On Jewish Earth Day, More Jewish Groups Take Climate Action
Tu BiShvat, the Jewish new year of the trees, barely registers on most Jewish calendars, except as an occasion to plant trees or eat fruit and nuts.
But the one-day holiday, which begins Sunday (Jan. 16), has gotten a boost these past few years as environmentalists have reimagined it as the Jewish Earth Day. This year, Tu Bishvat started early with the Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest, a five-day online event (Jan. 10 -14) that has drawn hundreds of Jews to reexamine ways to make climate action a central priority of the Jewish community.
Despite the growing urgency of tackling the global climate crisis, environmental values haven't always been at the forefront of Jewish institutional life. Judaism doesn't have a pope who can issue an encyclical on climate change like Pope Francis did in 2015 with his ecological manifesto, "Laudato Si'." But multiple Jewish organizations are beginning to consider the environment, spurred by rising global temperatures and growing climate weather disasters.
Source: Associated Press
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