ABOUT US & OUR VISION

A planned community, an “eco-village”, if you will, 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 towards 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 a family who has grown weary of city life, with its myriad of dangers. We want to be able to raise our children in a safe, peaceful community, where they will have like-minded neighbors, along with clean air and fresh, organic food. We are choosing to raise them to be deicated to Torah and mitzvot in a tangible, practical manner, in learning to go back to basics in living from the land.

We are building this [initial] community on the Western Slope of CO (for a variety of compatible reasons), but we are open to other places, if the right opportunity presents itself, for sister communities.

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!

Shaare Shamayim aka The Frum Farm
Issues/problems we want to address:
(1) We want to provide a healing place for:
       (a) Those that have been hurt by domestic violence,
       (b) Jewish women & children trapped in Arab relationships/villiages, (by developing a reciprocal relationship with a “sister community” in Israel, and by working with Yad L’Achim),
       (c) Youth who need a place to find their own derech,
       (d) Those needing a safe place, after having been hurt by                 extremism/fanaticism,
       (e) Jews who have been marginalized/stigmatized by “hidden disabilities”.

(2) We want to provide a sense of community for local Jews where they are - (not only where they are in their physical location, but also where they are on their spiritual journey).

(3) We want to provide ETHICAL (both in animal treatment and in kashrut), high quality food production, at an AFFORDABLE cost. (We want to diminish the idea that has often been expressed, that one needs to be rich to be Jewish).

Our visions/goals (or, what we hope to accomplish in our lifetime):
We want to leave a legacy of Jews, which, although from varied backgrounds, have developed a cohesive, unified community.
We want to have a group of people who has grown to have a healthy balance between personal space and individuality, with community.
We want to live Torah in a tangible way, by returning to living from the land.
We want to live a life of balance and health - with neither extreme of socialist ideology, nor religious fanaticism, which we believe both trap people in unhealthy places.
We want to eventually be fully off-grid, with our own alternative power sources, and each with our own unique eco-home.

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 it’s 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.