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Past Online Classes & Workshops
Register for access to stream replays of past classes and workshops. Each class comes with its own dedicated channel, letting you subscribe and stream replays of all the lessons anytime you want.
Green Wisdom from the Ancestors: Integrating Jewish Ethnobotany, Foodways and Spiritual Practice
What makes a plant Jewish? Come find out on this fascinating tour of the long and deep relationship between Jews and the natural world. This class takes us on a tour around the world and through time, to glean timeless insights into the Jewish use of plants for physical and spiritual health. We’ll also explore a variety of ways to integrate plants into your Jewish spiritual practice and wellness care.
Jewish Herbal Magic
Come along with Balabuste Naomi Stein to answer the question: Which plants have Jews relied on for protection and how have they been utilized? Over a cup of tea, join Naomi to learn about the power of herbs. She’ll share wonderous properties of the botanical world that can help with aches and ailments.
Trees in the Torah, Torah in the Trees
In preparation for Tu b'Shvat, experience "Trees in the Torah, Torah in the Trees". In the comfort of your home, tune in for 90 minutes of beautiful imagery, fascinating information and contemplative wonder with environmental educator and Jewish ethnobotany aficionado, Naomi Stein. She will lead us through the role of trees in the Torah, and share her insights into the profound teachings the trees themselves hold for us. You are in for a wide ranging exploration including cedars and redwoods, the practice of hitbodedut, the role of trees in kabbalah and in the Shoah, branching structures in the body, and more. We will dive into the diets of a variety of diasporic communities, from the Mediterranean to Africa to Europe and the Americas. Our topics will include a discussion of Jewish culture, ethnicity and Kashrut, and current work in “foodways” and ethnographic research into diet and cuisine as well as specific areas of Jewish food in history.
Flavors of The Diaspora
Join Balabuste Naomi Stein as they unpack food as culture bearer, as medicine and as memory holder. We will follow the journey of Jewish foods, with a focus on plants and herbs, as they migrated from our Biblical homeland throughout the diaspora. Come explore the influence of neighboring communities as well as the skillful adaptation of the Jewish cooks and herbalists of the diaspora, the importance of geography, agriculture, and the issue of “cultural appropriation.” We will reveal treasured history embedded in recipes, and share the stories that flavor our foods. We will explore how dishes and recipes "traveled" and evolved. We will also consider Naomi Stein's bold assertion that Jewish women have and continue to treat our families and communities through the foods we serve, as we investigate the relationship between the healing properties of common Jewish foods and the particular medical concerns of Jewish communities. We will dive into the diets of a variety of diasporic communities, from the Mediterranean to Africa to Europe and the Americas. Our topics will include a discussion of Jewish culture, ethnicity and Kashrut, and current work in “foodways” and ethnographic research into diet and cuisine as well as these specific areas of Jewish food in history.
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