Shani Mink, SJ Seldin: Judaism Unbound Episode 307 - Farming Is Jewish
Shani Mink and SJ Seldin are the co-founders of Jewish Farmer Network -- a grassroots organization of over 2000 farmers, which mobilizes Jewish agricultural wisdom to build a more just and regenerative food system for all. They join Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about the Shmita year (year of release), and about how Jews today can combat the pervasive, incorrect idea of "Isn't Jewish farmer an oxymoron?"
Jewish Farmer Network's 2022 conference, entitled "Cultivating Culture: A Virtual Gathering of Jewish Famers," will be taking place via Zoom on two consecutive Sundays -- January 30th and February 6th (spaced out in order to reduce Zoom fatigue). Register for the Jewish Farmer Network's conference by clicking here!
[1] Learn more about the Jewish Farmer Network via JewishFarmerNetwork.org. Register for their upcoming conference, called Cultivating Culture 2022: A Virtual Gathering of Jewish Farmers, by clicking here!
[2] Mink and Seldin discuss the work of the Jewish Agricultural Society. Learn more about it via this blog post from NC State University’s The Friday Footnote, which focuses on the history of agricultural education and rural America.
[3] Lex mentions a past episode of Judaism Unbound, featuring David Seidenberg, which also looks at the topic of Shmita. You can listen to it by clicking here: Episode 290: Nobody Owns Land - David Seidenberg. For other episodes of Judaism Unbound focusing on Shmita (the year of release), see any of the following: Episode 287: The Shmita Project - Hannah Knibb Henza, Sarah Zell Young, Episode 288: More Magic, Please - Eli Kaplan-Wildmann, Episode 289: Jewish Anarchism - Cindy Milstein, or Episode 299: Becoming a Golem - Julie Weitz.
[4] Mink and Seldin mention the commandments of Pe’ah (setting aside a corner of one’s field, for the poor) and Shichecha (forgotten sheaves, left in the field, are set aside for the stranger, orphan, and widow). Learn more about Pe’ah by clicking here. For more on Shichecha, click here.
[5] Seldin cites an article that was formational for their work, entitled “From Farmers to Merchants: A Human Capital Interpretation of Jewish Economic History,” by Maristella Botticini and Zvi Eckstein. You can read it via this link.
[6] For the source mentioning food turning into waste, if you don’t share it with those who need it, see Mishneh Torah: Rest on a Holiday (Sh’vitat Yom Tov) 6:18. For a full source-sheet, which includes this source and explores the joys of Sukkot, click here.
[7] For an article featuring Seldin, and exploring the ways in which trans and nonbinary Jews have found empowerment at Jewish farms, see “Transgender Jews are finding a safe haven in an unexpected place: the farm,” by Ben Harris.
[8] Mink and Seldin give shout-outs to a number of Jewish farms, located around the country, which may be of interest to listeners. Learn more about any of them via the following links: Abundance Farm (Northampton, MA), EKAR Farm (Denver, CO), Urban Adamah (Berkeley, CA), and Adamah (Falls Village, CT)