Tikkun Olam

Adath Shalom members are actively helping to repair the world.

“Adonai took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it.” — Genesis 2:15

Adath Shalom’s Mitzvah Garden was the idea of an 11-year-old congregant, Sam Epstein. In 2014, he approached the Green Team and the synagogue board, gaining approval to build a raised bed garden in Adath Shalom’s back yard.

Sam was inspired after attending Eden Village, a farm-to-table Jewish summer camp, where he learned it was his obligation to take care of the earth. The garden is made up of seven beds in the shape of a Magen David. It is all organic, uses companion planting techniques, and drip irrigation to maximize produce and minimize congregants' workload.

Volunteers maintain the garden, growing tomatoes, beans, herbs, carrots, berries, flowers, and more! The garden donates its harvest to the Dover Food Pantry, along with congregants and synagogue events. During the warmer months, the garden can be viewed from our sanctuary's windows.

Click here to see an article about our garden in the New Jersey Jewish News.

Click here to see an article about our garden in the Daily Record.

The Green Team’s mission is to:

• Incorporate environmental stewardship into the maintenance of the Synagogue
• Promote environmental stewardship and awareness in the Adath Shalom community and beyond
• Emphasize through religious observance and in other ways the Jewish teachings and traditions to preserve and sustain the environment
• Promote actions that demonstrate our commitment

In 2013, Adath Shalom's Green Team was the first congregation in the country to earn the GreenFaith Energy Shield.  The Green Team’s diverse programs have included two interfaith discussions with members of the Christian and Muslim faiths, a tour of environmentally-sensitive sites in the Ironbound section of Newark, an eco-cruise of the Hackensack River, a program explaining how to green one’s home, a program discussing the protection of New Jersey’s Highlands and an initiative to use energy-efficient lighting throughout our building.