Environment

JCPA Adopts New Consensus Policies, JRF Co-Sponsors Two Resolutions

Rabbi Shawn Zevit — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:39:16 -0400

Jewish Community Adopts Consensus Policies on Campus Anti-Semitism, Hydrofracking, Education Equality, Collective Bargaining, and Gender Separation in Israel

Image: Rabbi Leonard Gordon (USCJ), Barbara Weinstein (RAC) and Rabbi Shawn Zevit (JRF) at the JCPA Plenum

Detroit, MI – May 7, 2012: The Jewish Council for Public Affairs’ 14 national member agencies (including The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation) and 125 Community Relations Councils debated and adopted five resolutions expressing the consensus view of the American Jewish community at the JCPA’s annual Plenum in Detroit. The resolutions deal with anti-Semitism on campuses, collective bargaining, education equity, gender segregation in Israel, and hydrofracking for natural gas and oil.

For the complete resolutions go to http://engage.jewishpublicaffairs.org/blog/comments.jsp?blog_entry_KEY=6328

I1. Countering Anti-Israel and Anti-Semitic Activity on Campus
This resolution calls for education about and support for the “important remedy” that is now available under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and calls on campus leaders to do more to make students safe. It embraces a range of responses to hostile campus atmospheres including dialogue, education, and legal remedies.

2. Collective Bargaining
This resolution continues longstanding support for collective bargaining for public employees and opposes efforts to narrow or eliminate it.

3. Equal Education Opportunity

This resolution addresses inequity in educational opportunity in public schools. This resolution calls for research, education, and community attention directed to closing the achievement gap in our nation’s public schools and heightening awareness of this issue on the national Jewish agenda.

4. Gender Segregation in Public Spaces in Israel (JRF joined the Conservative and Reform movements as well as CRC's and other organizations in this resolution)

This resolution was ultimately supported by the National Council of Jewish Women along with the Conservative, Reconstructionist, Reform, and Orthodox Jewish movements. It states that enforced gender segregation in secular public spaces is inconsistent with Israel’s founding principles of equality and, at the same time, that there may be circumstances where accommodation of gender segregation may be appropriate such as the consideration of religious and cultural sensitivities in the delivery of municipal services

5. Hydrofracking (JRF was the only denominational movement to sponsor this resolution along with the Jewish Labor Committee, and three JCRCs)

This resolution addresses natural gas and oil extraction by the combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as hydrofracking. The resolution calls for studies, disclosure, safeguards, and oversight.

JRF's Sustainable Synagogue Initiative 2012-13

Rabbi Shawn Zevit — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:47:22 -0400

Sustainable WorldIn 1990 JRF passed a movement-wide resolution (see attachments below) on the environment and congregational life. Since 2006 we offered conference calls and resources on Sustainable Synagogues and Living a Jewish Life Rooted in Ecological Values.

Read the notes from the 2007 call.

With the enthusiasm around JRF's Omer Learning Initiative, (2010 Omer Sustainability call- http://jrf.org/pearl/2011/Sustainability) as well as the solid response of JRF congregations in the Climate Change and Blessing the Sun (Solar Energy) Initiatives, JRF continues to deepen our work with member communities, other religious movements and partner organizations (JCPA, COEJL) in the area of sustainability. See Rabbi Shawn Zevit speak about the Reconstructionist Movement's work in sustainability

Our goal is to motivate and educate our congregations in sustainable practices, with the goal of reaching 100 percent participation in the years ahead. See a list of the 15 Communities and Individuals honored at the JRF 2008 Convention as part of our Sustainable Synagogue Intiative.

See information about the Jewish Climate Change Initiative and Shabbat Noach, JRF's participation in the International Climate Change Initiative.

Additional calls and webinars have been offered through our PEARL leadership series. See the Sustainability programs at www.jrf.org/pearl/archive and additional resources through our partner organization Greenfaith: www.jrf.org/greenfaith

Read Brant Rosen's Yom Kippur devar Torah that inspired the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston to reach for the highest level of sustainability in their capital campaign. You will also find documents from JRC about their Green policies, educational material and promotional flyer for environmental awareness attached below. JRC received the first Platinum LEEDS rating for a synagogue in the United States.

Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb created a text study on climate change that incorporates elements of musar with other diverse material from our tradition.

NEW RESOURCES JUST ADDED!

For an equally inspiring High Holy Day sermon see Rabbi Sheryl Lewart's talk on living an environmentally sustainable life and Kehillat Israel's Five Mitzvot for Sustainable Living.

Also available is a wonderful meditation on environmental consciousness tied to the seven days of creation by Peter Goldberg of Shir Hadash, Milwaukee, WI, and inspiring materials from Dor Hadash, PA and Darchei Noam, Toronto, Canada and JRC, Evanston, IL (both moved into their new environmentally upgraded buildings in 2008).

For an example of a creative way of community organizing and educating about sustainability simultaneously see Philadelphia's Playback for Change at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ut6eLHEyF8

APRIL 8, 2009- 5769 BIRKHAT HACHAMA (BLESSING OF THE SUN) SOLAR AND RENEWABLE ENERGY CAMPAIGN IN THE JEWISH COMMUNITY. 2008-9 (5769) was the little known Jewish year of “Birkhat Hachamah” the “blessing of the sun”. JRF was a leading partner in a national coalition that used this rare event to focus on solar power and energy stewardship. See a video for Birkhat Hachammah at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=629JxUYTlFk

As well see resources for Birkhat Hachamah at Ritualwell.org- managed through Kolot: The Center for Gender Studies.

The Shalom Center's Green Menorah Covenant

Environmental resources in Israel

Arava Institute & Kibbutz Ketura

Nurit, new eco-friendly town in Israel being built on the Gilboa

Green Zionist Alliance

The Heschel Centre for Envrionmental Learning and Leadership

The Ecological Greenhouse Ein-Shemer

Yeshivat Simchat Shlomo Eco Activist Beit Midrash

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Additional JRF Resources:

http://jrf.org/omer2008-enviro (2008 Social Justice Initiative)

http://jrf.org/node/1264#enviro (Community Organizing Resources)

http://jrf.org/omer/2007 (2007 Social Justice Initiative)

COEJL Greening Synagogue Guide by R. Fred Dobb

Synagogue Council of Massachussetts- Green Initiative

Boston COEJL Synagogue Green Guide

Education material from CAJE

URJ (Reform)
Synagogue Architecture
Green buildings

USCJ/RA (Conservative):

Also see: http://www.fjmc.org/ShomreiHaaretz.html

OU (Orthodox)
Also see: http://ouradio.org/images/uploads/events/Repairing_The_Future.pdf

Ethical Kashrut

How does your community's practices align with the JRF resolution and the actions and commitments of other JRF communities? To add your resources to this initiative please e-mail SZevit@jrf.org

Passover, Fair Trade Practices and Child labor Practices

Rabbi Shawn Zevit — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 11:30:09 -0400

A number of us in the Jewish and larger social justice streams have been tracking the issue of child slave labor and the chocolate industry (Hershey is not the only or worst culprit here) for some time. My cousin’s son gave a dvar challenging his congregation to audit their chocolate choices in 2009 at his bar mitzvah. He came to this issue by identifying with Joseph being tossed down the pit and crying out with no one to hear him, abandoned by those he loved (his dvar Torah is attached on this page).

You will also see a Fair Trade Chocolate Seder, an Adat Shalom supplement supplied to me by Rabbi Erin Hirsh, some information from Fair Trade Judaica who are organizing their own Jewish community campaign, links supplied by Cantor Eric Schulmiller of Reconstructionist congregation RSNS, NY. For thousands of children on this planet, slavery is not a historical event, but a current reality. We can make a difference.

Fair Trade Judaica: (http:/www.fairtradejudaica.org), a non-profit organization promoting fair trade as a Jewish value, is organizing an educational campaign in the Jewish community, linking the Pesach theme of liberation with the issue of child labor/slavery in the cocoa industry. See the website for Pesach at http://fairtradejudaica.org/make-a-difference/fair-trade-jewish-holidays/bean-of-affliction/

Fair Trade Judaica has put together a variety of Pesach related resources: Free Haggadah supplemental readings, http://fairtradejudaica.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/HaggadahSupplement2012.pdf

“Virtual” Fair Trade Kosher for Passover Chocolate Bar to place on the Seder table, http://fairtradejudaica.org/make-a-difference/fair-trade-jewish-holidays/fair-trade-your-seder/virtual-chocolate-bar/

List of kosher, fair-trade chocolate makers, none of it is yet certified kosher l'pesach, because of the extra expense: http://jcarrot.org/resources/kosher-sustainable-chocolate-list

RSNS haggadah, which is now part of COEJL's resource bank:

http://www.coejl.org/~coejlor/tubshvat/celebrate/TB_Seder_RSNS_2007.pdf

Website has a link to our instructions for how to run a fair-trade tu bishvat seder: http://www.hazon.org/food/tuBishvat/FairTradeTuBishvatSeder.pdf

Beyond-fair-trade chocolate company! Workers are shareholders, healthcare and onsite daycare are provided, beans are all local, etc. http://omanhenecocoa.com/?page_id=378.

"Raise the Bar” campaign, coordinated by the International Labor Rights Forum, Green America, Global Exchange, and Oasis USA, focusing on encouraging the Hershey Corp. to commit to begin sourcing fair trade certified cocoa beans within the next two years: http://www.raisethebarhershey.org/

AJWS:Better Beans website: http://ajws.org/hunger/better_beans.html and blog about food justice issues: http://ajws.org/hunger/news/

U.S.A. Fair Trade Chocolate purchases: full article at: http://tinyurl.com/4h3f57p

Green and Just Celebrations Guide: http://www.greenandjust.org/

Website looking at Child Slavery and Food Industry: http://www.foodispower.org/slavery_chocolate.htm

Fair Trade Guide from Jewish Community in UK: http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2009/j/jewish_community_resource.pdf

JRF and Greenfaith Partner for Sustainable Reconstructionist Communities 2012 Fellowships and Certifications

Rabbi Shawn Zevit — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:00:04 -0500

The JRF-GreenFaith Partnership

GreenFaith and the JRF through the Department of Congregational Services and Tikkun Olam are pleased to announce a three-year partnership to promote a deepening of JRF’s existing environmental initiatives. GreenFaith is a leading national interfaith environmental coalition whose mission is to help diverse religious communities become environmental leaders. GreenFaith is a leading interfaith environmental coalition whose mission is to educate, equip and empower diverse religious communities for environmental leadership. Founded in 1992, GreenFaith offers a range of programs that help faith-based groups nationwide put their beliefs into action for the earth. The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation has had a long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship and the role of the Jewish people in building sustainable communities (http://jrf.org/Sustainable_Synagogue_Resources).

We are delighted to announce that String of Pearls in Princeton, New Jersey, http://www.stringofpearlsweb.org/), became the first Reconstructionist community to apply and be accepted to the two-year congregational certification program as part of the JRF-Greenfaith partnership in the fall of 2011. Rabbi Donna Kirshbaum, String-of-Pearl's rabbi is also a graduate of the Greenfaith two-year individual fellowship (see Rabbi Kirshbaum's statement of commitment below). The next deadline to apply to this program is May 1, 2012.

Through the partnership, GreenFaith is offering the following opportunities:

* Three 50% tuition scholarships/year to the GreenFaith Fellowship Program for Reconstructionist leaders.

The GreenFaith Fellowship Program is the only comprehensive interfaith environmental education and training program in North America, with a network of over 70 Fellows nationwide. Over 18 months, Fellows attend three retreats, write their own eco-theological statement, carry out a leadership project, and much more.

The GreenFaith Fellowship Program is the first comprehensive education and training program in the US to prepare lay and ordained leaders from diverse religious traditions for religiously based environmental leadership. Through this program, GreenFaith offers religious leaders a unique opportunity for educational, spiritual and vocational growth and skill development in religious environmentalism. Using insights gained by successful religious leadership development programs, the program educates leaders from diverse backgrounds to develop and implement plans to address environmental issues in their vocational settings.

* Four 50% tuition scholarships/year to the GreenFaith Certification Program for Reconstructionist congregations.

The GreenFaith Certification Program is the only interfaith environmental certification program designed specifically for houses of worship. Through a 2-year process, participating congregations undertake a range of environmental initiatives to become a GreenFaith Sanctuary.

The GreenFaith Certification Program is the nation’s first interfaith environmental certification program designed specifically for houses of worship. The program helps synagogues, churches, mosques and temples become strong environmental leaders by carrying out numerous environmental leadership activities over a two year period.

To listen to a webinar to learn more about the Certification Program, click on https://greenfaith.webex.com/greenfaith/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=EC&rID=3056972&rKey=437ba2436424435a for the audio and webinar slides or just follow the webinar pdf below.

Jewish Teachings on the Environment Webinar

In January of 2012, JRF and Greenfaith offered a webinar featuring Rabbi Fred Dobb, highlighting key Jewish teachings on the environment, and providing numerous practical tips and resources for your synagogue. Along with time for discussion and questions, it will also highlighted the partnership between GreenFaith and the JRF, as well as the opportunities that are available for synagogues to join the GreenFaith Certification Program with a 50% tuition subsidy. View the webinar and other resources from the Reconstructionist movement at: http://greenfaith.org/programs/denominational-partnerships/the-reconstructionist-jewish-movement

To view resources from the 2011 Greenfaith Philadelphia Conference, "Ground for Hope" supported by JRF and RRC see http://greenfaith.org/success-stories/presentation-materials-from-ground-for-hope-philadelphia

For further information on the congregational certification program contact Stacey Kennealy at certification@greenfaith.org and Rabbi Shawn Zevit at szevit@jrf.org.

SHABBAT NOACH AND INTERNATIONAL 350 DAY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Rabbi Shawn Zevit — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 16:00:56 -0400

A CALL TO OBSERVE SHABBAT NOACH, OCTOBER 9-10,2010, AS THE SECOND ANNUAL "GLOBAL CLIMATE HEALING SHABBAT"

The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, as well as leaders and organizations of many other streams of Jewish life, have endorsed a call to focus Shabbat Noach on October 9-10, 2010 as Climate Healing Shabbat. The Torah passage for that Shabbat lends itself to focusing on the danger of destruction of life on our planet, and also on the actions we need to take to prevent destruction and preserve the web of life in which the human race has emerged and created civilization.

We urge congregations to bring sermons, prayer, song, poetry, midrash, resolutions, invitations to public officials, etc., to focus on this issue.

The international observance of "Global Climate Healing Shabbat Noach" is a prelude to the crucial United Nations conference on the climate crisis scheduled for December, 2010.

Click here for JRF resources as part of COEJL's Guide (http://www.coejl.org/shabbat_noach.php) to materials from the North American Jewish Green Chevre network of organizations for Shabbat Noach 5771

We call on Jews not only to green our own households and communal buildings but also to work for major public policy changes away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy use in transportation, food production, housing, and other dimensions of our society.

Jewish tradition about caring for the poor also guides us to make sure that industries and regions especially affected must get help from the whole society, and that poor countries also get special help to develop on a non-fossil path and to ward off the destructive effects of climate change.

350 represents more than just a scientific benchmark for a safe climate www.350.org/people/faith – there are also deeply moral and spiritual reasons for getting the world back below 350 ppm CO2. Social justice, creation care, stewardship, earth community, beloved community – there are many ways we can name and express our moral and spiritual perspectives on this issue.

350.org is planning another global event - this year on 10/10/10. Whereas last year we had a very successful coordinated global day of demonstrations, this year the theme is a "Global Work Party". And what exactly is a "Work Party"? That is up to you. The idea is an event which embodies the idea of getting to work to address climate change. This can be at the scale of your block, neighborhood, city and onwards.

See extensive JRF resources on Sustainability at http://jrf.org/climate

Sign on as part of the JRF supported Jewish Climate Change Initiative at http://jrf.org/Jewish-Climate-Change-Initiative

The full JRF Resolution on the Environment can be seen at http://jrf.org/showres&rid=262

For a list of sponsoring organizations and clergy see http://www.shalomctr.org/node/1517

You can also find additional information through the Shalom Center website (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/602/t/4180/event/index.jsp?event_KEY=50242)

Visit the Shabbat Noach Resource Guide from the Green Chevre

COEJL and the Green Chevre network that includes, among others: Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Canfei Nesharim, Hazon, the Shalom Center, and the JRF and the Reconstructionist Movement, have combined efforts to compile a resource guide around Shabbat Noach. Visit the resource page here. Learn more and share it with your community.

Join Our Upcoming Webinar on "The Story of Noah and its Relationship to Climate Change." Flag the date October 7th at 10:30 AM EST (subject to change) Check back soon for details.

Download Rabbinic Resources for the High Holy Days and Shabbat Noach

In our effort to energize all of Jewish life to be more meaningful, COEJL offers you a full set of green-tinged rabbinic resources for the upcoming Yamim Noraim, Sukkot, and Parshat Noach. Download the resources here.

Here's what you can do to participate:

Green your Shabbat Noah! Give - or ask your Rabbi/congregational leader to give - an environmentally-themed d'var torah or Lunch N' Learn at your synagogue.
Host or join an event bringing awareness to 350 and do something to help reduce climate change. (You can run a energy-efficient light bulb campaign, work in a community garden, gather people together for a bike ride, host a meal with sustainable food options. Many other participating events can be found at 350.org)

Take a picture of your 10/10/10 event with a visual sign of 350, send it do us and post it on 350.org. We'd love to see what you come up with!

Global Jewish Climate Change Campaign and Sustainable Synagogue Resources

Rabbi Shawn Zevit — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:53:16 -0500

Click here for Reconstructionist movement and other general resources for living a sustainable, Jewish life!

http://jrf.org/Sustainable_Synagogue_Resources

http://jrf.org/Jewish-Climate-Change-Initiative

Global Jewish Climate Change Initiative

Rabbi Shawn Zevit — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:36:34 -0500

JRF is proud to be a supporter of the Jewish Climate Change initiative- reflecting a an inspiring level of collaboration,between all Jewish movements and Jewish national agencies and environmental organizations that came together May 2009 at the first national gathering of national leadership on Judaism and Sustainability. Prior to this gathering COEJL, JCPA and the Shalom Center had begun bringing key stakeholders together, Jewish religious movements had begun sharing resources and Hazon, COEJL, Teva and other Jewish environmental organizations had begun dialogue about climate change initiatives. The aim of the Jewish Climate Change Campaign is to engage the entire Jewish community towards taking action on climate change. In doing so we will be joining a global movement of 12 world faiths, each launching plans of their own. We invite you to click on the Jewish Climate Change campaign http://jewishclimatecampaign.org/ to sign the pledge and join the campaign, and to offer any further suggestions as to the content of the plan and its recommendations.

The core of the campaign is as follows:

Making it clear that Jewish people care strongly about these issues.
Making changes in our own lives – and inviting our friends to do likewise.
Creating a long-term process for serious change in Jewish institutions..
Introducing the Jewish world to a wide range of resources on the interface between Judaism, Climate Change and Sustainability.

Please consider signing and circulating to your community the JRF signed and supported COEJL/JCPA Jewish Energy Covenant Campaign http://engage.jewishpublicaffairs.org/t/2929/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1246. (JRF is a member religious organization of COEJL and JCPA).

Read the environmental commitment made in 1990 by our movement at the JRF Bi-ennial. Sign the pledge and see more resources.

Former Vice President Al Gore endorsing our effort said "I am so happy to see that this initiative will draw upon the new leadership of younger men and women who see in the legacy of Judaism's teachings on stewardship a source of renewal of their Jewish faith..." Click here to read more.

Cooperative Model Between Synagogue and Farm Reflects Reconstructionist Philosophy

Gari Weilbacher — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:02:39 -0400

Reconstructionist Synagogue of the North Shore, partners with Hazon’s Tuv Ha’Aretz Community Supported Agricultural program (CSA), and provides the Jewish community with an opportunity to support local, sustainable agriculture. Read the article in the Jewish Week

JRF co-sponsors Judaism and Sustainability Leadership Conference

Rabbi Shawn Zevit — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:42:35 -0400

Rabbis Epstein, Zevit, Eisenstat and DobbOn May 11 and 12, 2009, JRF’s Rabbi Shawn Zevit, Rabbi Nancy Epstein, Rabbi Jeff Eisenstat, JRF affiliate Adat Shalom’s Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb represented the JRF at a meeting of more than 40 leaders from across the broad spectrum of the organized American Jewish community for the first national Jewish Sustainability Conference. We gathered at the incredible Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center outside Baltimore for two days of learning, workshops, and discussion on Judaism and sustainability.

One of the initial questions we grappled with was defining “sustainability”. Rachel Cohen, the intern for environmental issues for the Religious Action Center, with whom we partner on many social justice initiatives, stated in her post-conference blog entry that “sustainability means creating communities that meet the basic human needs of all of their members, (and the world we are part of), by rethinking and often limiting both what we take from the natural world and the by-products that we put into the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the public spaces we enjoy together. We came to understand how the American Jewish community can unite around the goal of building safer, healthier communities for ourselves and our children based on these fundamental principles.” We also shared an understanding from Jewish tradition and contemporary thought, that sustainability means living in a social, economic, political, environmental, culutral and spiritual balance and integrative manner. In this way the impact of our actions to meet our own needs and the needs of the planet today, are also measured against the impact on future generations (l'dor v'dor).

The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), a program of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, along with 17 Jewish religious movements and national organizations, organized and sponsored this historic gathering. JRF was involved from the beginning of this effort as part of our movement wide commitment to the issue, dating back to our 1990 Resolution on the Environment, and the recent "Omer Learning and Sustainable Synagogue Initiatives.

We began the conversation by talking about buildings, a shared foundation for all of our organizations and the source of 30% of our operating costs and an equal percentage of our carbon emissions. The buildings owned and operated or rented by the JRF, the RRC and RRA, Camp JRF, with our 107 synagogues and havurot across the United States, Canada, Curacao and Prague, have a massive impact on the environment. We are already taking steps forward as a Movement – through our Sustainable Synagogue Initiative and extensive programs at many of our synagogues- to reducing our environmental impact and even leaving a positive footprint on our natural world.

We were proud to represent our movement and member communities in working with Rabbi Nina Cardin and Terry Gipps (presenter of the model of sustainability we focused on,“The Natural Step”), in the planning and facilitation of the event. Rabbi Shawn Zevit was invited to present on behalf of the religious movements the Reconstructionist movement’s approach to sustainability from local community to national and institutional approaches, congregational examples such as JRC, Adat Shalom, Camp JRF and RRC’s Green committee, as a model of how to respond, in a collaborative fashion, to the needs of our people, and the world of which we are a part.

Rabbi Shawn Zevit leads opening prayerRabbi Zevit stated, “If we are to have a viable future as a Jewish People, we need to build on Kaplan’s formulation of Judaism as an evolving religious civilization to include a globally sustainable approach to living in faith community. A globally sustainable, evolving religious culture will also include interdependent and healthy economic, social, political, environmental and spiritual systems. There may be no more important issue to engage in and face than the issue of global sustainability in the 21st century. Our collective work is to raise awareness and encourage concrete action, with every JRF community being part of the tikkun of the planet across the sustainability spectrum.”

While the topic of 'greening' has become all the rage in recent years, rarely does the conversation extend beyond how we can reduce our carbon footprint and cut our energy bills by changing a few light bulbs or turning down the thermostat. However, at the Conference we learned about how to frame all of the choices we make as individuals and communities- from transportation choices to the type of food we eat (local, organic, vegetarian, etc) to the materials and labor practices that go into the products we purchase - with an eye toward investing in systems that are healthier for everyone. This means much more than just "greening" our facilities, though that is certainly a wonderful and important place to start. When we see environmental issues within the larger framework of building sustainable futures, we come to understand that we can all take steps toward a healthier world without decreasing our standard of living or further tightening our already short budgets.

Building communities and institutions that can coexist with our surroundings is not only essential for our long-term ecological survival, but also part of a Jewish imperative to protect vulnerable communities, refrain from activities that destroy our natural resources, and ensure opportunities for present and future generations to thrive in a healthy environment. This is true sustainability, and it is an idea that all the Jewish religious streams and organizations present we re in agreement on.

It was inspiring to join with leaders from so many Jewish organizations that are already taking steps toward sustainability in their own communities. The participants hope that by joining their efforts, the American Jewish community can become a leader in promoting sustainable communities. However, my colleagues and I understand that our meeting this week was only the first step on a long journey toward creating a more educated, aware, and active community of practice on this issue. We are committed to learning from each other and the efforts of our institutions, and working together as a unified Jewish community toward this common goal. We have much to be proud of, much to be concerned about, and while we cannot complete this task on our own, neither will we sit by even in the most challenging of economic times, and shine the light of inquiry and action only within. The future of the Jewish people and the world we are part of depends on us!

For more information on the Jewish Sustainability Conference, see the JCPA/JRF Press Release attached to this page.

JRF’s Sustainable Synagogue Initiative

Recon Press: Sustainable Synagogue Manual

The Omer Learning Project: http://jrf.org/omer/2007 and http://jrf.org/omer2008-enviro

PEARL/Tikkun Olam Teleconference

JTA Article on Conference

Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education day School Survey.

With appreciation to Rachel Cohen of the RAC, and her blog on the conference for article content, as well as Rabbis Jeff Eisenstat, Nancy Epstein and Fred Dobb, who were engaged and committed members of the JRF conference leadership team present. Thanks to Dr. Carl Sheingold (JRF Executive Vice-President) for his support of our participation.

JCPA 2009 Plenum Resolutions- JRF National Religious Organzation, Voting Member

Rabbi Shawn Zevit — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:52:53 -0400

For your information, here are the resolutions that came out of the recent JCPA plenum. In the two years since JRF became a member religious organization and fourth Jewish movement in the JCPA, we have participated in many coalitions and sign-on initiatives. This Plenum marked the first time we were a national religious organization co-sponsoring three of the resolutions below. Thanks to Carl Sheingold (JRF Executive Vice-President), Bob Barkin (JRF President) and Val Kaplan (JRF Chair of External Affiliations) for representing us and voting on our behalf at the Plenum.

Full list of 2009 JCPA Resolutions

Full listing of partner organizations and sign-ons,

JCPA
JCPA speaks to you each week, alerting you to what the community relations field is doing to safeguard the rights of Jews here, in Israel, and around the world and to protect, preserve and promote a just, democratic and pluralistic American society. For three generations, we have brought together diverse voices in the Jewish community to unite a strong Jewish public policy force.

Date: March 11, 2009
From: Max Mulcahy, Program Director, JCPA

Below are the final versions of the JCPA resolutions as adopted by the 2009 Plenum. Click on the links to access the resolution text in pdf format. Please share these resolutions with your board and leadership. If you have any questions please feel free to contact JCPA offices.

Strengthening the Assets of Low Income Households

Challenges in Coalition Building

Comprehensive Energy Policy

Criminal Justice Reform

Darfur

Freedom of Expression/Defamation of Religion

Supporting Comprehensive Early Childhood Care and Education Programs for All

Muslim Jewish Relations

Alleviating Hunger and Food Insufficiency among Children, the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities, and other At-Risk Individuals in the U.S. and Internationally

Reform of the Federal Poverty Measure