July 2022 Shmita Project NW Newsletter

---

Don’t forget to take a look at our website, join our Facebook group, and like our page.

We are a partnership-based organization and we want to feature you and your organization on our website and in our upcoming newsletters. Please send us your achievements and programming so we can share it with the community! Reach out to Melani at MelaniBaker@BethShalomSeattle.org with your news and calendar items.

---

Text Study

(Written in 220 CE Mishna Period, recollecting times from the temple period.)

At first, the agents of the court would sit at the entrances of the towns: They would take the produce from anyone who would bring it in his hand; and they would give [back] to him, food for three meals. They would then store the remainder in the town storehouse.

When the time of [harvesting] the figs arrived, the agents of the court would hire workers. [The workers would then pick] them, make them into dried fig cakes and store them in the town storehouse. When the time of [harvesting] the grapes arrived, the agents of the court would hire workers. [The workers would] then reap them, crush them in the vat, place them into barrels and store them in the town storehouse.

When the time of [harvesting] the olives arrived, the agents of the court would hire workers. [The workers would] then harvest them, press them in the olive press, place them into barrels and store them in the town storehouse. And on the eve of Shabbat, they would distribute from them [to] each and every one according to [the size of] his household.

Biur refers to an aspect of the Shmita Year which adheres to eating a seasonal diet. When foods are in season, they can be freely harvested and stored. When they are no longer found naturally in season, in the wild, all harvests (fresh, dried and preserved) must be shared with the public.

Why do you think there was a necessity for a system of community storehouses that distributed food to the public? How would you feel being dependent on a centralized community storehouse for food? How would you feel about donating your harvests to this system?

Text, comments, and questions above from Hazon’s Shmita Sourcebook (First Edition, August 2013)

Questions:

1. Why were there figs, grapes and olives growing in a Shmita year?
2. What could a community do to maximize the amount of fresh food available in a Shmita year?
3. What would we find growing around us, to eat, if we could not purchase food in a grocery store?
4. Do you imagine it would be possible to increase the abundance of such foods where you live?
5. What do you know about the way Indigenous people lived in your region prior to first contact? Do you know anything about practices they may have used to increase the abundance of foods they could eat?
6. Could a practice of Shmita connect, or re-connect, people with a way of life that fosters the health and productivity of the place – the complete ecosystem – that they call home?
7. What are ways that these practices could be promoted in your home place?

---

News

Green Buildings Now! Partners to Strengthen Resilience Hubs
Green Buildings Now is a climate justice partnership that grew (way beyond their expectations) from the interfaith climate group of Bet Alef Meditative Synagogue and Seattle First Baptist Church. They are raising funds to weatherize and decarbonize what will become the South Beacon Hill Resilience Hub on the Bethany United Church of Christ campus. Another organization, Spark NW, is working on solar panels. GBN would like to fund additional battery power and supplies, such as food, water, medical supplies, etc… for greater resilience. With partners on the Bethany board, they plan to hire contractors of color from the community so that the green economy can grow with a diverse workforce. The hope is that this project will be a model for others and that we can create the world we want to live in together. All are welcome on their leadership team. Please check out the Green Buildings Now website here.

---

Beth Shalom’s Shmita Shabbat
On July 2, Congregation Beth Shalom celebrated a special Shabbat dedicated to Shmita. The d’var Torah that day invited them to consider: what if the observance of Shabbat was only an idea in the Torah that hadn’t been put into practice, and how does that change our thinking about Shmita? 

Community members came together to plan and prepare a menu for Kiddush lunch that highlighted local and seasonal ingredients to connect us with this season and place. The lunch included egg salad with eggs from a member’s farm on Vashon Island (Blue Moose farm), homemade focaccia made with local wheat from the Palouse, salad with veggies from the farmers’ market, and strawberry shortcake. After lunch, a small group gathered to dream about the next Shmita cycle. They talked about which traditions we’ve started this year that we’d like to continue, how they could be different in non-Shmita years, and what can be accomplished in Shmita year 5789 if they start preparing now!

---

Movie Discussion Series with Temple B’nai Torah
Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue has been reinvigorating its green team for the last two years and this Shmita year, they focused on action (litter walks, LED lighting) and education (sermons and programs). Rabbi Molly Weisel, the clergy partner for the Green Team, introduced the Green Team to the Meaningful Movies Project, “a non-profit organization that helps neighborhoods, groups and individuals organize, educate and advocate using the power of social justice documentary film and conversation to build positive and meaningful community.” Meaningful Movies Project | Social Justice Documentary Films & Community Discussions.

As a result of Rabbi Molly’s introduction of the Meaning Movies Project, during the past year, TBT has hosted quarterly movie viewings and discussions focused on the films Just Eat It, 2040, Kiss the Ground, My Octopus Teacher, and Revolution Generation. Sometimes these movie viewings involve a panel of experts, and other times they involve moderated discussions. Since their conversations have been virtual, and the movies are available on streaming platforms or through a free link for a limited time, participants watch the films on their own before the discussion, and people from around the country have joined Temple B’nai Torah in their movie viewings.

---

Temple De Hirsch Sinai Practices Forest Stewardship
Beginning in 2021, Temple De Hirsch Sinai partnered with Forterra and Green SeaTac Partnership in a long-term forest restoration project. Members of TDHS’s Shomrei Adamah (Guardians) team, Carla Merkow, and Rabbi Avi Fine completed forest steward training. Angle Lake Park in SeaTac is their chosen location to volunteer their efforts. The commitment encompasses maintaining a public nature trail – removing invasive species, planting natives, and cultivating a healthy urban forest. So far, they have organized two events, with a third happening on July 24.

Carla and Rabbi Fine’s efforts arose from a desire to engage the congregation in hands-on environmental activism that builds community and could be done safely during the pandemic. The events thus far have accomplished these goals. Rabbi Fine has offered Jewish teachings at the beginning of each session to provide grounding and intention to the work. Attendees range from families with young children to older adults, and everyone leaves a little dirty and sweaty, with a great sense of accomplishment!

---

Gardening During a Shmita Year – Letting (some of) the Land Rest
Temple B’nai Torah member Robin Plotnik has also been working on cultivating her Shmita knowledge and putting that knowledge into practice. Inspired by TBT’s Mitzvah Garden that, with the aid of their Religious School students, donates hundreds of pounds of fresh local goods to Hopelink in Bellevue, Robin has begun gardening over the past few years, focusing on herbs and vegetables. As she learned about the Shmita year, Robin decided to let a portion of her garden fallow and plant some new raised beds in another area and, in the process, learn how the sun affects her plans in different parts of her yard. Despite not actively doing anything in the raised beds she previously used, certain herbs have made a comeback in the unplanted bed – mint is the winner this year for a hearty comeback! Stuck between a love for gardening and a desire to let the land lie fallow, Robin wasn’t ready to give up gardening this summer but has learned that we can apply the idea of Shmita in ways that fit our lives.

In addition to letting her garden rest, Robin has been in contact with Sphere Solar Energy after attending Earth Ministry/WAIPL’s Earth Day workshop to get solar installed on her home! Sphere Solar energy is currently working up a design for Robin to review and decide if that’s the path she would like to go down.

Upcoming plans for the Temple B’nai Torah Green Team include: Working toward Earth Ministry/WAIPL’s Greening Congregation certification, hosting an Electric Vehicle Fair, and continuing Shabbat Litter Walks.

Environmental Justice – Temple B’nai Torah (templebnaitorah.org)

---

Kavana’s Dayenu Circle and Friends Visit UW Urban Farm, Plant Heritage Corn & Learn Indigenous History
Congregation Beth Shalom and the Kavana Dayenu Circle held a joint work event at the UW Urban Farm. The UW Farm is a student-led organic farming initiative that provides food to the UW food bank, a CSA, and UW food facilities. Their activities focus on building skills for the next generation of urban farmers and educating students and the public about the social and food justice aspects of growing food hyper-locally. Their team, from 3-year-olds to retirement age, planted heritage corn, helped set up a small-scale field trial on drought-resistant corn crops, prepared a bed for potato planting, and learned about the indigenous and environmental history of the UW Farm site. They then moved on to enjoy a Kabbalat Shabbat at the nearby Burke Gilman Brewery and do a little cross-congregation schmoozing! All had a great time, and they look forward to helping at the UW Farm again.

---

Events

Temple De Hirsch Sinai Summer Forest Restoration
Sunday, July 24, 10 AM – 12 PM 
Angle Lake Park

Get your hands dirty, help the Earth, and connect with our community. Temple De Hirsch Sinai’s forest restoration work continues! Join Shomrei Adamah/Guardians at Angle Lake Park in Seatac to care for native plants, weed, and spread mulch to ensure the plants can thrive. Everyone is welcome, and no experience is necessary. Questions? Get in touch with Carla Merkow.

Volunteers are invited to stay and enjoy the park with our community after our morning work. There is a lake/beach, spray park, playground, and picnic areas. Bring a picnic lunch for yourself! Join us! RSVP here.

Questions? Send an email to Carla Merkow at carlamerkow@gmail.com.

---

Shmita Project Northwest Hakhel Save the Date
October 16, 2022
Congregation Beth Shalom, Seattle

Celebrate the end of the Shmita year 5782 with the Shmita Project Northwest community at  Hakhel, a community gathering at Congregation Beth Shalom, Seattle. We’ll enjoy food, community, and learning, as well as share ways that we can design our lives to incorporate the seven-year Shmita cycle and its values.

---

Action

Hebrew Free Loan Association
The seventh (Shmita) year asks society to forgive the outstanding debts that have built up during the previous six years. The Hebrew Free Loan Association works consistently to ensure that people do not become burdened by debt in the first place. They work to improve people’s psychological well-being and reduce material hardship by offering interest-free loans and scholarships to the Jewish community. Their loans provide for education, living expenses, medical care, etc. Their work aligns with the Shmita value that a financially tight time should not follow someone throughout their life. Their loans range from $1,000-$7,500, and whether you want to support their work or utilize their resources, you can find the Washington chapter at https://www.hflawa.org/ or call them at 206-397-0005.

---