By: Rena Basch, Michael Simon, and Annie Wolock for Ann Arbor Jewish Climate Circle
The Ann Arbor Jewish Climate Circle (A2J CC) is a coalition of Washtenaw County Jewish organizations with its “home” under the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) umbrella. The goal of the A2J CC is to educate, motivate, and coalesce our community around the Jewish value of Tikun Olam to push back against the onslaught of climate change.
To honor our commitment to bringing our community together, we have initiated quarterly Friday-night Shabbat dinners. Our most recent vegetarian potluck was at Beth Israel Congregation (BIC) on November 7, before Friday night services.
Approximately 40 of us gathered for a delicious vegetarian smorgasbord. Michael Simon (Vice President, Tikun Olam at BIC and A2J CC member) and Rachel Jacobson (lead researcher on State Climate Policy and board member of Adamah) kicked off the conversation with updates on climate action work in Detroit, and then the conversation flowed. The potluck was a warm and welcoming event where we connected and discussed positive climate actions, ideas, and concerns for the future.
BIC composts all food waste through a well-tuned, well-organized system. It was impressive how, when an organization is motivated, it can reduce a tremendous amount of waste through simple, replicable steps. During dinner and service, we basked in the glow of LED lighting installed throughout the buildings.
From our potluck, we went over to services. Rav Nadav led a beautiful eco-Shabbat service, in which liturgy was expertly woven around music led by Rachel Laurence Lupton, a music therapist and music specialist at BIC, and an eco-theme, with climate-related readings and poems, many written by local authors, including Rabbi Sara Adler, Daryl Hafter, and a group of BIC teens. The service was healing and uplifting, and it gave us both the mental and spiritual space to take action now. We ended with the BIC Green Team Task Force theme song “Tikun Olam”.
A well-attended Oneg followed services, with lots of schmoozing and sweets.
Save the Date
Our next community-wide climate action Shabbat services and potluck will be hosted by Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation on February 14 at the Jewish Community Center, with services beginning at 10 am. The details are to follow on JLive, YOU are all invited! For further information about the A2J Climate Circle or to get your Jewish organization involved, please email mailto:info@a2jclimatecircle.com.