Apology and Repair

October 24, 2025

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From 2022-2024, Yesod’s grant writing process systematically failed and caused harm to our community. I wrote and edited applications that included names and described personal information without asking for consent, tokenized community members, and inaccurately described our work and our relationships. I disrespected the privacy and trust of our community members. These violations are significant and inexcusable. My three co-workers at the time either read and approved these grants or refused to engage with grant writing/review, making this both a personal failure and a collective failure of our workplace. We had a responsibility to act with care, honesty, consent, and discernment, and we failed.

 

This situation came to light in the process of closing Yesod Farm+Kitchen in late 2024, when people who had been non-consensually named in grants asked about the status of those grants. We were informed by those people that this naming of individuals was harmful, especially to the Indigenous, Black, and People of Color named in these ways. 

 

Since then, I have taken the following action steps to repair this harmful practice and our impact:

• External review and assessment of grants – Completed in September 2025

• Notifying all individuals (or their proxies) named in grants, including explanation, apology, financial offer to BIPOC individuals named in grants –  Completed in October 2025

• Redistributing all Yesod’s funds to impacted BIPOC individuals named in grants. Funds have been distributed to reflect the impact of naming people’s race/ethnicity – estimated completion by end of December 2025

• Notifying affected funders – Completed in October 2025

• Disclosing on Yesod’s website – Completed in October 2025

• Commitment to create and implement rigorous consent process before writing grants in the future – ongoing

 

While I have personally apologized to the individuals named in Yesod’s grants, an apology, even paired with the redistribution of Yesod’s funds and a commitment to change, cannot undo the harm I have caused. This situation continues to ripple in the lives, families, and communities of everyone involved. I sincerely hope for the health and healing of all impacted. If that’s you, I am so deeply sorry for the grief and distress I have caused you. Feel to share your feedback via this online form, which is being monitored by both myself and my accountability partners.

 

I am committed to learning from my failures. In sharing this publicly, I hope that this transparency is supportive to the people I have hurt and serves as a cautionary tale for others. I believe that a world in which everyone is free is a world in which we learn from and repair the harm we cause, enable, and/or witness — in order to create a world with less harm and more healing. I believe that a world in which everyone is free is a world in which we act with care, honesty, consent, and discernment.

 

With commitment,

SJ on behalf of Yesod Farm+Kitchen

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CLOSING THE PROJECT

December 9, 2024

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Dear community,

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We are closing the project of Yesod Farm + Kitchen. We’re doing this with care, supporting each other in the transition, and devoting time and energy to the process.  

 

Many of us are still living here and tending the land. 

 

There will be a new land project on the same land. You will be able to find information about it on our website and Instagram when there’s more information about this emerging project.

 

Due to closing the project and Hurricane Helene’s impacts, we are not receiving visitors

• We are not hosting overnight guests. Our guest/temporary housing space was flooded and is not be available. To let the land rest, guests cannot currently camp here.

• We do not currently have events scheduled and are not available as a venue for events.

• No foraging/harvesting

• No cleanup volunteer days currently scheduled (If we decide to have some, you can find information on our website and Instagram)

 

Our capacity to reply to emails and other messages is limited. Thank you for your support and interest.

 

There’s a flourishing community of anti-zionist Jews in Western North Carolina. We know that Yesod has been a place for land-based, accessible Jewish gatherings for many people, and we want to support others to continue gathering in our region. We’ll keep our instagram open and continue to promote other local events, and we’re brainstorming ways to support people in hosting events of their own. We’ll share more information when we have it.​

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ABOUT YESOD FARM + KITCHEN

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Yesod Farm+Kitchen seeks collective liberation with land through Jewish farming and mutual aid. As diasporic Jews, we steward 15 acres of Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee) homeland in Western North Carolina. We grow relationships and nourish community.

Our community includes gardeners, farmers, local Fairview residents, Asheville-area Jews, food justice activists, and mutual aid organizers. We welcome everybody who is interested in Yesod Farm+Kitchen, and seek to be a place where people of different life experiences can learn from each other. We intentionally center people who experience oppression, such as BIPOC, queer folks, and activists.

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Our Vision

We dream of the future where people have loving relationships with land, community, and cultural traditions. We believe in a diaspora where Jews live in vibrant, culturally-rooted homes wherever we are. Land is returned to Indigenous-led stewardship. We belong to multicultural communities that joyfully share resources. Neighbors care for each other, and people honor ancestors. We respect all life and foster healthy ecosystems. 

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Our Mission

Yesod Farm+Kitchen is a pluralistic Jewish farm and cultural organizing project that welcomes everyone and builds multicultural community. 

 

We learn about Jewish land tending through an active process of experimentation. We steward the land where Yesod exists towards a more diverse, resilient ecosystem for humans and non-humans alike. 

 

We bring community members together around Jewish cultural relationships with food, farming, and land stewardship. Yesod models and teaches about justice and Jewish diasporism so that people can envision sustainable food systems and community care networks. We practice solidarity and build power for racial justice, landback, and reparations.

 

Inspired by shabbat, shmita, and yovel, we create systems that allow for rest and release. We honor Jewish commitments to mutual aid by sharing access to food and land. Our connections with Jewish rituals and practices nourish movements for collective liberation.