Embracing Z'man Ha'aviv at Ben Porat Yosef
In this monthly feature, we showcase one of our Shorashim Partners - this month is Ben Porat Yosef.
We are delighted to feature Ben Porat Yosef - they were our FIRST New Jersey partner school in March 2016! It is truly incredible to share in the journey we have taken together and to celebrate this spring as our SEVENTH growing season.
The garden program at BPY is called “Grammy’s Torah Garden”, and the original layout included beds in the shape of a violin, because “Grammy” was a renowned musician, and the Eagle family (who created the program) wanted to bring their love of music into the garden as well. We enjoyed teaching in this unique shape for many years!
BPY’s campus includes nature trails along a stream, and Morah Jean leads experiential classes on these trails on a regular basis. GrowTorah fit perfectly into this innovative nature-based framework, and we have had the pleasure of collaborating on various projects. Most recently, Morah Jean received a local grant for us to upgrade the garden to beautiful cedar raised beds. The new layout is conducive to leading classes through each garden bed, and comfortable walkways for guided exploration. Although we miss the violin shape, the new beds help us keep a better maintained garden, and conduct more effective and inspiring lessons.
Each week in the garden, Farmer Yosef leads students in a lesson, exploration, and activity. Lessons are rooted in texts and values from the weekly parsha. BPY’s campus and pedagogy align beautifully with GrowTorah and we are honored to continue working with them in our combined “shmita” year.
At GrowTorah, we are privileged to work with many extraordinary partners, including those in our Shorashim program. For each of our Shorashim partners, we build beautiful vegetable gardens on-site, where our staff teach weekly lessons for the students throughout the growing season. Ben Porat Yosef located in Paramus, NJ, are a Modern Orthodox Jewish Day School serving students in early childhood through 8th grade.