the world, and it makes us stronger as a whole.

Speaking of the Jewcology Shabbat dinner downtown at the Sixth Street Shul – what a success! I came along to that and it was really beautiful to see a room full of young and vibrant Jews sharing a Shabbat dinner together. Dinner was delicious, said speaker Yoni was a treat, and we really had a great crowd. So, thank you to everyone who came, and we hope to see you all again soon, especially at all the events we have planned for Aish Downtown (including our big Purim party on February 23rd [GET EXCITED], the brand new Challah for Hunger chapter we’re starting [STAY TUNED!] and lots more.)

Our other event last week was Jew in the City, featuring the inspiring Allison Josephs, whose story of finding her life’s purpose really moved and motivated her audience. Allison is truly an impressive woman – and the very picture of Jewish pride. I spoke to some people afterwards, and they seemed to honestly be glowing after her talk. It’s amazing how sometimes, just listening to someone as motivated as Allison can really give you the kick you need to stay positive about your own life, regardless of your goals, and feel great about yourself.

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead! I’m hoping to see a lot of you at our Date Nation panel this Wednesday night – a must for anyone with questions, or answers, about the complex world of dating.

This week at Aish Center, we’re celebrating Jewcology week! In the lead-up to our Downtown Jewcology Shabbat dinner (this week!), and the holiday of Tu B’Shevat, we want to take time to learn about, celebrate and actualize positive and sustainable environmental practices. We’re lucky to have some really awesome people guest blogging for us this week, to tell us about the wonderful and important work they do.
Without further ado, our third guest blogger…

Evonne Marzouk

Hi!  I’m Evonne Marzouk, the founder and executive director of Canfei Nesharim: Sustainable Living Inspired by Torah.  For the last ten years, Canfei Nesharim has been helping Jews discover the relevance of our tradition to one modern challenge: protecting the environment.  Our aim is to learn Jewish traditional wisdom at a deep level, share this messages widely in the Jewish community, and empower leaders around the world who are bringing Jewish environmental education to their own communities.  In addition to our Torah learning resources, we also empower these leaders through leadership training and our web-based social media portal for Jewish environmentalists, Jewcology.com.

Next week, we will conclude a Year of Jewish Learning on the Environment.  For our Year of Learning, we’ve gathered the most important lessons in the Torah about protecting the environment.  The eighteen topics have included a wide range of lessons, from food and waste to energy and species biodiversity, from prayer to Shabbat.  It’s been a great year!

Also next week, in honor of Tu b’Shevat, we’ll begin a new year – a Year of Action in the Jewish community on the environment.  We’re going to be focusing on reducing food waste and saving energy, and we’ll also be offering a web-based calculator where you can track your actions and see the actions of the entire participating community.  The Aish Center will be participating in our Year of Action and sharing some of our lessons and actions during the course of the year!

Canfei Nesharim also has some great holiday materials connecting the environment to the Jewish year, and we even have a Torah teaching about the environment for every Torah portion!  This Tu b’Shevat you can learn more about Trees, Torah and the Environment – and get a wealth of resources for planning your own Tu b’Shevat Seder in our Tu b’Shevat section.

The Jewcology community is a diverse global community of Jewish environmentalists who are sharing resources and connecting.  To learn more about our Jewcology community, watch our fun video!

Happy Tu b’Shevat!

This week at Aish Center, we’re celebrating Jewcology week! In the lead-up to our Downtown Jewcology Shabbat dinner (this week!), and the holiday of Tu B’Shevat, we want to take time to learn about, celebrate and actualize positive and sustainable environmental practices. We’re lucky to have some really awesome people guest blogging for us this week, to tell us about the wonderful and important work they do.
Without further ado, our second guest blogger…

Uri Laio shows off his wares.

Hi, I’m Uri Laio, owner and operator of Brassica and Brine. I make food with lots of bacteria in it (otherwise known as fermented food). Why? Because we can’t live without symbiotic bacteria (for every human cell in our body, we have about 10 beneficial bacterial cells) and one of the best ways to get more of these bacteria is through food.

My company is based in Los Angeles, CA. Some of our bacteria-rich products include kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, and dill pickles. All of our ingredients are organic, and all of our produce is grown locally in California. We do not use vinegar in our products—rather, we use an Old World method called lacto-fermentation. It is a living process where those aforementioned beneficial bacteria create their own “vinegar”, called lactic acid.

I fell in love with fermentation while participating in the Adamah Jewish Environmental Fellowship in 2008. Traditional fermented foods have a living, bright flavor which I had never tasted before, and which vinegar can’t replicate. I also experienced noticeable sudden health benefits from eating those foods, including benefits to my digestive and immune systems. I wanted to share these flavorful and healing foods with the world, and so Brassica and Brine was born.

As a Jew, and especially as a Lubavitcher chossid, I am especially proud of the foods I make. I know that I’m using fair and sustainable business practices and creating healing foods that are improving lives.

Thank you, Uri! Register for the Jewcology Shabbat Dinner here. 

This week at Aish Center, we’re celebrating Jewcology week! In the lead-up to the festival of Tu B’Shevat, and our Downtown Jewcology Shabbat dinner (this week!), we want to take time to learn about, celebrate and actualize positive and sustainable environmental practices. We’re lucky to have some really awesome people guest blogging for us this week, to tell us about the wonderful and important work they do.
Without further ado, our first guest blogger…

Urban farmer, educator, and guest blogger Clare Hyre.

Greetings from Philadelphia, PA! My name is Clare Hyre and I’m the Education Director at a CSA  community supported agriculture) in Northwest Philadelphia. I’ve been working at this urban farm for the past two years and got my inspiration from apprenticing on farms around the country and from ADAMAH, a Jewish farming fellowship in Falls Village, CT.

Teaching and working the land are very spiritual acts for me. When I’m working hard and feeling the elements of nature around me, I can better center on the awesomeness of the divine and humanity. When I’m teaching, I can see the opening of hearts and minds within my students. I feel so privileged to be able be outside everyday and to have made my passion my vocation.

I believe it is especially important for people living in the city to interact with nature on a regular bases, especially in places where food is being grown. Whether or not you are (or can afford to be) a buy local or buy organic type, there something fundamentally valuable to see how a plant grows, to eat something fresh, to get your fingers dirty.

In a country that hardly acknowledges the tremendously hard work of farming (instead, it actually demeans it), it means so much to farmers to see folks put some effort into finding out where their food grows and partake in growing it. So show your farmer some respect and get involved!

Thanks!
Clare Hyre