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Temple Beth El Blog

Climate Action Is a Jewish Issue

08/21/2019 01:25:50 PM

Aug21

For more than 40 years, the Reform movement has been committed to protecting the environment. As heirs to a tradition of stewardship that goes back to Genesis and teaches us to be partners in the ongoing work of creation, the Reform Jewish movement believes that it is our sacred duty to alleviate environmental degradation and the human suffering it causes.

In 2017, the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) issued a resolution on the need for all congregations and institutions to take action to protect our environment from the emerging threat of climate change through local actions and advocacy. The URJ resolved to:

Encourage congregations to advocate that all levels of government uphold or go beyond the commitments of the Paris Climate Agreement;

Encourage congregations to prepare themselves and their neighbors for the adverse impacts of climate change and to work with local organizations to provide relief to those affected by these events.

Continue to advocate for legislative, regulatory, and judicial action to protect all communities from the damaging impacts of climate change;

Continue to advocate for the Canadian and U.S. governments to uphold our international responsibilities to decrease the human impacts of climate change; and

Encourage congregations to work with interfaith and other partners within their communities to advocate for and work to implement climate change solutions.

Responding to climate change is an urgent moral and spiritual issue, and it has never been more critical to make the faith community’s voice heard. For more information on the URJ’s position and what you can do to help put our world on the path to a sustainable future, see here.

April 26, 2024 18 Nisan 5784