• In Gimmel

    Survey Experiences in Gimmel

    I thought to share with you same hilarious things that happened while I conducted an environmental survey for Earth's Promise in the Gimmel neighborhood in Be'er Sheva. One of the questions in the survey was if the environmental situation in Gimmel should be improved. And if yes, how would the respondent like to see it improved. One week I interviewed several people living on the same street and almost all of them...
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  • Wild flowers

    Wild Flower Cooking

    The sunshine came down in to our garden before Pesach with plenty dandelions all over part B of the Kalisher Community Garden. So many edible wild flowers – time for a grand feast! And so it was my friends, down came the wonderful master of wild edibles and spread his lovely stories and knowledge to the community. The kids headed out with bowls that were filled in with greens and yellows and the mamas and papas m...
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  • Dancing in the night

    Festival Ecothiopia

    Last week we celebrated the second Festival Ecothiopia in the Kalisher Community Garden, in the hearth of the Gimmel neighborhood in Be'er Sheva. This unique festival, organized by Earth's Promise in cooperation with the Kalisher Absorption Center, combines urban environmentalism and the Ethiopian culture. An Ethiopian band played live music, accompanied by two dancers dressed in traditional and colorful...
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The Green Synagogue

From the Ground Up – The Greening of a Spiritual Community

At the heart of every Jewish community since the destruction of the second temple is the synagogue. It represents the community’s shared spiritual and ideological values, and plays host to a wide variety of events. At Earth’s Promise/Shvuat ha-Adamah, we believe that by infusing these events with social responsibilityand environmental activism we can create a unique Jewish experience that blends the traditional with the modern, the Torah with the environment.

Together with our partners from the Rambam synagogue, Earth’s Promise is developing a replicable model for an urban, environmentally sound, spiritually in tune community. During the first 6 months, our community compost initiative turned more than a ton of organic waste into nutrient-rich organic fertilizer. Our educational workshops have formed the backbone of a community-wide environmental discussion, which has paved the way for an environmental audit of the synagogue. And our special events programming has added a new element of environmental activism to holidays and bar/bat mitzvahs. By using the synagogue as a platform for the environment, and the environment as a platform for spirituality we have achieved a hybrid success that transcends either issue alone.