Global Jewry, a non-governmental organization based in the Eastern Shore town of Queenstown, Maryland, issued on Nov. 3 the “Global Jewish Declaration to COP30.”
The declaration is a collective call by leaders of global Jewish organizations for world governments gathering from Nov. 10-21 in the Brazilian city of Belém to take “urgent and ambitious” action to address the escalating climate and nature crises.
Developed through the collaboration of numerous Jewish organizations fostered by Global Jewry, the declaration frames climate action as a matter of pikuach nefesh, the Jewish principle to preserve human life.
“The scale of the climate crisis demands a global, unified response, and that includes the Jewish people,” said Baltimore native Sandy Cardin, founder and CEO of Global Jewry. “This effort moves beyond individual organizational voices to express a collective, global Jewish call for action that transcends our religious and political differences.
“When we collaborate across geography and tradition, we amplify our moral voice and demonstrate that the duty to save life transcends all boundaries,” he said.
The declaration urges world governments attending the 2025 United Nations Conference of the Parties to commit to:
- Setting rapid, science-based goals to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius to avert widespread human suffering and death;
- Finalizing an ambitious and equitable New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance that provides nations bearing the greatest burdens of climate change with grants for mitigation, adaptation, and loss-and-damage response;
- Committing globally to protect and restore natural eco-systems.
Organizations represented in the declaration include the Reisterstown-headquartered Adamah (USA), Aytzim (USA), Dayenu (USA), EcoJudaism (UK), Eco-Ocean (Israel), Jewish Climate Network (Australia), Jewish Climate Trust (North America and Israel), Jewish Earth Alliance (USA), Jewish Eco Seminars (Israel), Life and Environment (Israel), Repair the Sea-Tikkun HaYam (USA) and Teva Ivri (Israel).
“Jewish individuals, organizations, and communities are invited to join this historic effort and endorse the Declaration — adding their voices to a growing global movement grounded in the enduring Jewish commitment to protect life and care for the Earth,” Global Jewry said in a statement.
Among the signatories of the declaration are:
- Stephen Bronfman, founder, Jewish Climate Trust (North America & Israel)
- Sandy Cardin, founder, Global Jewry
- Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin, Baltimore-based Jewish environmentalist and author of “To Forever Inhabit This Earth”
- Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg , founder, EcoJudaism (UK); Senior Rabbi, Masorti Judaism (UK)
- Eran Ben Yemini, CEO of Chaim v’Sviva/Life and Environment (Israel)
- Joel Lazar, CEO, Jewish Climate Network (Australia)
- Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, director of Climate Partnerships and Advocacy, Adamah (USA)
- Rabbi Yonathan Neril , founding director, Jewish Eco Seminars (Israel)
- Rabbi Ed Rosenthal, founder and executive director, Repair the Sea (USA)
- Einat Kramer, founder, Teva Ivri (Israel)
- David Krantz, president/chair, Aytzim: Ecological Judaism (USA)
- Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, CEO, Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action (USA)
- Naomi Verber, CEO, EcoJudaism (UK)
- Arik Rosenblum, CEO, EcoOcean (Israel)
- Sarah Indyk, manaing diirector, Jewish Climate Trust (North America & Israel)
- Mirele B. Goldsmith, founder, Jewish Earth Alliance (USA)
- Rabbi Ed Rosenthal , funder and executive director, Repair the Sea (USA)
To read the full declaration, visit globaljewry.org/declaration.
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