Grounding Jewish Life: A UK Farm's Take on Jewish Agriculture

Why might a Jewish farm be essential to the future of Jewish life? In this class, we’ll explore Jewish agriculture through a curated source sheet anchored in Genesis 2:15 (“to work it and to guard it”), drawing on Torah, rabbinic teaching, and Hasidic thought on land, food, and holiness. Alongside these texts, we’ll hear the story of Sadeh, the UK’s Jewish farm: who we are, what we’ve built, and why rooted, land-based Jewish community matters now more than ever. We’ll also reflect on what it takes to protect and secure spaces like this for the long term, and why our next chapter depends on a permanent home. Participants will leave with a richer sense of the Jewish relationship to the land, an understanding of Jewish agriculture in the UK today, and a clearer picture of how they can be part of its future. No prior knowledge or Hebrew is needed, all sources will be provided in translation, and the class is open to anyone curious about Jewish food, ecology, and community. . . . Talia Chain is the founder of Sadeh, the UK's Jewish community farm. Talia’s role includes growing food, running education and volunteer sessions and fundraising for Sadeh’s projects. Her passion is in exploring Judaism's deep agricultural roots both practically on the land and in Jewish text.