Donna Cohen, EcoJudaism’s Community Sustainability Lead and Barnet Shul’s EcoLead, together with Barnet Shul’s Rabbi, Rabbi Lister, visited the Incredible Edible Barnet initiative located in the grounds of St John’s Church, New Barnet. They received a warm welcome from Wendy, the project’s founder and team member Heather. Together with other volunteers, they grow an amazing variety of fruit, vegetables and herbs. Anyone from the local community is free to help themselves to the produce which ranges from tomatoes, courgettes, chard, strawberries, cherries, figs, verbena, sage and rosemary to a gigantic globe artichoke!
Pollinators are actively encouraged through planting and there is also a bee hotel, named endearingly “Air Bee and Bee”! The garden is managed organically with protection for the soil, nature and planet in mind. Donna remarked “This project chimes beautifully with EcoJudaism’s commitment to Jewish environmental responsibility and its Sustainability Action Plan (SAP) for synagogues, an online tool which includes a hugely popular section on biodiversity”.
Rabbi Lister stated “An otherwise neglected piece of land has been transformed into a thriving hub of nature. Here is a perfect example of the mission God has given humanity in Bereshit (2:15) of cultivating and protecting our beautiful world.” Barnet Shul is looking forward to strengthening ties with this inspiring local group and hopes to improve biodiversity in its outside spaces”.
Rabbi Lister and Donna thoroughly enjoyed a superb morning of learning and interfaith connection. It was truly incredible!
