Four Corners Fellowship:

Tending to Jewish Ritual, Time, and Place

Join Zumwalt Acres for a hybrid 3-month land-based exploration of Jewish practice this fall.

Find information about this program in the dropdowns below

UPDATE: REGISTRATION CLOSED

Following the arc of the Four Corners Fellowship, together we will learn about and deepen into Jewish rituals and practices, orient to Jewish ways of keeping time, and root in Jewish agricultural history and tradition.

This program is made possible with support from the Covenant Foundation’s Ignition Grant.

  • We believe that the work of (re)connecting and experimenting with our ancestral practices and teachings is one piece of the work of investing in a more just and liberated future on land. We will ask:

    1. How do we root in tradition while sparking creativity to build a practice that feels aligned, alive, accessible, and true to each of our senses of self?

    2. What are the regular (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, seven-yearly, etc.) practices and rituals that serve us?

    3. How do we orient and live into Jewish time?

    4. What are our guiding practices and principles in tending land (as Jews in diaspora)? What is our history (as a collective, as individuals) in relationship to land and land-tending?

  • The Four Corners Fellowship is offered to both Zumwalt Acres Farm Fellows (who have already been registered for the fall season) and Hybrid Fellows, located around the midwest and beyond. Farm fellows will integrate the curriculum into their communal life on the farm. Hybrid fellows will be invited into our land project through virtual and in-person programs, and invited to connect to the lands they are living on, wherever that is.

    Both farm and hybrid fellows will gather weekly for 1.5 hour workshops offered virtually over the course of three months (September-November). Weekly calls will likely be scheduled for Tuesday evenings, unless there's another time that would work better for everyone involved. Because this is the season of the High Holidays, grounding in Jewish time during this season will include deepening into intention and practice around Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and other fall holidays.

    There will be an on-farm event during Sukkot weekend which will involve fellow co-facilitation along with the Fellowship Educators. We strongly encourage hybrid fellows to travel to the farm for this event since it will be an important moment of community integration and co-created space, and special opportunity to learn from a collection of knowledgeable educators in person.


    Each fellow will be paired with a partner (chevruta) to connect with at least once per month around specific prompts. Virtual participants will be connected with other virtual participants, ideally in geographic proximity so that they can connect in-person. Farm fellows will be paired with one another. We will offer readings/resources to supplement workshops and support fellows in developing their personal and chevruta practice and study.


    We will collectively decide on a creative project to co-create during the fellowship. Some possible projects might be a siddur supplement/zine, high holiday materials, a calendar, a ritual object or other project that engages with curriculum material and can become a resource for participants to carry with them going forward and bring into their other communities. 

  • Zumwalt Acres is an educational farm and Jewish- and queer-centered community located in Sheldon, Illinois on the unceded homelands of Kickapoo, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Miami, and Ocethi Sakowin peoples. At Zumwalt Acres, we  grow food, offer an on-farm fellowship, host events, conduct ecological research, and cultivate community and connection to land.  Our ongoing 3-month immersive farm fellowship offers young adults aged 18-36 (ish) the opportunity to live, learn, and work on our diversified farm, build community, and connect to land.

    The Four Corners Fellowship Program Directors are Stewards of Zumwalt Acres. The Program Directors have designed, built, and will move through the curriculum and hold the space for the Fellowship in collaboration with this program's Curriculum Co-Creators. Guest Educators will also lead workshops during our hybrid community's weekly meetings and at in-person events. Information about the various educators can be found in the section below.

    We will all be co-creating learning space together, both virtually and in person. While our team of educators holds an abundant wealth of knowledge that we will be gratefully dipping into and drawing from, it's also our belief that each fellow has much to offer to our collective journey of (re)connecting with ancestral wisdom and building a Jewish practice (personally and collectively) that fulfills us spiritually.

  • This space is oriented towards young Jews in the midwest-ish, aged 18 to 35-ish, looking to connect with their Judaism and with land. If you identify as Jewish, you are “Jewish enough” regardless of ancestry or familiarity with Jewish practices. If you are based outside of the midwest, feel free to still register, especially if you would be able to attend at least one event on the farm and you are excited about engaging with land-based Judaism rooted in the Heartland.  If you fall outside of that age range, you can still register, as long as you are excited about being a part of and respecting an orientation towards young adults. If you have any questions about fit, feel free to reach out to talk more about this fellowship or other ways of getting involved!


    We expect fellows to…

    • Actively participate during all or most weekly virtual learning sessions (expectation to be camera-on when accessible). If you are not able to attend a session, please let us know in advance, when possible.

    • Connect monthly with your chevruta (learning partner) either in-person or virtually

    • Engage with learning prompts and resources outside of session time

    • Commit to building community with cohort peers and mentors. We understand the challenges of creating community as a virtual participant—this is why we encourage active engagement throughout and between sessions, cultivating relationships in chevrutah pairs, and attending in-person events, when possible.

    • Attend at least one on-farm event, if possible. Virtual participants are encouraged to attend both events.

    • Advocate for your needs and dreams and ask for support from facilitators, educators, and peers as needed/desired

  • Program cost for the 3-month fellowship, including all on-farm events:

    $0 - BIPOC Free Access Fund

    $150 - 50% scholarship

    $300 - cost of program (e.g. guest-educator led virtual workshops, meals and accommodations at in-person events, etc)

    $450 - cost of participation + support someone needing a 50% scholarship

    $600 - cost of attendance + support someone needing a full scholarship


    BIPOC Free Access Fund - If you identify as Black, Indigenous, Asian, or Latinx/o/a, or someone who is not white or white-passing, you may choose this option to participate in the programming free of cost.

    We strive to make this program accessible to all, regardless of finances. And for those who are able, we need your contribution to make it possible for us to offer the learning, resources, space, and materials of this fellowship. We ask that you assess your current income level and savings and access to privilege and familial support, in deciding what level of contribution is comfortable for you and choose the option that best supports this work within your means.

    We have a limited number of scholarships available for those who $300 is not feasible or would cause significant financial burden.  If $150 is still not accessible to you, please reach out to us about other options and fill out the registration form with the other information while waiting to hear back from us.

    If you are able to pay beyond $300, your contribution will go directly to supporting costs of the program in order to continue making it accessible to people regardless of financial background.

  • Getting to Zumwalt Acres requires driving. For each in-person event, we will create a carpool coordination spreadsheet. If you are driving from a nearby city and have available spots in your car, please consider jotting down your information to offer a ride to those who may need. If you are seeking a ride, please keep an eye on the spreadsheet and contact those who are offering rides! We will also support coordination as needed.

    Some travel routes, so you know what to expect when planning how to get to the farm:

    Chicago - drive (about 2 hours)

    Chicago - train: There is an Amtrak train from Chicago Union Station to Gilman, IL. Then, it’s about a 30min drive to the farm. You'll indicate in the carpool coordination spreadsheet if you choose this route so we can coordinate pickups from Gilman to the farm

    Chicago - shuttle: There is a shuttle from Midway Airport to Bourbonnais Metro Centre (for $2). Then, it’s about a 1hr drive to the farm. You'll indicate in the carpool coordination spreadsheet if you choose this route so we can coordinate pickups from Burbonnais to the farm.

    Indianapolis - drive (about 2 hours)

    Champaign - drive (about 1 hour 30min)

  • We strive to make our gatherings as accessible as possible, but as a farm with limited infrastructure and resources, we have limits to the range of our accommodations. We are best able to accommodate our guests when you clearly communicate your access needs in advance, so please let us know in the RSVP form what will support you in being fully present and cared for during our gathering.

    FOOD

    All meals will be provided, in addition to snacks throughout. All food will be vegetarian with vegan options. Dishes will be labeled with ingredients/allergens. Food will be prepared in a kitchen that may be cross-contaminated with nuts, gluten, and other allergens. If you have any dietary restrictions or concerns please let us know through the RSVP form we’ll send you before the event, and we will accommodate.

    HOUSING

    Most attendees will be expected to camp on the farm land. Composting toilets and running water will be available outdoors for use. There is a cold-water outdoor shower.

    If you will not be using air travel and plan to drive to the farm, we ask that you bring your own gear or borrow from a friend if you can. If you are flying or cannot bring your own gear, we have a limited amount of tents, sleeping pads, and sleeping bags available to lend at no cost.

    If you are unable to camp for any reason, please let us know on the form, and we will contact you to find a solution that works for you.

    ACCESSIBILITY

    Most of the activities will take place on grassy areas, but all will have seating options. The land is flat, but sometimes bumpy. The composting toilets include several stairs leading up to them. Weather might include high heat, high sun, cold temperatures, high winds, and/or rain. Check the weather forecast when packing. When possible, we will gather in shaded areas, but expect to spend some time in the sun. In the case of high winds and/or rain, we will provide shelter as much as possible.

    COVID-19

    We'll ask you to take a COVID rapid test within the 24 hours before arriving at ZA and have a picture of your negative test ready upon arrival. This helps protect each other and our community. If a COVID test is not accessible to you, please reach out and we will have one ready for you upon arrival.

  • The Amidah, a central part of each of the daily prayers in Judaism, refers to the moment of coming into Olam HaBa, the world to come, as a gathering of the diasporic Jewish people from the four corners of the earth. In our time together, we will be grounding in the lands where we find ourselves in these four corners of the world in which we live, and celebrating the ancestral tools available to us to embrace hereness wherever we are. We believe that doing so is a piece of building the world we want to live in, one where our collective practices and ways of life support the living world we're each apart of.


    The number four is symbolic in many ways in Judaism, and several of the other meanings feel relevant to the work we'll be in together as well. As an alternative to the linearity of capitalist time that usually marks our days in the US, we’ll be exploring together some ways of marking time laid out in Jewish texts, traditions, and mysticism. As an agrarian religion/tradition, marking time in Judaism involves deep orientation to the seasonal flows and to the four cardinal directions that can serve as navigating guides wherever we are in our fields and in the world. Central to the arc of our time together will be leaning into this particular season of Jewish time (one of the four Jewish new years) and orienting using the mystical framework of the four worlds.

Fellowship Educators

Program Directors

  • Acacia Berg co-manages horticultural production at the farm as ZA Farm Steward and spends their time tending to the plants, trees, chickens, bees, community members, and other beings of this midwestern home. She brings learnings from her environmental studies and research in sustainable agriculture to her work at Zumwalt Acres, as well as experience as a farm and school garden educator and organic farmer at various scales. In living and farming at Zumwalt Acres, Acacia finds deep fulfillment and home in the intersection of regenerative practice, renewal Judaism, queerness, and intentional community.

  • Sophie Lieberman is a Jewish farmer and researcher of the intersections of agriculture, plant biodiversity, and lifeways. She co-founded Zumwalt Acres and has been involved in stewarding this project from both near and far since.

  • Gavi Welbel is a land steward, dancer, and community organizer. They co-founded Zumwalt Acres in 2020 and are grateful to be living and working at Zumwalt Acres full-time since graduating last May with a degree in earth science and mechanical engineering from Yale University. Gavi is excited about ways that we can be in loving relationship with our bodies, the land and waterways, one another, and our ancestors. They are often found dancing in the fields, wandering the woods, baking bread, contemplating climate science, and striving to live into Jewish time.

  • Remi Welbel is a co-creator of the Zumwalt Acres farming community and acts as the Community Steward. Currently, they are a medical student focusing on the intersections of climate change, food systems, and health. Remi is a radish enthusiast, loves to bake bread, and probably intersperses more Yiddish words into their everyday vernacular than your bubbie. She loves getting to collaborate with other folks who are excited about land-based reparative work, health equity work, and radical & expansive community building.

Curriculum Co-Creators

  • Rabbi Avigayil Halpern is a writer and educator who is passionate about the Torah that emerges in the conversation between our own lives and traditional texts. Avigayil’s work focuses on queer and feminist Torah, and she is currently at work on a book about queer niddah. Avigayil was ordained by the Hadar Institute in 2023, and has taught Torah and built community nationally and internationally, including at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, the Drisha Institute, Hunter College Hillel, and Hillel Deutschland. Avigayil is currently based in Washington, DC, where she is the founding rabbi of Based-In DC.

  • Shomeret Shula Pesach is a Jewish educator, community ritualist, and trans theologian. Shula lives on Nipmuc/Pocumtuc Land and traces her ancestry from Ashkenazi peoples from the Danube and Dnieper watersheds. Shula serves movements for liberation through her work with Weaving Earth Center for Relational Education, as the Program Director for Taproot, and as the founder and director of B’yameinu Beit Midrash. Shula is an apprentice of bird-language, the tarot, and stretching strudel dough.

  • Chana Rusanov is a Jewish educator (and lapsed farmer) who is passionate about being in vulnerable relationship with Torah and guiding others into explorations of ancient text, queerness and liberatory Jewish practice. Following 5 years on the core team at Linke Fligl, a queer Jewish chicken farm and cultural organizing project, they’re now deep in the complexity of integrating their post-Soviet roots and their frum (orthodox) upbringing into their current life and work. Secretly an indoor cat, they love curling up in a cozy nook with a pastry and a strong cup of black tea.

  • Jay Saper is an artist, writer, translator, and organizer who lives in Brooklyn, New York. They have served as artist in residence at the Jewish Museum Frankfurt and taught Yiddish at Middlebury College. Jay’s artist books and zines honoring the legacy of Yiddish print and activist culture, under the imprint Pashkevil Press, are held in the collection of the Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Along with Morgan Bassichis and Rachel Valinsky, Jay is coeditor of the anti-Zionist guidebook Questions to Ask Before Your Bat Mitzvah (Wendy’s Subway 2023) See more of their work at https://www.pashkevilpress.com/ and @pashkevilpress.

Guest Educators

  • Rabbi Heather Paul is the Senior Jewish Educator at Illini Hillel. An educator, ritual artist, writer, and spiritual guide with over 15 years Jewish communal and educational experience, she previously served as the Springboard Fellowship assistant director at Hillel International, and has worked at both Santa Cruz Hillel and Hillel at Stanford. Rabbi Heather holds a graduate degree in Jewish education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and she received rabbinic ordination from ALEPH Renewal Seminary. She has been a Hadar Wisdom Fellow and a member of m2’s Senior Educators Cohort. Rabbi Heather is passionate about coffee, ritual design, deep conversations, and empowering creative Judaism. When she’s not engaged in any of the former, you can find Rabbi Heather reading, knitting, volunteering as a camp counselor and grief counselor, and going on walks with her husband, Joseph, her daughter, Ella, and their labradoodle, Gulliver. You can read more about Rabbi Heather and find links to her published writing at her website, www.scattereleaves.net and you can follow Rabbi Heather on her Instagram account @thetiedyerabbi.

  • Leah Shoshanah is a Chicago-based singer, songwriter and Spiritual musician whose deeply felt, soulful music grows from folk, pop, funk, rock and jazz. Over the past decade, Shoshanah has sung on historic stages in Chicago and across the world. Her original music has been featured in several documentaries and fills her albums A Child Like This (2017), Stillness (2018), and several singles. To Be Free will be her second full-length studio album.

    Shoshanah’s work is split between the performative and the facilitated. As a Spiritual musician, Shoshanah leads community singing for healing and transformation. Her “Spirit Jam” workshops guide people from all walks of life toward improvised vocal jamming. Shoshanah is also known for her original Jewish music, which she shares around the country and as a Cantorial Soloist with Tzedek Chicago. If you are interested in learning more, visit www.leahshoshanah.com.

  • Liana Wertman is the founder and executive director of The Torah Studio - an online Jewish learning community that offers text study as a nourishing and empowering Jewish practice. Liana has learned and taught around the world, and is known for her engaging and exciting courses in person and online. When she's not teaching, she's probably outside, making art or listening to a fantasy novel and is always definitely still about Torah.

    P.S. She has a permaculture certificate and knows in her gut that farming is essential to Torah.

Fellowship Registration

Please register below by Av 17th/August 21st to join our community as a Hybrid Fellow. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions!

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO AUGUST 26TH