In the Media

A new generation goes back to the land, seeing new ways to connect to Judaism

Un progetto di agricoltura, comunità ed ebraismo nel mondo rurale statunitense

Wendy Rhein’s day begins at 5 am, when she wakes up, checks the weather and puts on her headlamp to bring a bag of kitchen food scraps to her two young Berkshire pigs. “From there, it’s usually off to the sheep, who hear me coming,” says Rhein...

For this month's episode, I had the privilege of speaking with one of the founders of The Jewish Farmer Network, Shani Mink. We got to talk about her intro to the outdoors, as well as what her relationship with the outdoors looks like now.

From biblical farming practices to ancient wayfaring, these communities are reviving their cultural traditions to sustain body, mind, and planet.

"North Carolina has been transformed by the labor, vision, and creativity of a new generation of immigrants, and nowhere is this more visible than in the state’s contemporary food economy."

Celebrating Jewish community around food and farming is a central focus at One Soil Farm

Jewish Farmer Network co-founders SJ Seldin and Shani Mink on the Judaism Unbound podcast!

"This paper pre­sents methodological findings and reflections from the initial stages of a participatory action research (PAR) collaboration led by the authors and JFN organizers centered on Cultivating Culture, JFN’s inaugural conference in February 2020. "

Being Jewish at Gann Farm is unlike being Jewish in a synagogue or classroom. It means muddied knees, singing in open air and connecting with the land — a chance for youth to do as their forebears did.

"Shani Mink wakes up at 7 a.m. and lets the chickens out of their coop... By noon she’s [inside for] office work for the Jewish Farmer Network..."

"Almost overnight, Hertzmark’s Migrash Farm, which produces certified kosher flour from grain grown in the Chesapeake Bay region, lost virtually his entire wholesale business after local restaurants and bakeries were shuttered by public health authorities. "

"As Shani Mink, executive director of the Jewish Farmer Network, put it, 'Before we were the people of the book, we were the people of the land.'"

"Last month, most Jews were forced to grapple with how to celebrate Passover in a time of quarantine and lockdown. "

"Surprised that there were Jewish farmers? Many people are but scores of newly arrived Jewish immigrants were assisted in making their lives in poultry and dairy farming throughout the state. "

"The drive from my condo in uptown Charlotte, N.C., to my daughter’s rural community of Fairview takes less than three hours. Despite its geographic proximity, Sarah Julia’s farm feels like a foreign country."

"Episode five of J Voices is dedicated to the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam, and the efforts local Jewish community members are taking to help heal the natural environment through regenerative agriculture and environmental education. "

"THE MENORAH IS THOUGHT to be based on the ancient Jerusalem sage plant, which still grows in Israel and is believed to have been burnt as incense during religious ceremonies held at the First and Second Temples."

"'Michael Tabor — Tireless activist, organic farmer, justice-seeker, husband, father. The ultimate pot-stirrer. A non-conformist.'"

"Seldin, a farmer who runs Yesod Farm + Kitchen in Fairview, North Carolina, put out the word that she wanted to connect with other Jewish farmers. Some 13 people responded to the invite, including Shani Mink, who was then farming at the Pearlstone Jewish Retreat Center..."