Long before recent “buy local” movements around the country, Torah advocated for prioritizing buying and selling from your neighbors. Nell Mahgel-Freidman explains why this value of local economy has endured from the Torah to today, and how we might reaffirm it as a Jewish community in our contemporary moment. Mahgel-Friedman lays out a dynamic action plan for Jewish community education about advocacy and support for local businesses, as well as the benefits we see from reclaiming this ancient economic practice.
Nell Mahgel-Friedman is the Co-Owner of Afikomen Judaica with her husband Rabbi Chaim Mahgel-Friedman in Berkeley CA. She is also the founder of the Merkavah Torah Institute for Women, and an alumna of NISHMAT Center for Advanced Torah Study in Jerusalem.
