2022 / 5782 Recap

• Click here for 2022 infographic text!

  LF’s Culminating year, 2022/5782

  This graphic represents the final year of Linke Fligl. When we began our sunsetting process at the beginning of this shmita year 5782, we did so with the goal of ending with spaciousness. We prioritized giving ourselves and our community the chance to be in this transition together, slowly and intentionally.

  Gleaning the Learnings, Integrating the Transition, and Seeding New Futures were key elements of LF’s final year. May this graphic of our closure process serve other small radical queer projects who choose to sunset.

  Seeding New Futures: Living into Olam Haba - Over 80 queer Jews from across the country gathered for 5 transcendent days of land-based Jewish ritual, prayer, & workshops. * We hosted 2 Adamah days: We shared our land stories workshop to two Adamah cohorts who were crucial in helping to prepare the land for new stewards. * We shared our Land Stories workshop out in the world! JFREJ Board, Jewish Farmer Network, SURJ Faith Network, Miknaf ha’aretz * Offered guidance to several siblings projects including Queer Mikvah Project, Zumwalt Acres & more! * Made new merch * Sticker pack * Diasporist t-shirt * LF Garlic sent to 9 homes and communities to grow across the diaspora * Rehomed farm tools and equipment to Ayni Herb Farm, WILDSEED, Sweet Freedom Farm, Adamah, Schaghticoke First Nations, Kibilio Community and Farm and more * The beloved camper lent to us by Occupy the Heart moved to Friends of the Forest Farm * Continued to pay 5% land tax to the Schaghticoke First Nations on all sales, program contributions, and donations to honor that we are settlers on this land with a hope to contribute to its healing.

  Integrating the Closing: Praise, Potluck & Party! We communally marked the close of Linke Fligl and this shmita cycle with a celebration, Hallel led by Rena Branson and Batya Levine, a potluck feast, a gratitude circle and an afterparty at the quarry. * We hosted a tag sale: with LF chicken soup and the Berkshire Resilience Brass Band cheering us on, we joyfully released our earthly belongings to new homes. * Tisha B’av under the stars- we delved into collective grief with Eicha reading and mourning rituals led by Shula Pesach, Becca Heisler and Sarit Cantor among many voices * Brought on organizational extraordinaire Rachel Gottfried-Clancy as a consultant to support us in closing well. * Gathered our advisory circle, Tagan Engell, Lucretia John, Daniel Rosza Lang/Levitski, and Karen Zelermyer for guidance, gratitude and closure. * Participated in mediation as a staff as part of our commitment to healthy relationship with each other. * We prepared the land for WILDSEED by taking down the sukkah and shul, cleaning out the chicken coop, and creating a land management guide for the next stewards * Our shmita garden grew wild and tall with goldenrod and cover crop. Perennial herbs were gleaned freely by folks who visited the land, in the spirit of agricultural land being hefker/ownerless during the shmita year.

  Gleaning the Learnings: “Linke Fligl Ends with Love” podcast episode of Can We Talk (a podcast through the Jewish Women’s Archive) captured the story of LF’s intentional closing. * Screened our mini-doc, לֹא עָלֶיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמֹר / And though we may not finish this: Creating Home & Accountable Land Relationship as Queer Diasporic Jews at Allied Media Conference, at LF’s summer retreat, and with the Jewish Farmer Network. Over 300 people have seen the film so far! It can now be viewed on our website. * Created A Queer Manifesto for Jewish Land Based Liberation - a beautiful poster capturing some of LF’s theory and de-assimilation strategies toward building the world and culture we are working towards. * Collected digital and physical materials from 7 years of LF for archiving through YIVO, a 97 year old archive of eastern european Jewish life! Our collection will be accessible to the public virtually (at yivo.org) and in-person (on site in NYC) hopefully within the year. * Committed to maintaining linkefligl.com for next 7 years of this new shmita cycle as a resource for the queer Jewish diaspora.