Tu B’Shvat is just around the corner! Traditionally known as the “New Year of the Trees”, in modern times it has been reinterpreted as the Jewish Earth Day. Each year, Jews around the world come together to celebrate the holiday by planting trees, cleaning beaches, and participating in other acts of “Tikkun Olam” (repairing the […]
Each week Orthodox Jews read one segment of the Five Books of Moses so that they can complete the entire Five Books within the course of a year. In last week’s Eco-Rabbi post we discussed the Jews slavery in Egypt along with Moses’ first prophecy via a burning bush. This week continues Moses’ fight for […]
With everything going on over the past month, many of our thoughts have been turned towards the southern area of Israel and the Negev. At more than 60% of the country’s land mass, however, the Negev desert should really be part of the Israeli consciousness more often. Community based NGO Shvuat ha-Adamah/Earth’s Promise, based in […]
Last night, my roommates and I hosted a dinner party for twelve. Out of the eight dishes, only the stuffed peppers had meat; the others were majadara (rice and lentils), garlic-mint carrots, and goat-cheese stuffed eggplants simmered in Hamutal’s amazing pepper sauce muhamarra. Muhamarra: the addictive red pepper and walnut spread from Syria This morning […]
Our resourceful friends at the Bedouin NGO Bustan are refusing to allow the current tension in the South of Israel affect them. Despite having to cancel some tree planting dates due to the war and the related school closures, they have upped sticks to Tel Aviv and are organising a benefit evening this coming wednesday […]
Tu B’Shvat is the Jewish holiday marking the beginning of a new year for trees, and is usually celebrated by planting trees and exchanging gifts of dried fruit with loved ones. While these traditional activities are great and we support going out to plant trees (thus increasing the amount of carbon-eating leaves out there), these […]
I went to see Scott Hamilton Kennedy’s documentary film, “The Garden,” at Tribeca Cinemas in Manhattan, part of docs on the shortlist for the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund. I went with a group of farmers living in New York, some of whom work on urban farming projects in and around the City. The film tells […]
Special guest desert dwelling activist and academic Lucy Michaels, gets to the heart of the matter with a classic eco text: “The burnt cliffs and lonely skies … all that which lies beyond the end of roads:” From Desert Solitaire and why Israel’s deserts need their own Edward Abbey. In the late 1950’s, a young […]
Tu B’Shevat, otherwise known as Jewish Earth Day, is a time for Jews in Israel and beyond to focus on their responsibility to the environment. In the Jewish community, there are many innovative initiatives that fulfill this responsibility, and the Jewish newswire service, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) wants to tell the world about them.
Orthodox Jews read a segment of the Five Books of Moses each week so that they can complete the entire Five Books within the course of a year. In last week’s Eco-Rabbi post we discussed Jacob’s descent to Egypt and the grand cedars that he brought with him. This week’s segment, Parshat Vayechi, is the […]
For those of you who hate scorching your feet on hot beach sand, the developers of one of Dubai’s latest luxury hotels has the ultimate pampering for you: the climate controlled beach. No more toasted toes on the way to the waves of the Arab Gulf, promises the Palazzo Versace. The beach will feature a […]
Well, winter is upon us and the rain is finally dampening the earth but that does not mean that we should forget about our water conservation efforts. One way of saving water and keeping our little ones a little more dry-eyed is by cutting back on bath-time. Coming from England where water conservation was never […]
If being more environmentally friendly is one of your New Year’s resolutions, you might consider going to one of the great “green” events hosted by the Porter School of Environmental Studies at Tel Aviv University this week. First up is a screening of Urban Legend – an environmental documentary by Nitzan Horovitz that was presented […]
With so much negativity in the southern part of the country and the Negev right now, it is refreshing to learn about positive things going on in the region, such as the blossoming eco-village Kramim. Founded recently by a group of visionary young Israelis and immigrant families, Kramim hopes to serve as a multicultural model […]
The Christmas season in Europe is often silly season for the world’s media outlets, when they outdo each other to find the strangest, weirdest and oddball news story to give people an extra sparkle to their celebrations. Strange shaped vegetables, or bagels that bleed are the sort of stories that crop up. Despite the crisis […]