Jewish Coalition for Climate Action -- Global
Climate Strike, September 20th-27th
High Holiday Resources: Hazon Sermon Swap
Webinar and Learning
ראש
חודשאלול
תשע״ט
-------- Rosh Chodesh Elul 5779, August 29th,
2019
Dear All,
Hazon is entering into a year of Environmental Teshuva.
The backdrop is that:
We really are in a climate crisis, and this
year, and even this summer, feels like a tipping point
of sorts – not only in terms of extreme weather
events – this past July was the hottest month on
record – ever, but also in relation to
people’s consciousness of them.
A growing number of people in the Jewish community feel
strongly that we ought to be “doing
something” about this – but what exactly we
do and how we make an impact is sometimes less
clear.
This is why at Hazon we intend to raise our game in the
coming months and years. We’re here to catalyze
and support Jewish institutions and Jewish leaders, as
Jewish tradition compels us to respond to this
crisis.
In addition: most people have some sense that food is
central to Jewish life and Jewish tradition. But
they’re far less aware that food choices –
especially in relation to industrial meat, industrial
dairy, and food waste – are one of the top two
anthropogenic drivers of climate change.
And so we’re not only encouraging Jewish people
to start to change how they – we – eat,
we’re also encouraging Jewish institutions to
join the
Hazon Seal of Sustainability, to commit to future
change, and as part of that to develop a food
policy for the institution and not just a
kashrut policy, narrowly
construed.
As a Member of the Rabbinical Council, we would
be happy to send you a copy of Jonathan Safran
Foer’s new book, “We are the
Weather”: it is a superb and readable
and very Jewish explication of how and why and in what
ways our food choices matter. Respond to this
email to request a copy.
We want to help you to prepare for the chagim, and to
connect the chagim with what amounts to a planetary
tza’akah, a crying-out, in relation to the
climate crisis. Here’s the timing:
Sept 19th We are the Weather is published – and
there’ll be lots of press about it.
Sept 20th
The global climate strike. There will be events around
the world, and accompanying headlines, and in many
places a significant Jewish presence.
Sept 21st
Selichot
Sept 29th
Rosh Hashanah (as you know!) and the start of the
chagim.
This period of course runs all the way through Yom
Kippur to Sukkot (with its agricultural themes) and
then the prayer for rain, at the end; and then
it’s parshat noach….
As members of the rabbinical council, we want
to thank you for your ongoing commitments to
Hazon’s work in the Jewish community, and invite
you to feature your work in next month's newsletter.
Schedule a call with Isaiah Rothstein to
discuss.
This coming Sunday is Rosh Chodesh Elul, the Rosh Hashanah
of Animals. Read teachings about the month of Elul from
rabbinical council members Rabbis Robin Damsky, Ora Weissm
and Aaron Philmus:
The ice is melting. Forests are burning. Seas are
rising. Climate change is here, and it feels
overwhelming. So what can we do about
it?
Hazon, Jewish Climate Action Network NYC, The
Jewish Theological Seminary, and the Marlene
Meyerson JCC Manhattan invite your organization to
act with us.
Food Waste Weekend is September
6-7. Learn more about the problem of
food waste and view sample drasha
here. For questions contact
gary@ampleharvest.org.
As we approach 5780, we are pleased to provide you
with UJA’s fifth annual High Holiday
publication
What Binds Us in 5780: Moving Beyond Our
Differences. Essays include one written by
Hazon’s rabbi-in-residence, Rav Isaiah.
Take a look at Rabbinical Council member Rabbi Katy
Allen’s
Earth Etudes. Earth Etudes for Elul is an
annual blog dedicated to our earth connection as a
source of Elul preparation for the High Holy Days.
You can visit the blog each day for new posts. Our
Rabbinical Council co-chair Robin Damsky has a blog
featured in this year's Earth Etudes.
Save the Date:Hazon Rabbis' Retreat | May 15-18,
2020
We welcome all rabbis and spiritual leaders
(rabbis, cantors, kohanot, ritual leaders,
chaplains, and students) to join us for an
unforgettable experience with new and old friends
at the home of Hazon, Isabella Freedman Jewish
Retreat Center.
Want to get more involved in
Hazon's work with rabbis and spiritual
leaders?
Hazon is building a movement of rabbis and
spiritual leaders that strengthens Jewish life
& contributes to a more environmentally
sustainable world for all – and we want you
to be part of it!
Learn more about Hazon’s (updated)
Theory of Change as it relates to our strategic
plan with rabbis and spiritual leaders.
As the Jewish lab for sustainability, Hazon is
building a movement that strengthens Jewish life and
contributes to a more environmentally sustainable world
for all.
Hazon
25 Broadway | Suite 1700 | New York, NY 10004 |
212.644.2332 | info@hazon.org
Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat
Center
116 Johnson Road | Falls Village, CT 06031 |
860.824.5991 | registrar@hazon.org
