Blog

Dear Friends,

We are sorry to share that, following our festive celebration for Rabbi David on Sunday evening, the cob oven on Abundance Farm burned down early Monday morning. Miraculously, no one was hurt, and nothing else on the Farm was affected. The Beetan (covered patio) remains completely intact. 

On Sunday night, we hosted over 300 people for Rabbi David's goodbye-and-gratitude party. As part of the celebration, Abundance Farm bakers Sam Coates-Finke and Emmett Leader used the oven to bake 20 delicious sheets of pizza. This bake was hotter and lasted longer than any other bake we have had on the Farm, and the heat of this fire ultimately seeped through the many layers of fire bricks and caught the wood foundation aflame. An attentive neighbor saw the smoke at 6 am on Monday morning, and called the Northampton Fire Department. 

This oven was skillfully and lovingly crafted by Sam and Emmett early in the days of the pandemic, with help from many community members. It has played a deeply integral role in our community as a place of gathering, learning, and celebration and we are so grateful to Sam and Emmett for their care, skill, and commitment to tending the space.

We are already in discussions about rebuilding a Farm oven with updated safety features. If you want to make a donation to help rebuild, you can send a check to the CBI office with "Farm Oven" in the memo line, or donate via Venmo to CBI (@cbinorthampton) with the note "Farm Oven." We will be in touch as we move forward with this process.

Thank you again to everyone - including the dozens of volunteers - who helped make for Sunday's celebration of Rabbi David so special. If you have photos or videos to share, please add them here.

Wishing you a sweet Shabbat,

Emily Kieval
Executive Director