Climate Change

Earth Day has arrived and as has been our question all along, what can we do? Protecting our planet is so much more than a scientific or political issue. It is a religious and spiritual imperative that has been with us from the beginning of our story when we were first asked to partner with the Divine to care for our world. We have always been made to feel responsible.

We find this truth embodied in three core Jewish values.

Firstly we are tasked with passing the earth to the next generation – “L'DOR V'DOR”. Then we are taught BAL TASHCHIT : “do not destroy.” The Torah teaches us about the importance of trees and the ways in which they are key to our very existence. This teaching of "do not destroy" is often understood as not having the right to destroy anything of potential human benefit.

Most important, if we don’t act as  SHOMREI ADAMAH -- “guardians of the earth" -- who will?  These values are our obligation to ourselves, to the next generation, and the ones to follow.

This Sunday there will be a Climate Change Summit from 1:00 – 4:30 pm at Temple Shaaray Tefila, 250 East 79th Street, NYC. The objective is to build relationships, share organizing and advocacy skills, and learn how to make a meaningful climate impact in NY state and in our congregations.  This event is sponsored by RAC-NY, Dayenu, and Friends for the New York Jewish Climate Action Summit.

To sign up go to this website: https://dayenu.org/nysummit/.