לעבדה ולשמרה

CLEAN THE PARK FOR MLK DAY

Join UJA, GrowTorah, and Westchester Parks Foundation this MLK Day, January 20, 2025, for a litter cleanup along the Bronx River Pathway in White Plains, NY. Volunteers will work in small groups to clean the park while engaging in meaningful learning about Environmental Torah values, Tu B’Shvat, and protecting our waterways. Together, we’ll honor Dr. King’s legacy by fostering connections and caring for the environment—rain, snow, or shine!

CALLING ALL COLLEGE STUDENTS

Applications are now open for the 7th cohort of The Inchwormship, a paid summer internship where you'll help bring Torah values to life. Work hands-on in school gardens, grow produce for local food pantries, teach Torah through gardening, and collaborate on other meaningful projects. You'll also visit inspiring local Organic farms, write divrei Torah, and help expand our mission to new schools.

This internship is dedicated in loving memory of Rabbi Joseph Friedman z”l, through the Rabbi Joseph Friedman Tzaar Baalei Chayim Initiative. This is your opportunity to connect to Torah, the land, and mitzvot—apply now and grow with us!

BRING TU B'SHVAT TO LIFE - BOOK NOW!

Celebrate the New Year for Trees with an engaging, hands-on workshop that inspires a deep connection to Torah values, nature, and sustainability. Since 2021, we have taught over 90 workshops with thousands of participants.

Our workshop options include:

     🌱 L’ovdah: Grow Your Food!
     🥒 L’shomra: Preserve Your food!
     🌳 Fruit Tree Pruning
     🧼 Botanical Soap Making
     🎓 Scholar-in-Residence

📅 Tu B’Shvat is February 12-13, 2025, and our workshops are available throughout most of January and February. Spots are filling up fast!

Will you join us this winter?

TIFERET COMMUNITY SIMCHAT TORAH CHALLENGE

Thanks to the support of the UJA Federation of New York, GrowTorah proudly introduces the Tiferet Community Program, now part of the Simchat Torah Challenge, joining over 10,000 individuals in weekly Parsha study.

Our program uses Tiferet HaTorah, a specially designed coloring book, as a unique tool for learning. Participants can engage with the Parsha each week by coloring a page, sharing family insights, and participating in a dedicated community WhatsApp group. To deepen this experience, participants will join a monthly Zoom shiur, and we’ll also host an in-person gathering in the NYC area around Tu b'Shvat to celebrate our Torah learning together.

In our post October 7 world, many are seeking ways to connect more deeply with Torah and its timeless teachings. By committing to read the weekly Torah portion for a year, the Simchat Torah Challenge provides a powerful path to finding meaning and connection in our ancient texts. GrowTorah is honored to support this journey through the Tiferet Coloring Book program.

OLAM BASHAVUA UPDATES

Our team is delighted to introduce the new and improved Olam BaShavua - a weekly Newsletter from GrowTorah! Our goal with this updated offering is to educate, inspire, and inform by highlighting the positive advancements in environmental work that resonate with our core values: Incubating Emunah, Stewarding the Earth, Tzedakah, and Compassion for Creatures.

Each week, you’ll discover uplifting stories of environmental restoration, engaging Torah connections, hands-on activities, and opportunities to get outside with our community. We hope these new features empower you to take action in your personal and professional spaces, making a meaningful impact on the world around us.

As we launch this after Simchat Torah 5785, our tefillot are with our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisrael, and with all of Am Yisrael around the world. The pain of last Simchat Torah is still so raw for all of us, and we want to use this Torah learning to serve as an aliyah neshama for those murdered on Simchat Torah 5784 (10/7/23), and all those who perished defending Eretz Yisrael since. In the merit of the Torah we share here, may we see peace soon for all of Am Yisrael.

ETROG COMPOSTING

We had record-breaking participation this year: 27 participating organizations, 1,500 etrogim collected, and 267 registered participants! Each of you played an integral part in the success of this program, and we thank your continued support. Mazal tov to our top Etrog Composters:

🎉 Most Registrations 🎉:

1. Hillel Torah (Skokie, IL) – 53

2. Yavneh Academy (Paramus, NJ) – 49

3. Young Israel of West Hempstead (NY) – 48

🎉 Most Etrogim Collected 🎉:

1. Ben Porat Yosef (Paramus, NJ) – 176

2. Young Israel of West Hempstead (NY) – 135

3. Lev Chana – HALB (Hewlett, NY) – 121

May we all be zoche to continue to cultivate a more passionate, compassionate, and sustainable future driven by Torah Values, both in our community and in our homes!

PEEK INTO OUR GARDENS THIS FALL:

• Grandparents grow with students at Yavneh Academy in Paramus, NJ

• Students harvest from the rooftops at Manhattan Day School

• The first every Bikkurim from the Pear Tree at Ben Porat Yosef

• Enjoying a wonderful harvest at HALB's Lev Chana

• Hearing a video update from Farmer Shimon at Westchester Day School

• A GrowTorah Site Visit to Hebrew Academy Miami

• A Model Lesson in the garden Hillel Torah in Skokie, IL

• Inaugurating the Brauser Maimonides Academy garden, Hollywood, FL