SHMA.COM
is the intentional quality of our community.
Through course work, informal conversations,
and rituals, we wrestle with the meaning of
Jewish identity and our common history and
heritage. We have found a context for perma-
culture concepts within Judaism’s roots as an
agricultural religion. The way brakhot reference
the source of food growth aligns with perma-
culture’s emphasis on whole system awareness.
Celebrating the harvest festival of Sukkot takes
on greater significance when we have a literal
harvest to celebrate. Through a framework that
integrates the two, the Jewish tradition enriches
our shared permaculture; and through perma-
culture, we discover a richness in Judaism. As a
result, we carve out a place within Judaism that
we can inhabit together, at least for five months.
Nati Passow, a Philadelphia-based writer and educator,
is co-founder and director of
the Jewish Farm School.
Sarah Lefton is the executive
director and producer of
G-dcast.com. She lives in
(see episode 7.) Visit G-dcast
at http://www.g-dcast.com for
a new episode each week. One
can join a mailing list there
and receive a weekly email on
Friday mornings with a reminder
to watch the new episode!
Food and Community:
In the Field with the Jewish Farm School
NATI PASSOW
Since 2008, Hazon’s Jewish Farm School has been running alternative break trips for college students on farms around the
United States. During the trip, participants
work on a variety of farming and building projects that the hosts have mapped out. In the
evenings, we discuss such topics as Judaism
and sustainability, Jewish agricultural laws, and
global food security. In addition to the work
and study, food is a central piece of the program. After kashering the kitchen, we prepare
delicious meals throughout the week, often
with food from the farm and invited guests
from the host community. We take time to
share our “food stories”: our personal relationships to food, and the wonderful, challenging, and silly connections we have to eating.
Each meal begins with a food tour and a
kavannah, or intention, for the meal. This could
take the form of a traditional brakhah, or it
could be a short teaching or guided meditation
that traces the meal back to its source. At the
Jewish Farm School, we enjoy slow and casual
meals; we allow plenty of time for cooking and
eating where the meals serve both as oppor-
tunities for larger communal experiences and
for more intimate conversations.
G-dcast is a weekly “take” on the parshat hashavua. Rabbis, teachers, hip hop artists, writers, and Hollywoodies present a dvar Torah in their own words, and then
we animate it in a Web cartoon format. G-dcast
is post-denominational; we deliberately invite
Podcasting God
SARAH LEFTON
guest writers/narrators from every conceivable
synagogue movement, as well as people who
don’t identify with those labels at all. All of our
commentators have something to say about the
week’s Torah portion, and they can share their
thoughts in language that doesn’t alienate
