Just behind Congregation Agudath Sholom (CAS) in Stamford, Connecticut, the Jim Benjamin Memorial Garden is a living legacy. It honors the life of Jim Benjamin, a beloved member of the Stamford Jewish community, whose deep love for gardening and quiet dedication to helping others continues to nourish both bodies and souls.

Rabbi Daniel Cohen, the rabbi of CAS, recalled the origins of this initiative. Benjamin was a member of both the Conservative shul and CAS. “He was one of the humblest community servants that I’ve known since I’ve been in Stamford over the past 20 years,” said Rabbi Cohen. “He was extremely sincere in his devotion to God and a person who cared deeply about community. He led the chevra kadisha for many years, and he was a community builder. He had no airs about him. He ‘walked humbly with God,’ as it says in the Prophets.”

Benjamin was a married man with two daughters who ran his own successful business. One of his greatest passions, however, was gardening.

Around 10 years ago, Rabbi Cohen was inspired while passing a local church. Outside was a “harvest now” garden, where congregants grew vegetables for the local food bank. He thought, “This is a great idea. Maybe we should do this at Agudath Sholom. We have people that can garden and we have a piece of earth… All it takes is some effort and some seeds, and then we can actually feed the hungry.”

There was just one problem—Rabbi Cohen didn’t know the first thing about gardening. Someone mentioned Jim Benjamin. “You need someone who is a quarterback,” Rabbi Cohen said. “You can’t just walk out there with the seeds. You first have to get them going in your own greenhouse at home.” Benjamin didn’t hesitate. He jumped in to lead the effort.

Alongside Meredith Cohen, then chair of the shul’s chesed committee, Benjamin got the garden growing. Volunteers, including Benjamin’s and Cohen’s own children, came together week after week to plant, weed and harvest. Hundreds of pounds of produce were delivered to the Lower Fairfield County Food Bank, feeding families in Stamford, Greenwich, Bridgeport, Darien and New Canaan.

Then COVID hit, and life paused. The garden went dormant. Later, Benjamin became ill and could no longer tend to the project he loved. He later passed away.

“I spoke about the garden in his eulogy,” said Rabbi Cohen. “It was more than a garden—it created memories, forged community, and brought holiness into the world. I knew we had to revive it. We decided to bring it back and name it in his honor: The Jim Benjamin Memorial Garden.”

Benjamin’s family embraced the idea wholeheartedly. His wife, Amy Fishkow, and their two daughters, Rachel and Sarah,  now lead the charge each Sunday morning, planting, weeding watering and harvesting. “Rachel said Dad was ahead of his time with organic gardening and believed that everyone should have fresh produce.

“He believed in organic gardening and believed that everyone should have fresh produce,” Fishkow said. “He wanted to give to those who didn’t have the opportunity to have fresh vegetables. He was very proud to take the produce every week to the food bank… he’d come home and say, ‘It was 22 pounds of produce today!’”

Fishkow continued: “Now it will serve again—with volunteers helping out. My two daughters and I are there every week. When volunteers come and bring their kids, they learn what a weed is, what a flower is, and what a vegetable is. It’s a great way to meet others, to learn and to give back. It’s like continuing the circle of giving and tzedaka.”

The garden has become a multigenerational mitzvah project. Cohen, who helped launch the original garden with Benjamin, is overjoyed to see it flourishing again. “Jim was an avid gardener and the biggest mensch you’ll ever meet,” she said. “We knew food banks weren’t getting fresh produce—they have mostly canned and processed food. We wanted to change that.”

Cohen admits she had no gardening experience at the start. “I had just moved from New York City, where I had lived for 16 years. But Jim inspired me. Now my husband and I do a ton of gardening at home. Seeing the garden overgrown during COVID was heartbreaking. It’s so fulfilling to walk by now and see it growing. Working in the garden now feels like a double mitzvah. We’re growing food for people who need it and honoring Jim.

“It’s therapeutic—being outdoors, getting your hands in the dirt, breathing fresh air. It’s going back to the fundamentals of life. We have our phones, cars and smart TVs. This takes you away from all that. And you walk away feeling accomplished.”

Daughter Sarah Benjamin echoes that sentiment. “When my dad started the community garden, he put his heart and soul into it. Gardening brought him joy, but helping others brought him the most joy. We want to continue to honor the amazing person my dad was. This garden is the perfect way to give back and connect with the community.”

Every Sunday morning through the spring and summer, volunteers will gather behind the shul to weed, plant and harvest. “You can sign up on our shul website. You can sign up to be a part of the garden, even if you’re not a member,” said Rabbi Cohen. “Then you’ll be added to our WhatsApp group to get real-time updates on what we’re doing each week.”

To Benjamin, it was never just about vegetables. It was about people—connecting, caring and creating community. “We know that Jim is smiling down on us every Sunday morning,” Fishkow said.

To volunteer, sign up at www.congregationagudathsholom.org or contact Solomon Green, Garden Chair, at sgreen25@sarhighschool.org or 203-724-7519.