Archive for February, 2010
Living on the Edge: An Experiment in Judaism and Permaculture
Talya Oberfield explains what happens when a group of American Jews in Israel l experience permaculture and the “edge effect” — the interaction at the borders between separate niches … where things happen. Transition zones in nature, where edges meet, are the most active, productive and stable due to their biodiversity.
Demanding More of Community
Rachel Nussbaum set out four years ago to create a community that coupled the sense of engagement sparked by local, grass-roots communities with the professional support and infrastructure provided by synagogue communities.
Moving In-stream
Andy Bachman looks at the precipice between indie minyan and mainstream. “The movement for the revitalization of Jewish life has relied too heavily on making everything free while Judaism has endured, paradoxically, as a tradition of moral and ethical obligation. Teaching a new generation to feel an obligation to support Jewish life is a challenge faced by every generation, and we seem to have found a fairly simple formula: greater ownership, greater support.”
Do-It-Together Jewish Education
Saul Kaiserman explores how values & knowledge are transmitted as families choose “venues for Jewish education outside the established settings; some are having their children privately tutored and celebrating lifecycle ceremonies outside of synagogues. Others are taking advantage of online resources and social networking to gather information and make decisions about their religious lives both in lieu of ‘classroom environments’ and without affiliating with a particular community or adhering to a single authority.”
Keeping Kosher: Now What?
Nigel Savage
For 3,000 years, Jewish people have asked, “Is this food kosher?” — that is, is this food fit to eat? You might think that, after all this time, we’d have sorted out what this question means, and/or how to answer it.
The Sickness of Never Taking a Sick Day
Yisrael Campbell
“I retired with over 300 sick days, for what?” My father spoke these words the day after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that had spread to his liver.
Discussion Guide – Do-it Yourself Judaism
What is the relationship between the draw of DIY and a contemporary yearning for community?
How might organizations — like JCCs, synagogues, schools — build on DIY innovation and passion?
What core values inform the DIY movement?
Correction from Maya Bernstein
The opening sentence of my essay in the February Sh’ma, which states that it is 80% more likely that Bay Area Jews will create a Bar or Bat Mitzvah ritual themselves than celebrate it at a synagogue, is NOT factually accurate. I was quoting the well-known 2004 population study which claims that 80% of Jews [...]
Support Shma.com
Recent Comments