Every Jew Plays a Role in Sustaining a Healthy Earth for the Next Generation

June 7, 2024 Sam Sobel

The Torah regards stewardship of the planet with the Almighty as an essential expression of the ancient tradition. (Shutterstock)

Hello, reader! My name is Sam Sobel, and I am the inaugural Baltimore Climate Action Coordinator for Adamah.

Adamah is the leading Jewish environmental organization in North America, formed in 2023 from a merger of Hazon and Pearlstone (Baltimore’s own retreat center that now serves as headquarters of Adamah).

Adamah’s mission is to cultivate vibrant Jewish life in deep connection with the earth, catalyzing cultural and systemic change. One of the many ways in which this is pursued is through Adamah’s Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition. Open to any Jewish nonprofit at no cost, the coalition (adamah.org/coalition) is made up of community organizations that recognize the existential threat and moral urgency of climate change.

The coalition began with 20 founding partners (including The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore) in September of 2022, and has grown to more than 330 members in less than two years. The greater Baltimore area boasts 11 dedicated members, with five joining in 2024 alone.

In my role, I work with organizations in Baltimore and the wider Maryland area to join the coalition and fill out and implement their climate action plans.

The Associated played a monumental role in launching the coalition, and their support has continued to uplift this important work.

Mark Smolarz, chief operating and financial officer for The Associated, has been a long-time advocate for increased sustainability work within the Baltimore Jewish community. While promoting the work of the coalition, he saw the opportunity for a broader community sustainability initiative.

Mark brought this idea to myself and Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin, a native Baltimorean and longtime local environmental activist, inviting us to help him create a sustainability network for local Jewish organizations and individuals.

Thus, the Baltimore Environmental Sustainability Network, or BESN, was created. Rabbi Cardin sees both the tangible and spiritual benefits to sustainability work. She finds relevance in the following quote from Psalm 24, “The earth is God’s and all that it holds, the world and all that is in it.”

She feels that Judaism urges us to recognize that each of us, in every generation, must act responsibly and in a way that ensures the permanence of life.

In practice, the BESN will serve as a collection of Jewish organizations and individuals in the area, working to promote a more sustainable Jewish Baltimore. Through our collaborative work, we will increase awareness, appreciation and practices of sustainability throughout this community.

The BESN will pursue this goal through education, advocacy and community-event programs. This will include speakers and presentations, legislative advocacy, support of the Pearlstone/Baltimore Jewish Council Annual Environmental Forum, holiday-related sustainability events, a range of sustainability activities engaging the wider Baltimore Jewish community (such as tree planting!), and a blog section here in Jmore.

Look out for sustainability tips, definitions, programs and updates on events and local initiatives. Future blogs will include information on topics such as electrifying appliances, sustainability practices for Jewish holidays and family celebrations, food served and food wasted, nature-based climate solutions, education and nature connections, and advocacy, just to name a few.

Stay tuned for summer and fall programming that will include a community speaker, a volunteer event and a holiday-related gathering.

We welcome your ideas for future programs or topics for future blogs. If you want to join the BESN committee, please contact us at besn@associated.org.

Shalom, may we have peace on a healthy Earth. And go Orioles!