Grants in Action

Jewish Food Movement Grows

Interest in the origin, production and transport of food is increasing nationally, from restaurants that list the local sources for their ingredients to urban farmers who raise their own vegetables and small livestock. Community-supported agriculture collectives (CSAs) are thriving, with people buying shares in farming operations to support local farms and get regular access to fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs and milk.

The Denver/Boulder Jewish community is embracing this trend toward fresh and local food with gusto. “The Jewish food movement is very vibrant here,” says Becky O’Brien, the local director of community engagement for Hazon, a Jewish environmental organization that works in the U.S. and Israel to create healthy and sustainable communities.

Three foundations – 18 Pomegranates, Oreg Foundation and Rose Community Foundation – helped to bring Hazon to the area after they observed a high amount of interest and activity in the food movement within the Jewish community. Hazon is now lending a hand to a variety of Jewish individuals, groups and institutions to help them achieve their goals, whether it is adding a Jewish summer camp with a garden theme to a preschool curriculum, or connecting two men interested in finding a source for local, kosher meats.

One successful new Jewish communal urban farm that has received start-up support from Rose Community Foundation is Ekar Farm. Ekar is located on land owned by and adjacent to Denver Academy of Torah near Denver’s Lowry neighborhood. “We’re smack dab in between a low-income high-rise and some really large homes,” says Aaron Ney, Ekar’s program manager. Ekar provides opportunities to work on the farm as well as a composting site for the neighborhood. “It’s really neat to see all walks of people sharing experiences.”

The vast majority of the food grown at Ekar is donated to the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Food Pantry at Jewish Family Service of Colorado. “People really enjoy coming out and getting dirty, especially for someone else’s benefit,” Ney says about the farm’s volunteers. “There’s a lot of sweat equity put into it, and the intention is always to produce something for someone else.”

This is just one of the reasons that Ekar calls itself a Jewish farm – it is founded on the Jewish ideals of tzedakah (righteous giving) and tikkun olam (repairing the world). “This also speaks to the organic farming principles that we employ. We are playing a part in repairing our food system,” says Ney.

Like other Jewish farms, Ekar holds events geared to the Jewish calendar, which has its roots in an agrarian society. For instance, Ekar is planning a month of learning around Rosh Hashanah, the celebration of the Jewish New Year that often includes apples and honey as symbols of the wish for a sweet new year. “We added a beehive last spring. In September, we’ll be doing a series about beekeeping and the holistic benefits of having honey in one’s diet,” says Ney.

There are four Jewish CSAs on the Front Range. “Most Jewish CSAs produce a newsletter that is full of Jewish content,” says O’Brien. “It may contain recipes or explanations of how to connect food to Jewish events.” O’Brien also sees a deeper connection. “In my mind, the bulk of Jewish teaching says a lot that applies to food-related issues. It’s about caring for our bodies, animals and the environment. In this country, we all eat every day. It’s easy for Judaism to be just about lifecycle events. But Judaism has so much to say about our lives every day. Connecting it to food helps make Judaism more meaningful to me.”

While the current food movement seems very new to some people, Ney sees it as a sensible revisiting of past wisdom. “If innovating is moving forward, what do you do when you reach a cliff? You wisely turn back,” says Ney. “Some of the small-scale, organic principles we try to follow on the farm hark back to old values: simplicity, cooperation and frugality. In a modern context, those values have an innovative feel. But they pay respect to an older way of life that was very successful in some ways.”

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From Impact - Summer 2011, Rose Community Foundation's newsletter

Aaron Ney, program manager at Ekar Farm

Opportunities to Get Involved

Ekar Farm – learn how to help sponsor the farm, volunteer as a gardener, or attend events
There are four Jewish CSAs in the Denver/Boulder area. Hazon lists three here.
Hebrew Educational Alliance and Temple Sinai have information about their CSA here.

There are also many other projects and activities happening, including teen bike rides this fall. Visit Hazon online to learn more.