Please enjoy this fourth episode, featuring co-hosts Hannah Perez-Postman and Adam Brock and their guest speakers, Paul Sherman, Outreach Manager for Mazon, and Dr. Damien Thompson, Co-founder of Frontline Farming in Colorado and Director of the Center for Food Justice and Healthy Communities. They discuss food justice and food sovereignty through the lens of Shmita, during which our guests will speak about what brought them to their work as activists and what we all can do to contribute and organize for a more just society for everyone. Damien Thompson, PhD Co-founder, Frontline Farming in Colorado and Director, Center for Food Justice and Healthy Communities. Damien is an Associate Professor of Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, Sociology and Criminal Justice at Regis University where he directs the Community Food Systems program. In addition to his training in anthropology, Dr. Thompson also holds certification in Permaculture Design and a 200-hour Yoga Alliance Teaching Certification.  Paul Sherman Outreach Manager, MAZON. Paul has more than six years of experience in community organizing with both Jewish and anti-hunger organizations. After founding theUniversity of Denver’s chapter of Food Recovery Network, he completed a fellowship at theirnational office in College Park, Maryland. Paul has a B.A. in Religious Studies and International Studies from the University of Denver. Paul implements MAZON’s priorities on the East Coast by identifying and developing relationships with Jewish community-based organizations, including synagogues and anti-hunger organizations.

Hazon: The Jewish Lab for Sustainability

Creating Food Justice

Please enjoy this third episode, featuring co-hosts Hannah Perez-Postman and Adam Brock and their guest speakers, Siena Mann, Campaign Manager for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, and Rosa Sabido, an activist and leader in the Sanctuary movement and founder of the organization Rosa Belongs Here. This hour-long conversation will be a discussion of immigrant rights work through the lens of Shmita and the Torah's wisdom on treating "the stranger", during which our guests will speak about what brought them to their work as activists and what we all can do to contribute and organize for a more just society for everyone. In this season, we are sharing the recordings of a six part speaker series called Acting for Change, Creating Justice produced by Ekar Farms, an earth-based Jewish urban farm in Denver, CO. We will look at how to use ancient Jewish traditions, like Shmita, to catalyze conversations that inspire individual and collective actions to work towards justice. Each episode will have a new speaker to explore the interwoven themes of Judaism, connection to land, and modern social justice movements. We hope this series will inspire you to take action on some of these issues during the upcoming Shmita Year. You can learn more about this series and other programs at www.ekarfarm.org/shmita. This series is produced in partnership with the Shmita Project. The Shmita Project is working to expand awareness about the biblical Sabbatical tradition, and to bring the values of this practice to life today to support healthier, more sustainable Jewish communities. Learn more at www.shmitaproject.org. Featured Guests: Siena Mann: Campaign Manager, Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition  Siena has been active in justice movements since graduating from Haverford College with a B.A. in Spanish Literature in 2014. Siena moved back to Colorado and became an active local organizer in Colorado Springs in the deportation resistance movement. She helped found the Colorado Springs Sanctuary Coalition and was an active member of CIRC’s member group Grupo Esperanza. Siena joined CIRC as the South Regional Organizer from 2018-2019. As one of CIRC’s Organizing and Campaign Managers, Siena's work now focuses on making improvements to the SB251 Driver’s License for All program, coordinating the I Drive/Yo Manejo Coalition and fighting for data privacy for all. Rosa Sabido: Founder, Rosa Belongs Here. Rosa has lived in the United States for more than 30 years. She works as the Secretary at the Catholic Church. For the past six years, Rosa has been granted a Stay of Removal by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) until May 11,2017, when the agency declined to grant her most recent request. Facing deportation Rosa sought “sanctuary” while she works to remain in her community in the country she calls home, and to care for her U.S. citizen parents.

Creating Justice for Immigrants

In this season, we are sharing the recordings of a six part speaker series called Acting for Change, Creating Justice produced by Ekar Farms, an earth-based Jewish urban farm in Denver, CO. We will look at how to use ancient Jewish traditions, like Shmita, to catalyze conversations that inspire individual and collective actions to work towards justice. Each episode will have a new speaker to explore the interwoven themes of Judaism, connection to land, and modern social justice movements. We hope this series will inspire you to take action on some of these issues during the upcoming Shmita Year. You can learn more about this series and other programs at www.ekarfarm.org/shmita. This series is produced in partnership with the Shmita Project. The Shmita Project is working to expand awareness about the biblical Sabbatical tradition, and to bring the values of this practice to life today to support healthier, more sustainable Jewish communities. Learn more at www.shmitaproject.org. Please enjoy this second episode, featuring co-hosts Hannah Perez-Postman and Adam Brock and their guest speakers, Greg Watson of the Schumacher Institute for a New Economics and Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster of T'ruah: the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. This hour long conversation will be a discussion of economic justice through the lens of Shmita, during which our guests will speak about what brought them to their work as activists and what we all can do to contribute and organize for a more economically just, and equitable society. Featured Guests: Greg Watson, Director of Policy and Systems Design at the Schumacher Center for a New Economics. His work currently focuses on community food systems and the dynamics between local and geo-economic systems. Watson has spent nearly 40 years learning to understand systems thinking as inspired by Buckminster Fuller and to apply that understanding to achieve a just and sustainable world. Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster, Deputy Director, T’ruah. Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster has spent nearly fourteen years at T'ruah: The Rabbinical Call for Human Rights, most recently as Deputy Director. At T'ruah, she has been the lead strategist on T’ruah’s human rights campaigns and heads the organizing and training of more than 2,000 rabbis and cantors. Rachel is the original #tomatorabbi, spearheading T’ruah’s critical partnership with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Florida, and leads Jewish community in worker-led campaigns for corporate accountability.

Creating Economic Justice

In this season, we will be sharing the recordings of a six part speaker series called Acting for Change, Creating Justice produced by Ekar Farms, an earth-based Jewish urban farm in Denver, CO. We will look at how to use ancient Jewish traditions, like Shmita, to catalyze conversations that inspire individual and collective actions to work towards justice. Each episode will have a new speaker to explore the interwoven themes of Judaism, connection to land, and modern social justice movements. We hope this series will inspire you to take action on some of these issues during the upcoming Shmita Year. You can learn more about this series and other programs at www.ekarfarm.org/shmita. This first episode features co-hosts Hannah Perez-Postman, Adam Brock, and their guest speaker, Nati Passow, who will share about a framework for understanding the history of Jewish agriculturalism and how the practice of Shmita developed. This series is produced in partnership with the Shmita Project. The Shmita Project is working to expand awareness about the biblical Sabbatical tradition, and to bring the values of this practice to life today to support healthier, more sustainable Jewish communities. We’ve recently launched the Shmita Prizes – a chance to create new ritual & meaning around the ancient practices of the sabbatical year. Submissions are being accepted through May 19, 2021. Learn more at www.shmitaproject.org. 

Just What is Shmita?

In October 2020, Hazon facilitated the first ever Virtual Israel Ride with our partner the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. This weeklong event brought the magical moments of the annual Israel Ride to a large community through a new medium. We would like to welcome you as we begin this featured episode:. Join Nigel Savage, Hazon’s Founder & CEO, along with other Hazon educators from the National Program Team, for an immersive workshop sampling different elements of Hazon’s programming including the Brit Hazon, Hazon Seal of Sustainability, the Jewish Youth Climate Movement, and Food Rescue Work in Detroit. For more information about the Israel Ride, please visit Israelride.org. Registration is now open for 2021. Join us Oct. 19-26 2021 for 5 days of riding from Jerusalem to Eilat all in support of the crucial sustainability and peace-building work of Hazon and the Arava Institute.

Israel Rides Pt. 1

In October 2020, Hazon facilitated the first ever Virtual Israel Ride with our partner the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. This weeklong event brought the magical moments of the annual Israel Ride to a large community through a new medium. We would like to welcome you as we begin this featured episode: Here we Join Nigel Savage, Hazon’s Founder & CEO, along with other Hazon educators from the National Programs Team, for an immersive workshop sampling different elements of Hazon’s programming including the Brit Hazon, Hazon Seal of Sustainability, the Jewish Youth Climate Movement, and Food Rescue Work in Detroit.

In a new COVID-19 world Nigel Savage, President and CEO of Hazon speaks with Jewish leaders from around the world on what this changing landscape means for Jewish communities near and far. Originally recorded on June 21st, we tune into this episode featuring four members of the Jewish Youth Climate Movement (JYCM) in conversation with Nigel Savage. The Jewish Youth Climate Movement was founded by Hazon in 2020. They are dedicated to mitigating climate change by empowering teens, mobilizing communities and taking action. JYCM believes in using Jewish values as a motivation to create a more equitable and sustainable world for all.

After the Plague-- The Jewish Youth Climate Movement

In a new COVID-19 world Nigel Savage, President and CEO of Hazon speaks with Jewish leaders from around the world on what this changing landscape means for Jewish communities near and far. Originally recorded on June 14th, we tune into this episode featuring Dasi Fruchter and Claudia Kreiman. Dasi Fruchter is the founder and spiritual leader of the South Philadelphia Shtiebel, a new and inclusive Modern Orthodox community. Rabbanit Fruchter also holds the position of Halachic Advisor for Niddah and Women's Health at Beth Sholom Congregation. Claudia Kreiman is rabbi for NOAM, the Masorti-Conservative Youth Organization in Israel; she has modeled new ways for children to think about women’s participation in religion. In 2002 she became both the rabbi for NOAM and the Israeli rabbinic fellow for Temple B’nai Jeshurun in New York, bringing the lively, experimental approach of the New York synagogue to Israeli teens.

After the Plague-- Dasi Fruchter and Claudia Kreiman

In a new COVID-19 world Nigel Savage, President and CEO of Hazon speaks with Jewish leaders from around the world on what this changing landscape means for Jewish communities near and far. Originally recorded on May 24th, we tune into this episode featuring Shaul Bassi and Andi Arnovitz in conversation with Nigel Savage. Shaul is the director of the Venice Center for Humanities and Social Change. He has written extensively about the present environmental and social issues of Venice, as well as the city's history. Andi is an American-Israeli printmaker and multimedia artist. Her work is in the permanent collections of the United States Library of Congress, the Israel National library, Yale University Library, The Magnes Collection and Yeshiva University Museum The Smithsonian Museum.

After the Plague-- Shaul Bassi and Andi Arnovitz

In a new COVID-19 world Nigel Savage, President and CEO of Hazon speaks with Jewish leaders from around the world on what this changing landscape means for Jewish communities near and far. Originally recorded on May 17th, we tune into this episode featuring Andy Stern; as both a labor leader and an activist, Stern is a leading voice and a prominent advocate for people who work. He is the author of A Country That Works, which outlines a practical, cooperative approach to promote economic growth in America. In early 2010, Stern was appointed by President Obama to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.

After the Plague-- Andy Stern

In a new COVID-19 world Nigel Savage, President and CEO of Hazon speaks with Jewish leaders from around the world on what this changing landscape means for Jewish communities near and far. Originally recorded on May 10th, we tune into this episode featuring Rabbis Arthur Waskow and Phyllis Berman in conversation with Nigel Savage. Rabbis Waskow and Berman are most well known for their political activism, writings and their support and leadership in the Jewish renewal movement. Rabbi Waskow co-founded ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal and Rabbi Berman has lead retreats at Hazon’s own Isabella Freedman retreat center.

After the Plague-- Arthur Waskow and Phyllis Berman

In a new COVID-19 world Nigel Savage, CEO of Hazon speaks with Jewish leaders from around the world on what this changing landscape means for Jewish communities near and far. Originally recorded on May 3rd, in this episode tune in to hear Nati Passow, Rabbi Dani Passow and their sister Shuli Passow in conversation with Nigel Savage. Nati Passow has been a leader in the field of Jewish environmental education, was selected to the Jewish Week's "36 Under 36," and was a recipient of the Joshua Venture Group Fellowship for Jewish Social Entrepreneurs. Nati co-founded and ran the Jewish Farm School from 2005 to 2019. During that time he provided unsurpassed learning and inspiration to the Philadelphia and Jewish environmental community. He continues his leadership at Dayenu today supporting community organizing efforts for Jewish environmental action.  Rabbi Dani Passow is a rabbi and educator at Harvard Hillel who serves as the Minyan's Rabbinic Advisor. He lectures and writes frequently about Judaism and social justice and was awarded the 2010 Whizin Prize for Jewish ethics. Shuli Passow is a Jewish educator and communal professional who most recently served as the Director of Community Initiatives at the Jewish Funds for Justice, where she worked with synagogues across the country to support their involvement in congregation-based community organizing. She has taught widely in youth and adult education settings, and is particularly passionate about exploring issues of justice, compassion, environmentalism and economics through Jewish text. Shuli is currently pursuing rabbinic ordination at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.

After the Plague-- The Passows

In a new COVID-19 world Nigel Savage, CEO of Hazon speaks with Jewish leaders from around the world on what this changing landscape means for Jewish communities near and far. Originally recorded on April 26th, in this episode tune in to hear Alon Tal in conversation with Nigel Savage. Alon Tal is a leading Israeli environmental activist and academic. He is the founder of the Israel Union for Environmental Defense and the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. In 2017, Tal was appointed chair of the department of Public Policy at Tel Aviv University. In 2006, Tal won the Charles Bronfman Prize for young humanitarian leadership, and used the prize money to establish the Tal Fund, which supports grassroots Israeli environmental activism.

After the Plague-- Alon Tal

In a new COVID-19 world Nigel Savage, CEO of Hazon speaks with Jewish leaders from around the world on what this changing landscape means for Jewish communities near and far. Originally recorded on April 19th, in this episode tune in to hear Ruth Messinger in conversation with Nigel Savage. Ruth has led a life dedicated to political and humanitarian activism. Ruth served as Manhattan Borough president from 1990-1998 and ran for mayor of New York City in 1997. Ruth also served as the President and CEO of the American Jewish World Service from 1998-2016. Additionally Ruth serves as a board member here at Hazon as well as trustee emerita of the Jewish Foundation for Education of Women. 

After the Plague-- Ruth Messinger

For this series, we’d like to offer some framing - Sukkot ends, each year, with a prayer for rain. Talmud tractate Ta’anit begins by asking what happens – and what we should do – if the rains don’t come. The acute crisis of COVID-19, against the backdrop of the creeping challenge of a warming climate,  are shaking our sense of invulnerability to the natural world. And they are challenging our societies’ capacities to effectively respond. We need deeper sources of wisdom to orient ourselves to these challenges. Jewish wisdom about coping with a climactic crisis – and plague – is distilled in tractate Ta’anit, which addresses how we should respond when a change in the weather threatens our lives and livelihoods. As different  as our reality is from the Talmud’s, both the rabbis and contemporary environmentalists converge on the view that dangerous disruption to the weather requires a response that touches our lifestyles, behavior and spiritual consciousness. In these four consecutive lectures, Rabbi Yedidya Sinclair argues that people respond to existential danger from the weather through shifts in behavior and consciousness that reverberate across the divide separating pre-modern and post-modern awareness. Through exploring these places of mutual resonance between the Talmud’s world and our own, we will frame a new-old theology of climate change that offers hope to overcome this critical challenge.

Sinclair Lecture Series Part 4

Hazon is the Jewish Lab for Sustainability. The Hebrew word Hazon means “vision.” Our vision is of a vibrant, healthy Jewish community, in which to be Jewish is necessarily to help create a more sustainable world for all. The Hazon podcast channel includes episodes of our JOFFICE SPACE series, keynotes and other presentations from programs like the Hazon Food Conference, JOFEE Network Gathering, Jewish Intentional Communities Conference, Let My People Sing, and so much more.

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Hazon: The Jewish Lab for Sustainability

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