The Frum Farm - Shaare Shamayim

Mission: VISION & VALUES OF SHAARE SHAMAYIM FRUM FARM

OUR VISION:

To create and live in a rural farm community of Orthodox Jews, that, in spite of our varied backgrounds, fosters harmony with each other, the community at large; and to be good stewards of the land, as we actively live out our Torah values.

OUR VALUES:

Hashem & Torah first
We strive to be Torah-true, living a life of Kiddush Hashem, to produce a tangible example of the beauty of Torah living.

Stewardship & Responsibility
We live gently on the Earth. We are thankful for Hashem's resources He has blessed us with, so we are conscious to take good care of them and use them efficiently. We take personal responsibility to be good stewards with all that we are blessed with. We will preserve the rural agricultural environment and appearance, maintaining open “no build” spaces, and creating a permaculture that is eco-friendly to the rural natural habitat.

Cooperation, Honesty & Integrity
Through honesty, understanding, generosity, compassion and integrity, we live cooperatively with one another. When appropriate, we place the interests of the community ahead of our own self-interests, while also valuing our own self-worth.
We recognize our interdependence with all life, and its source. To all that came before us, we offer our respect and remembrance. To all with whom we share this world, we seek mutual understanding and respect. To all who will come after us, we strive to leave a better world. Most of all, we strive to honor Hashem in all that we do.

Commitment, Education & Participation
Though we know that the path may be difficult at times, we are committed to our Vision for the long haul.
We seek the exchange of knowledge, skills, and resources with each other and the larger community. We seek to pass this education on to our children, while providing them with a quality education, both secular and religious.
Knowing that our community is fueled by the energy we give it, we all actively participate in community life and work. Each of us gives of his or her energy and skills according to the ability of each.

Respect, Kindness & Support
Our farm community supports friendship and an “extended family” environment, thereby creating a sense of belonging for all. We support the growth of each other individually and the relationships amongst us. Each of us is willing to work on our own personal growth so that we can improve those relationships.
We also respect personal privacy and each individual’s choice as to their level of interconnectedness with other community members.
We respect the freedom of each person to live as he/she chooses, so long as that does not interfere with others in the community or run contrary to our stated core Vision and Values.
We value every member, including children, and treat them with kindness and respect.

Safety & Balance
In our community, we strive to create an environment of safety - emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually – where all feel welcomed, safe and at home.
Each of us individually, as well as all of us as a community, takes responsibility for our actions, considering how our actions may affect others.
We maintain balance in our community: between Shabbat and the everyday; between group and individual; between building for tomorrow and enjoyment of today; between working hard and having fun; etc., all while seeking to elevate the mundane to holier heights.

From www.ic.org/directory/the-frum-farm-shaare-shamayim/:

We are the "Alternadox" ;-) seeking to build an Othodox Jewish, but alternative-to-the-city, true, rural community, off-the-grid, with our own sources of power, water and kosher food supply.
A planned community, an “eco-village”, is to be built, with green state-of-the-art engineering, and including an organic aquaponic greenhouse, with unique, inventive characteristics. The community will exclusively use alternative power supplies (solar, wind), and will be a co-operative community.
It will include on-site educational facilities, with active outreach toward assisting others in building their own similar projects.
The community will be dedicated to kiruv, warmly welcoming Jews from all backgrounds, be they FFB, balei tshuva or convert; as well as being a safe place for women breaking free of situations of domestic violence. The community will be a place of peace, comfort, happiness and education, where a Jew is a Jew, treated with respect, as they learn to be community builders, and continue on to help others.
We are not seeking to build a commune or a kibbutz, but our vision is more that of an old-fashioned farming community (yet with new-fashioned technology!), where each family has their own home and open space, but where community members help each other and participate as a co-op, for the benefit of all... a place where we can reap the benefits of a community, but have the freedom of the open country; and where we can truly live by the commandments with joy!

A service of the Data Commons Co-op. The project has been supported by Equal Exchange, the Cooperative Charitable Trust, the USDA, and many others - thank you! Tech volunteers over the years include: Benjamin Bradley with support from GAIA Host. Ben Mauer with support from Quilted. Paul Fitzpatrick. Ronin Tech Collective, Brattleboro Tech Collective, Sligo Computer Services. Jason Lemieux. Default map tiles courtesy of MapQuest. Default map data (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA.