Published: 18 April 2023
Last updated: 5 March 2024
As he farewells the grassroots project he founded, MITCH BURNIE says Adamama taps into a desire for experiential Judaism - community as an act of doing, not just feeling.
We are a community built on our connection to Israel, Holocaust remembrance and producing Jewish babies. So when I proposed the idea of a Jewish urban farm in Sydney in 2018, it was no surprise that the Shalom team's initial thoughts were, “let's connect it to the kibbutz movement” and “let’s use it as a space to host young singles events”.
Explaining the idea of Adamama was a challenge. What is a Jewish urban farm? Is there a way to grow kosher vegetables? Is there an appetite for outdoor activities in the community? Getting the support of key stakeholders took time.
The community has a collective aim to fill the black-space void of the elusive “young adult” demographic - the post-university, young professional who is deciding how to divide their time between all the important aspects of life that are starting to build up. Social, romantic, physical, hobbies, profession, family … Jewish community?
I used to work to bring young Jews to community with boat cruises and Shabbat dinners, to tempt them to be Jewish by meeting their besheret ("Jewish soulmate") over a glass of kosher wine and dry sushi.
This worked for some but it always fell a bit short for me. I was of the belief that to build authentic, meaningful and impactful community, it needed to be rooted in common values, interests and vision. This was the basis for building Adamama, an environmental, grassroots community built around a physical space but more importantly around big ideas, people and tradition.
Regardless of age, gender, religiosity or politics, anyone could get on board with growing cucumbers and making pickles. Taking people on this journey was the hardest part of getting that initial buy-in from boards and committees to think differently about how to “do engagement”.
It wasn’t just the usual suspects who turned up. Getting to meet so many people with shared interests was so refreshing for me and a real eye-opener about the kinds of Jews who are in our community.
Understanding that engagement is a byproduct of an important endeavour, not the sole reason for doing it in the first place.
Starting Adamama was one of the happiest and most fulfilling periods of my life. Early morning watering sessions, afternoon campfire hangouts during lockdown, weed-whacking with friends and especially the early days of shovelling compost to all the new garden beds.
But it wasn’t just the usual suspects who turned up. Getting to meet so many people with shared interests was so refreshing for me and a real eye-opener about the kinds of Jews who are in our community. We are not as monocultured, to take an agricultural term, as we think.
Adamama has brought out a new and proactive way of expressing our culture. I see an element of pride in young Jews when they hear about the concept of a Jewish urban farm or when they get their hands in the soil as if to say, “Finally, there is something kind of cool about being Jewish”.
I think Adamama has tapped into a desire for experiential Judaism - community as an act of doing, not just feeling. To understand the land, you have to work it. I think the same can be said for being Jewish. Community is an act not just something to passively participate in for your own gain or goal.
Even when Adamama had to relocate from White City in Paddington to the Randwick Sustainability Hub, people continued to come; the broader local community could see the work being done. This demonstrated another unique point of difference as a communal engagement piece: Adamama is a Jewish-inspired project facing outwards and open to everyone.
The move allowed Adamama to grow and the first year at the sustainability hub ended with the highlight of my time at Adamama, the Jewish Food and Farm Festival - an all day extravaganza of food, culture and sustainability.
Since Adamama opened its gates, it has offered an opportunity for young Jews to connect to their roots and express their identity. I expect to see more projects like it pop up in the future.
It has been a pleasure and a privilege to grow in this role and be supported by such a loving and wonderful community. I hope it goes from strength to strength in its new phase with new ideas, more people and deliciously fresh produce.
Photo: Mitch Burnie directing traffic at Adamama at its original home at White City in Sydney's east (Paula Towers)
