Oct. 20 COEJL Institute at Temple Israel

Offers full environmental slate

by Susie Davidson

Advocate Correspondent

BOSTON - A comprehensive lineup of mental, spiritual, social, nutritional and auditory sustenance is assured this Sunday at Temple Israel at the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life’s Second Annual Jewish Environmental Institute: Connecting Judaism and the Environment.

From 1-6:30 p.m., workshops, talks, discussions, food and music will fill the needs of environmentally conscious attendees seeking to make a difference in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the safeguarding of precious planetary resources.

Once again, organizer and COEJL director Judy Lehrer and her crew have done an outstanding job in securing both prime discussion topics and exemplary, accomplished speakers and workshop leaders. Geared to both the curious novice and experienced activist, and including a vegetarian Kosher dinner with entertainment, attendees will leave wiser and even more pumped up to do the worthy and worldly thing.

“This year,” said Lehrer, “our focus is Connecting Judaism and the environment through learning and discovery.” Attendees will learn about environmental issues, develop organizational skills for synagogue or community environmental work, participate in interactive, engaging workshops, celebrate the Jewish environmental community in Greater Boston, network with others who care about justice and the environment and feast and listen to music.

Workshop topics will include: What is the connection between Judaism and the environment?; Rebbe Nachman's Prayer Among all Living Things; Nature Imagery in Psalms; Greening the Jewish Holidays; Religious Challenges for Jewish Environmentalists; Learning from the Beginning: the Jewish Creation Stories; D’var Earth; How can individuals and institutions protect the environment?; How to Reduce Pollution from Your Synagogue and Home; Putting Your Own House in Order: How to Lead an Environmentally Sustainable Lifestyle; Everything you wanted to know about recycling but were afraid to ask; How can we work as a community to effect change?; Turning Thoughts into Action: Political Advocacy; Environmental Policy: Making a World of Difference; Campaign to Protect Child Health and Energy from the Sun, Wind and Land.

Keynote speaker New Jewish High School teacher Ebn Leader will follow remarks by COEJL Chair Susan Hiller, Rabbi Pesner, National COEJL Executive Director Mark X. Jacobs, JCRC President Geoffrey Lewis, and Lehrer. Small groups, workshops and the dinner will follow Leader, who grew up in Jerusalem and is also a spiritual guide at the Boston Synagogue. “He has studied with Rabbi David Hartman and Amos Hetz, and is currently working with Rabbi Arthur Green on understanding and developing the relationship between Jewish tradition and the environment,” explained Lehrer.

The stellar slate of workshop leaders are Temple Aliyah and Prozdor educator Alison Adler; Swampscott's Temple Israel Rabbi Neal Loevinger, who has published on Judaism and ecology; COEJL National Field Director Stefanie Zelkind, who worked at Adam Teva V’Din: The Israel Union for Environmental Defense and EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East; Joel Baskin, who studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary and has led numerous Jewish environmental programs; COEJL steering committee member Lisa Greber, a master's student in environmental studies at Antioch New England; Outreach Coordinator for Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light Lara Hoke; Eastern Massachusetts Coordinator for the Household Ecoteam Program and volunteer Vice President of Newton’s Green Decade Coalition Dan Ruben, who is also Program Manager for Buy Recycled and Source Reduction Initiatives for WasteCap of Massachusetts; Founding Executive Director of the Chelsea Center for Recycling and Economic Development Amy Perlmutter, who was formerly Director of Recycling for the City of San Francisco and Solid Waste Program Manager for Passaic County, New Jersey; JCRC Director of Government Affairs and Massachusetts Association of Jewish Federations Brad Kramer; Vice President for Policy at the Environmental League of Massachusetts Pam DiBona; Environmental Collaborative at the Environmental League of Massachusetts Director Rani Corey;

Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow spokeswoman and Clean Water Action Campaign Director Tina Clarke, who directed Greenpeace USA's national citizen advocacy network; and Massachusetts Energy Consumers Alliance Program Director Nicole Wobus. 

“We're looking forward to a joy-filled day of learning, prayer, and celebration,” said Lehrer.

Temple Israel is located at the corner of Longwood Avenue and Plymouth St., one block from the Longwood stop on the Green “D” Line. For more information or to register, call COEJL (a program of the JCRC) at 617-457-8670, email Coejl@jcrcboston.org or visit www.jcrcboston.org/coejl.