Mothers and their 8- to 12-year-old daughters are invited to gather Aug. 30 at Urban Adamah in Berkeley to celebrate the full moon and the upcoming harvesting season.
The event, titled “Mother-Daughter Full Moon of Elul Circle,” will include harvesting wheat, grinding it into flour with a new grain mill and then baking it into pita over an open fire. Attendees will also learn how to weave string from natural fiber.
There also will be singing and eating, and the girls will learn about the plants on the farm and the significance of that night’s full moon, which will be the second full moon in August. There might also be focus on Elul, the month in which Jews traditionally repent and reflect in preparation for the High Holy Days.
Co-sponsored by Urban Adamah and Wilderness Torah, the event aims to create a meaningful Jewish experience for women and girls, said Adam Berman, executive director of Urban Adamah, a nonprofit that integrates organic farming, social justice work and education.
“The moon, and relating to the moon, has been a practice of women throughout Jewish history,” Berman explained. “We thought that the combination of a ritual surrounded by the moon and an exercise that takes baking to the next level would be a beautiful experience.”.
The program will take place from 6 to 8 pm Aug. 30 at Urban Adamah, 1050 Parker St., Berkeley. For more information, visit www.wildernesstorah.org or call Sarai Shapiro at (510) 926-1595, or visit www.urbanadamah.org. — naomi kosman-weiner