Join the SCA Forum
Donate Now
SCA Launches Year Two of "Kosher Crew," Expanding Program to West Coast Print
Students Celebrate Shabbat in the Woods
ALLENSTOWN, NH --- The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is gearing up for year 2 of the ‘Kosher Conservation Crew,’ a unique program designed to allow Jewish youth the opportunity to practice their religious traditions while preserving parks and spending time in the wilderness. Beginning June 14th at Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, NH, six students, recruited from around the country will spend their days completing hands-on conservation projects on New Hampshire public lands while spending their nights sleeping under the stars.  Based on the success of SCA’s inaugural program, a second Kosher Crew has been added and on July 29th another 6 students will begin a month of conservation service in San Francisco’s Golden Gate National Recreational Area.

The Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam will be a focal point as crew members learn about giving back to the environment in an effort to repair the world.  “I want to participate on an SCA conservation crew because I would be doing a "Mitzvah", a commandment or good deed, and it would also be a change of lifestyle for me. It sounds like a lot of fun!” said Jaye Russell from Sandown, NH when she applied for the program. 

During their four weeks of service in the park, the kosher crew members will celebrate Shabbat in the woods. To properly celebrate Shabbat, students will build an eruv around their campsite, which will enable them to carry food and water by converting a public area into a private space in the woods.  The students will prepare their own kosher meals in their outdoor kitchen and will even bake Challah over a campfire. 

The Shabbat celebration will consist of traditional candle-lighting, prayer and song, and blessing of the meal. After the meal, students and crew leaders will discuss and share stories from the trail, their religion and their lives, creating an open atmosphere for students to feel comfortable sharing and embrace varying levels of observance while cultivating the potential to jump-start a new generation of Jewish conservationists. 
           
The nation’s largest provider of year-round environmental conservation service opportunities, outdoor education and leadership training for youth and young adults since 1957, SCA volunteers annually commit nearly 2 million combined hours of service in close to 500 national parks, forests, refuges and urban green spaces throughout all 50 states. The Kosher Crew is one of 106 high school crews working on public lands this summer. Additional information about SCA is available through http://www.thesca.org.