On a typical weekend, a college student's schedule would most likely not include milking goats, making sauerkraut or planting garlic. On a retreat through Tufts Hillel earlier this month, however, a group of Jumbos defied convention and got their hands dirty while simultaneously reflecting on Judaism, spirituality and the earth.
The Hillel retreat was its second annual trip to the fully operating Jewish organic farm located at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, Conn. It functions as an educational center, focusing on environmental issues through a Jewish lens.
The farm is maintained by Adamah Fellows, post−college youth who live, learn and work the farm for three months. However, Adamah runs weekend and day programs for all types of groups, including the group of Jewish Tufts students sent by Tufts Hillel.
Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, the senior Jewish educator at Tufts Hillel, initiated the first Adamah retreat last April after concocting the idea with a close friend, Sarah Chandler, the associate director of the farm.
Adamah had never previously hosted a group of college students, Ruttenberg said.
"It's a great chance for students to come and learn and gain this experience, and it's a way for the farm to share what they're doing with more people," Ruttenberg said. "It just seemed like a natural fit."
Ruttenberg spearheaded recruitment for both retreats, encouraging students across the spectrum of Jewish background and who had been involved with Hillel to attend. Both retreats were planned with the help of a dedicated student committee.
Sophomore Rhyan Goldman was introduced to the program by Ruttenberg and participated in coordinating the retreat both this year and last year.
"Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg is a force to be reckoned with," Goldman said. "She barely knew me and she told me, ‘Look, I know you well enough to know you'll love going on this retreat, so you should go.'"
Last year's retreat focused on food justice. This year, the trip took a more spiritual note with the theme "Body and Soul." Both retreats emphasized the exploration of food, where it comes from and how to consume it mindfully.
The Jumbos learned and reflected on these issues through hands−on methods — such as making goat cheese — as well as discussions that appealed to a wide diversity of perspectives.
"There were a lot of people that had a lot of Jewish background but didn't know a lot about the environment, and there were some people who were marginally involved in the Jewish community but were really interested in the food aspect," sophomore Leah Lazer said. "I thought they did a really good job incorporating both ends of the spectrum."
Both years, the retreat was composed of farm work, discussion−based activities, text study and Jewish celebrations of Shabbat. Meditation and hikes added a spiritual perspective and a space to think.
"There's time for services, there's time for walks in nature [and] there's time for these deep, powerful, reflective conversations," Ruttenberg said.
For the participants, the retreats created a chance to meet a whole new set of people and bond as a group, as well as a refreshing step back from the busy college lifestyle.
"They give me a way to escape from all the stress and day−to−day worries that are insignificant compared with the bigger picture," Charlee Corra, a junior who went on both years of the retreat, said. "We're in nature and we're talking about it and learning about it. You're just completely present and that doesn't happen that often."
The retreats also provided a unique — and for some, rarely tapped — way of connecting to Judaism. Lazer said she appreciated learning about her faith through a new lens other than typical religious traditions.
"It was definitely good to remind myself, and see others learn for the first time, that Judaism has a lot to say about environmental issues and food issues and how you should think about eating," she said.
Ruttenberg said that the most recent trip exceeded her expectations, and she felt as though the participants walked away with an important and enlightening experience.
"Both [retreats] were really powerful and moving experiences, borderline life−changing experiences," Corra added. "Both have been very important to me in terms of how I relate to Judaism and the earth."
The seeds of Adamah have taken root at Tufts, and they have potential to grow and flourish on both the individual and community levels.
The participants of the Adamah retreats plan on applying their knowledge by encouraging awareness of the environmental impact of everyday choices.
"Hopefully we'll continue to have retreats and continue to provide a way for people to go away and get a dose of this and come back and infuse it into their lives in all sorts of ways," Ruttenberg said.
