Congregational Programs

» Synagogue Greening/Garden Consultation

Kavanah Garden Fieldtrips

Bring your students to the Kavanah Garden for hands-on, garden and nature-based Jewish learning! All programs teach Jewish ethics (such as tzedakah), Jewish agricultural laws, Jewish holidays and cycles, as well as organic gardening practices. All programs can be modified to reflect your Jewish studies curriculum.

Zeraim: Seeds (JK-Grade 1)
According to the Talmud, we are forbidden to live in a city without a vegetables garden! Discover the many sababa (amazing) plants and creatures that live at the Kavanah Garden and what we can do to help them grow!

Shomrei Chayot: Protectors of the Animals (Grades 2- 4)
Discover what Judaism teaches about caring for the rest of Creation! Lean about the different creatures and critters that call the Kavanah Garden home through hands-on projects and activities. This program is a Jewish response to our fury, feathered, scaly, and slimy animal friends.

Shomrei Adamah: Protectors of the Earth (Grades 5-6)
According to the Torah, our role is to serve as protectors of our earth. Investigate the different plant and animal species found at the Kavanah Garden and discover how the choices we make can affect the health of our garden ecosystem.

Shorashim: Roots (B’nei Mitzvah)
This workshop is all about getting back to our roots! Discover the Jewish agricultural laws modeled at the Kavanah Garden and how they can be interpreted and practiced in a contemporary setting. Explore how these laws form the framework for Jewish social justice.

For more information, or to register for a program, please e-mail education@shoresh.ca or call 416-805-8382.

In-Shul Programs

Bring a Shoresh educator to your school/classroom to run a hands-on workshop for your students!

Workshops can include guided nature walks, nature crafts, cooking, and more!

For more information, or to register for a program, please e-mail education@shoresh.ca or call 416-805-8382.

B’nei Mitzvah Programs

Students who are Bar and Bat Mitzvah are coming of age according to Jewish tradition and are able to understand how the choices they make profoundly affect their community, the natural world, and their own bodies.

Kavanah Garden Fieldtrip – Shorashim: Roots
Bring your B’nei Mitzvah students to the Kavanah Garden for a workshop that is all about getting back to our roots! Discover the Jewish agricultural laws modeled at the Kavanah Garden and how they can be interpreted and practiced in a contemporary setting. Explore how these laws form the framework for Jewish social justice.

Synagogue Learning
Bring a Shoresh educator to your synagogue to offer a thought-provoking and engaging workshop for your B’nei Mitzvah students. Workshops/activities can include:

Build-A-City: In this activity, students must design a city that can meet the basic needs of its community members, reflect a tight development budget, and model Jewish environmental and social ethics. Includes text study, group work, and artistic presentations.
Eco-Shopping: In this activity, students must “purchase” materials to host a Tu B’Shvat/Sukkot/Channukah celebration. Sticking to a strict budget, students must evaluate their different options based on how they reflect the Jewish values of tzedakah, environmental stewardship, and preventing the suffering of animals.
Jewish Food for Thought: What does Judaism have to say about how we eat? A lot! This workshop will explore some of the core issues being discussed in the Jewish Food Movement (such as brachot, kashrut, vegetarianism, factory farming, GMOs, and fair trade practices) from a uniquely Jewish perspective.
Tzedakah: Tzedakah (giving charity) is rooted in Jewish agricultural law! By exploring the different agricultural laws that were practiced in biblical Israel and encouraging students to rethink those laws in a contemporary context, this limmud can serve as a strong introduction to the Jewish value of social justice.
Religious Environmentalism: How do the world’s established religious traditions understand the relationship between humans and the natural world? This limmud takes a look at sources from Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and First Nations Traditions to help students understand how all of these traditions can support a strong religious environmental ethic.
Synagogue Green Audit: How green is your shul? In this activity, students conduct a “Green Audit” of your facility and make recommendations for ways that your institution can lessen its ecological footprint!

B’nei Mitzvah Project
Are your students looking to do something fun and meaningful for their community to mark their coming of age in the Jewish tradition? There are tons of opportunities for B’nei Mitzvah students to help at the Kavanah Garden! Whether it is regularly volunteering to do garden maintenance, coordinating the collection of plants and tools and other needed materials for the garden, or working on a particular project (such as a solar oven or butterfly garden), there are plenty of ways that B’nei students can support the Kavanah Garden with their energy, creativity and vision!

For more information, please e-mail education@shoresh.ca or call 416-805-8382.

Adult Learning

Are you looking for adult learning opportunities that are relevant, engaging, and strongly rooted in Jewish teachings? Hire a Shoresh educator to facilitate a study session or workshop for your community members today! Shoresh is pleased to offer a wide variety of timely and thought-provoking limmudim (learning sessions) for adults from all across the Jewish spectrum. Click here for a complete list of adult-focused learning opportunities.

Synagogue Greening/Garden Consultation

Are you interested in greening your synagogue?

Are you looking to establish an educational garden on site and not sure where to start?

Bring in a Shoresh educator for on-site consultation!

Congregational Programs