Adulting

Jews Had Farm-to-Table Before It Was Cool: An Inside Look Into the Shtetl Skills Tribe

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Our lives as Jewish people are heavily influenced by the values and traditions of our ancestors, but in the long and arduous journey of survival and assimilation, we’ve forgotten how to live off the land. Why are we taught how to make challah but not sourdough? Why do we celebrate harvest festivals like Sukkot but not how to grow our own vegetables? At least in my experience, there’s been a level of pride my family has had in getting to move past “shtetl life”.

Long gone are the days of the small market towns in pre–World War II Eastern Europe where Jews came together to share resources and responsibilities to ensure our survival as a people. And while many of us are blessed with not having to question where our next meal will come from, recent events have made us overly aware that we won’t always feel secure and knowing basic skills (like how to make your own bread) provides a sense of stability during challenging times. This need for resource-sharing and sustainable survival skills led Nati Passow to create the Shtetl Skills program at the Jewish Farm School, an organization that was established in 2006 with a goal of teaching the values and practices of sustainability and resilience through “practical environmental education.” When the Jewish Farm School closed in 2019, Shtetl Skills found a new home at Tribe 12 as one of our newest tribes.

Fall/Winter Shtetl Skills programs. From left to right, Woodworking, Seed Keeping, Winter Kitchen Medicine

What exactly do you learn in Shtetl Skills? Through monthly hands-on workshops in the fall, spring, and summer you can connect to practical, ancestral, and sustainable skills rooted in Jewish traditions and land connection. We focus on one skill/workshop and work with professional artisans, herbalists, bakers, and subject matter experts to offer an extremely high level of content while teaching you how each skill ties into the themes of the current Hebrew month.
Each workshop gives you transferable skills that can jumpstart you on a path of self-sufficiency. After Owen Taylor at TrueLove Seeds taught us how to keep seeds, I started my vegetable garden entirely using the seeds from last year’s harvest. I haven’t bought bread in months and have even ventured on to learn how to make phyllo dough and pasta from scratch! Learning about the fermentation process in sourdough has inspired me to make my own kimchi and sauerkraut (next step: setting up a fermentation station à la Brad Leone). My house is decorated in hanging planters that I learned how to make from NYAI Wood Craft—there’s no better feeling than a guest asking where you got your decor and getting to say, “Thanks! I made it!”. I’ve even survived cold/flu season thanks to my daily shot of Fire Cider we made during our Winter Kitchen Medicine workshop.

Whether you have an urban farm or still don’t know what composting is and at this point, you’re too afraid to ask, there’s a Shtetl Skills workshop for you! Join us for our upcoming Spring/Summer workshops of the 2020 season:

  • April/Nissan: Zero-Waste Matzah Ball Soup – Watch the video here
  • May/Iyar: Faith in Cannabis with Laurel Freedman – May 20 via Zoom
  • June/Sivan: Sourdough 101 with Ailbhe Pascal of Fikira Bakery and 1149 Cooperative
  • July/Tamuz: The Art of Mending Clothes
  • August/Av: Zero-Waste Living with Amanda Lindner of The Enviromensch and Avodah

If you’re interested in learning more about upcoming workshops or would like to volunteer with Shtetl Skills, please contact Davinica at davinica@tribe12.org.

12 Things I Learned as a Tribe 12 Intern

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For the past four months, I have had the privilege to work alongside the awesome staff at Tribe 12 through Temple University’s Feinstein Center Jewish Professional Internship program. As a new 20s/30s, I got a chance to interact with and market to much of Philly’s young Jewish community.

 

Here are twelve things that I’ve learned during my time here:

 

  1. Judaism looks different for different people, and someone’s Judaism can influence their life in many different ways.
  2. Connecting with other Jews can help people feel more in touch with their own Judaism, whether it’s a new group of friends, a significant other, or a Friday night Shabbat squad.
  3. Listen to your constituents and be responsive to their needs.
  4. Food-related content is almost always good content, and Jewish food-related content is almost always great content.
  5. In the right atmosphere, it’s easier than you’d think to connect with people!
  6. Social media can be a super helpful and powerful tool to spread ideas, especially when a nice picture and some fun emojis are involved.
  7. Zoom events are sometimes intimidating, but can be very successful (ie. Pitch Night)!
  8. Lots of thought and hard work goes into even the small details of planning an event.
  9. Almost any graphic can be edited together on Canva, especially because I haven’t used Photoshop since high school.
  10. In times of crisis, people want and need a sense of community more than ever.
  11. The Philadelphia Jewish community is strong, interconnected, and full of opportunities.
  12. A great group of coworkers definitely make an internship all the more enjoyable 🙂

Quaran-Cleaning & Organizing Part 2

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Hi there, Tribe 12 community! I’m Nicole Wasilus, owner of Everybody Loves Organizing, and I’ve got some organizing tips for you to make your home more zen & orderly while you’re staying in.

Bedroom

 

Most of us are working from home now, so we’re spending much more time in our spaces. A simple but effective thing you can do is make your bed every morning. It takes just a minute or two, and it makes your bedroom’s energy so much different. It’s a great way to get the day started on the right foot. And if you don’t have a lot of storage space, remember that the underside of your bed has plenty of room for plastic bins or slide-out drawers!

Take a look at your dresser. A method from Marie Kondo that I love is file folding, which is where you fold and stack your clothes horizontally rather than vertically. Here’s a video tutorial on how to do it, and I challenge you to give it a try. It takes a little time upfront, but you’ll save time and energy down the line. No more fishing for that one t-shirt and messing up the rest!

Finally, let’s look at your bedroom closet. I recommend having uniform hangers. When everything matches, it looks so much cleaner! And just like in the kitchen, take everything out to see what still fits and what you actually like. As you put everything back, take time to sort by sleeve length, formalness, or even color!

Closets 

You know what I’m going to say, but it’s important to repeat: look through your closet’s coat collection, and decide if there’s any you don’t wear. Using matching hangers, organize your coats from short to long, and group them together with who they belong to in your household.

Treat your suitcases and luggage like nesting Russian dolls. Store smaller suitcases and travel bags in a larger one to save space! Similarly, maximize your storage by using all the vertical space in your closet. Store out of season items or things you don’t frequently use at the tippy top. Consider a shoe rack like this one I have from the Container Store (my home away from home). When everything has its place, your closets really come together.

Those are all my tips. I hope they were informative and sparked a fire in you to take this time we have and get organized! If you have questions or would like to talk in-depth about your space, contact me on my Facebook page!

 

Tribe 12 Fellow Spotlight: Pivot to Create Life-Saving Ventilators

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For one of our Tribe 12 Fellows, her work may be the difference between life and death.

Noga entered the Tribe 12 Fellowship with the goal of solving the problem of social isolation. She was raised on a Kibbutz (collective farming community) overlooking the Dead Sea in Israel. The Kibbutz upbringing establishes community as a high priority in life, which Noga saw was lacking in the States.

Though her passion for curing loneliness is still strong, the current pandemic necessitated a shift in her focus. In March, the public was notified to start social distancing to flatten the curve of the Covid-19 pandemic. While watching the news one night, Noga learned of the low numbers of ventilators and how doctors would have to make hard choices about resource distribution. In other words, if a patient had a lower chance of survival, they might not receive a ventilator.

Noga, the chief of staff to the CEO of a data analytics and healthcare company in the Philadelphia area, contacted her two partners at VeriTX, a startup that specializes in digital supply chain for air space and planes. VeriTX’s focus would be the best and quickest solution to the problem of how to get more ventilators into hospitals.

Collectively, Noga and her partners figured out that by leveraging existing CPAP and BiPap technology with several key innovations, they could turn a common bedside helper into a life-saving tool for those in critical condition. VeriTX quickly pivoted to form Rapid Medical Parts.

Embodying the spirit of rapid prototyping, the team sent the specifications to an engineering team in Los Angeles, who produced a working model a week later. Noga and her partners are now trying to secure investment partners so they can establish a commitment of funding to create and rapidly scale the design. At the same time, these changemakers will be bringing their prototype to the FDA for approval, a necessary first step before being able to manufacture and distribute the technology to health systems, governments, and non-profit organizations. Noga’s work is a great example of the global effort to flatten the curve and protect the lives of those most vulnerable with the tools we have at our disposal.

We are incredibly proud to see our Fellows use their skills for the betterment of the community. At the end of the day, we are nothing without each other. Contact Noga at noga@veritx.com if you can help with this life-saving work.

Volunteer Opportunities During COVID-19

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Looking for a way to make a tangible impact during this wild and unpredictable time in history? There are plenty of volunteering opportunities, some for those who feel comfortable safely volunteering in person and some that are entirely virtual or via phone. We’ll update this as we go!

Repair the World Philadelphia mobilizes people to take action grounded in Jewish values to pursue a more just world, igniting a lifelong commitment to service. They have an extensive resource for virtual volunteering opportunities here. 

SNJ Jewish Family & Children’s Service: Jewish Family & Children’s Service will be accepting “drop & go” food donations outside of the Route 70 Family Assistance Program office next Friday, April 3, between 10:00 am– 12:00 pm. The address is 1309 West Route 70, Cherry Hill. JFCS is also managing a “Shop and Drop” food shopping and delivery program staffed by volunteers. The form to enroll can be found on the JFCS website here.

Philabundance: Host or participate in a fun and interactive virtual food drive. Could be a good alternative to a birthday party!

Mitzvah Food Program: Deliver pre-packed bags of food and emergency supplies. Drivers are needed from the Mitzvah Food Pantry sites in Center City, Main Line and Northeast Philadelphia. Deliveries generally take less than two hours. If you have questions and are interested in helping out in April and/or in the future, especially during this time when lifesaving food packages are at risk of not being delivered, please contact Phil Holtje at pholtje@jewishphilly.org, 215-832-0815 or sign up to volunteer here.

KleinLife: KleinLife Home Delivered Meals program is an essential need for 700 homebound seniors. To help deliver these pre-cooked meals, contact John Eskate, jeskate@kleinlife.org, to coordinate a specific time each Tuesday to pick up and deliver. In the loading dock, you will be given gloves, meals packed in freezer bags, and a delivery route. After delivery, emptied freezer bags should be returned to Kleinlife. To volunteer, please contact John Eskate at jeskate@kleinlife.org.

Jewish Relief Agency: Deliver pre-packed boxes of food and emergency supplies to individuals across the region. Visit the JRA website to RSVP for a specific time and sign up for a route or email volunteering@jewishrelief.org.

Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia: JFGP is seeking volunteers to make regular friendly phone calls to check in with a local senior citizen in our Jewish community. Fill out this form to be matched with an isolated community member.

South Philly Shtiebel WhatsApp: Support fellow South Philly residents with logistical or errand support by joining the Shtiebel Support WhatsApp Group.

Keneseth Israel: Fundraiser for families in Cheltenham here! 

Broad Street Ministry(BSM) is a community dedicated to alleviating the pains of hunger and homelessness in Philadelphia. Their Breaking Bread program gives nutritious meals to anyone who needs it while also providing a mailing address, clothing, personal care items, and other services for individuals who are underserved. In response to COVID-19, BSM has stopped its volunteer shifts, though they are in need of additional items to provide life-sustaining services to vulnerable populations. You can donate to BSM through their Amazon Wishlist or fundraiser. 

Bethesda Project: is a local organization addressing homelessness in Center City. They have 14 different locations ranging from emergency shelter to permanent supportive housing, serving over 1,500 men and women every year. While we have suspended on-site volunteering, there are still ways to help out! This includes: Making a meal at home following USDA Guidelines at www.foodsafety.gov/keep-food-safe/4-steps-to-food-safety. Contact Jeffrey Isaacson at jisaacson@bethesdaproject.org, or call 513-280-2236
Project Home: We know that you care as much as we do about how the pandemic is impacting our collective work to end homelessness and alleviate poverty in Philadelphia. We also know that you want to help now more than ever before. Click here for ways you can help immediately while keeping yourself safe.

Quaran-Cleaning & Organizing

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Hi there, Tribe 12 community! I’m Nicole Wasilus, owner of Everybody Loves Organizing, and I’ve got some organizing tips for you to make your home more zen & orderly while you’re staying in.

Kitchen

You’d be surprised to see all the room you have in your fridge, pantry, and freezer when you toss out expired foods. Take out everything–and I mean everything–and look for the expiration date. And while you’re at it, why not wipe down your fridge or cabinet while it’s empty? Trash expired items, and keep the soon-to-be expired towards the front.

Similarly, with glassware, we get free cups, coffee mugs, and thermoses as giveaways. Take a good look at them, and decide what you no longer need. Toss the chipped and rarely used, and keep what you like and use often. Consider cabinet shelves like these to maximize the vertical space in your cabinet. Keep coffee mugs and thermoses near where you make your coffee. Put your glassware back in your cabinet sorted by category and height.

Lastly, organize all the tupperware. Does everything have a lid? Toss unmatched items, and consider switching from plastic to glass containers. If you have the room, I always recommend storing tupperware with the lids on. It’s so much easier! If you don’t have that option, store smaller containers in larger ones, and stack matching lids together.

Bathroom 

Rules in the kitchen apply here: toss medicine (and makeup) that has expired. If you have the space and energy, consider storing medicine in bins grouped by category, e.g. first aid, allergies, cold and flu. Be sure to keep them out of reach of kids!

Keep products off your bathroom countertop, and put them in a drawer or cabinet instead. Just make sure the products you use daily are kept in a place that makes it easy to access them. You should also avoid keeping shower products scattered around the floor and tub. A hanging shower caddy frees up space and keeps everything in reach when you need them most.

With all this floor space freed up, invest in a small decorative bin. You can fit your toilet paper and rolled-up bath towels in one convenient space. Now your linen closet has room to breathe!

Those are just some of my tips. I hope they were informative and sparked a fire in you to take this time we have and get organized! If you have questions or would like to talk in-depth about your space, contact me on my Facebook page!