Stories @ CSI

On Tu B'Shevat 2024, Congregation Shearith Israel committed to a Climate Action Plan to reduce its carbon footprint and affirm our Jewish commitment to the environment. The Plan is a requirement of Adamah’s Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition, a network of about 300 Jewish institutions who recognize the existential threat and moral urgency of climate change and commit to take action. Adamah is the largest Jewish environmental education organization in North America, and Shearith member Joanna Kobylivker has recently launched Adamah ATL, the Atlanta hub of Adamah. Rabbi Kaiman signed the pledge and completed the Plan on behalf of the Congregation with support from Joanna and the Shearith staff. 

The Climate Action Plan captures the specific measures that the shul already takes, and aspires to take, to mitigate climate change. By joining the Coalition, Shearith can learn and share best practices from other Jewish institutions around the country. Practices already in place include using energy-efficient light bulbs, composting, planting trees, and gardening. The Climate Action Plan implements, in practical, concrete ways, our commitment, rooted in the Torah, to care for and repair the world.