Hazon ( he, חָזוֹן ) is an American

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

that seeks to "create new vision" in the

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

community through outdoor and

environmental education Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach how natural environments function, and particularly, how human beings can manage behavior and ecosystems to live sustainably. It is a multi-disciplinary field integrating discip ...

. It was founded in 2000 by its British-born CEO

Nigel Savage Nigel Savage (born 1970) is a British environmental activist and founder of Jewish environmental nonprofit organisation Hazon. Beginning his career working in finance, in 2000 he founded Hazon and served as CEO until its merger with the Pearlst ...

. The organization claims to be America's "largest faith-based environmental organization". Hazon's advisory board of directors is chaired by Ruth Messinger.

Name and aims

In Hebrew, ''hazon'' means "vision". In March 2019, Hazon issued a cease and desist order to stop an Israeli right-wing organization that is against same-sex marriages and promotes a Jewish religious agenda from using its trademarked name. Savage has stated that the messages from the Israeli organization "radically stand against all that we have done, and all that we have tried to do, since our founding in 2000". Hazon promotes what it calls "immersive JOFEE experiences". JOFEE stands for Jewish, Outdoor, Food, Farming & Environmental Education.

Events

Hazon is best known for the Jewish environmental bike rides it organizes in the New York City region, and for its joint sponsorship of the Israel Ride, a fundraiser in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

benefitting both Hazon and the

Arava Institute for Environmental Studies The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES) is an academic studies and research institute located at Kibbutz Ketura on the Israeli side of the Arava Valley. Under the motto that "nature knows no borders", AIES seeks to train future l ...

. Hazon's first program was a six-week cross-USA bike ride, from

Washington state Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

Washington, D.C ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. The New York ride, which takes place during

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

weekend each year, combines a

shabbaton The Hebrew term ''shabbaton'' ( he, שבתון) may be translated into English to mean sabbatical. The concept of a sabbatical year (shmita) has a source in several places in the Bible (e.g. Leviticus 25), where there is a commandment to desist fro ...

on the Friday and Saturday, with two days of cycling on the Sunday and Monday. The first New York ride was held in 2001. The Israel Ride has been held since 2003. Hazon also promotes programs on issues related to food. It convenes the annual Hazon Food Conference every December. Its ''Tuv Ha'aretz'' program sponsors Jewish communities (including synagogues, Jewish Community Centers, and schools) to build

community supported agriculture Community-supported agriculture (CSA model) or cropsharing is a system that connects producers and consumers within the food system closer by allowing the consumer to subscribe to the harvest of a certain farm or group of farms. It is an alterna ...

programs (i.e., farm shares), and to engage in study of Jewish sources and traditions as they relate to healthy eating. ''Tuv Ha'aretz'' is a Hebrew phrase that suggests both "best of the land" and "good for the land". The organization has created an initiative called the Seal of Sustainability aimed at promoting "sustainable lifestyles and environmental consciousness".

COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hazon promoted the growing of produce in gardens which have been likened to the war time

Victory gardens ''Victory Gardens'' (1991) is the debut album from John & Mary, recorded in 1990 just six months after the two met in December 1989 and immediately following their signing with Rykodisc. John Lombardo, former member of 10,000 Maniacs and respon ...

. In July 2020, the organization announced the layoffs of 35 percent of its staff following the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization claimed a loss of $2.5 million due to canceled events.

References

External links

* {{American Jewish environmental organizations Environmental organizations based in New York City Judaism and environmentalism Jewish organizations Organizations established in 2000 2000 establishments in the United States