Seven ultra-Orthodox Jewish families have signed on to create what is likely the world’s first organic, kosher, communal farm. Following the tenets of the Torah and Talmud, the farmers will not pick fruit from their orchards for the first three years; they will let their land lie fallow every seventh year and will only plant certain vegetables next to certain fruits. The man behind the plan, Lubavitcher Rabbi Chaim Adelman, hopes that 18 more families will join the 70-acre farm, which is just north of Amherst, Mass. The families expect to feed themselves and sell products such as goat cheese. Adelman is thinking of the farm as a prototype to be replicated elsewhere. The farm’s development director, Yamiz Bouti, said that by producing food organically, the families hope to appeal to the “earth-crunchy face of Judaism.”
