Greening Sukkot

AVODAH alums Hannah Gelder (Chicago 2008-2009) and Kelly Viselman (Chicago 2008-2009) contributed this post about how they are bringing the mitzvah of bal tashchit (the Jewish environmental ethic of ‘do not waste’) into their sukkah this holiday with their Moishe House Chicago community.

After a meaningful Yom Kippur, and a large break-the-fast celebration with the Moishe House community, we picked ourselves back up on Sunday morning and began building our Sukkah. Afterall, it’s a mitzvah to begin building as soon as possible. For many of us, it was the first time we’ve built a sukkah, and it was definitely the first time each of us had constructed a structure from found materials.

Three Ways to Make this Yom Kippur More Meaningful

This post originally appeared on the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs blog here.

Miriam Grossman, a 2009-2010 AVODAH alum, now works as the Educational Programs Coordinator for the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs in Chicago on the Judaism and Urban Poverty (JUP) program. In her role, she will be challenging young people to think about the causes and potential responses to poverty, and Jewish approaches to alleviating poverty. Here is her take on how to make Yom Kippur more meaningful:

This weekend Jewish people will gather to worship and reflect in synagogues across the globe.  For many, the process of introspection and fasting which constitutes Yom Kippur is a deeply fulfilling ritual that charges the body and spirit for the coming year.

But in all honesty, this revitalization and sense of connection does not always come easily or even at all.  How can we, as deeply engaged and progressive Jewish communities, rethink Yom Kippur to create an experience that is even more relevant to our lives and our work?