Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action – To expand the organization’s Spiritual Adaptation programming, partnerships, trainings, and resources to help Jews confront the climate crisis, cultivate a sense of hope, and take action.

What is something you’ve learned from doing this work that you could share to encourage people feeling defeated or struggling in the face of climate change?

While climate change impacts us differently, many of us feel overwhelmed, helpless, or afraid. But we know that community and action are antidotes to despair, and we have what we need to face this climate crisis – people with the power to make a difference, Jewish wisdom and creativity to sustain and inspire us, and the coalitions and strategy needed to enact meaningful change. Our power, resilience, and hope grows when we can honor our emotions, but also envision a thriving future, and cultivate courageous action.

Of all the programming that you are hoping to initiate over the next few years, what is one aspect of the work that most excites you right now?

We are excited to bring Dayenu’s Spiritual Adaptation workshops, Climate Torah, and Climate Music & Arts programs and resources to scale. We’re developing workshops for key demographics, honing our current offerings, and (in the years ahead) training up a new generation of facilitators to bring Dayenu’s Spiritual Adaptation approach to a growing Jewish climate movement. Right now, we are iterating on newer Climate Music & Arts programs, like the “Gathering for Song & Solidarity” and “Midrash & Imagination: Creative Writing for a Climate Resilient World.” Both engage musicians, new partners, and a growing network of young adults seeking Jewish wisdom and spiritual recharge.

Could you share a line of Torah or Jewish wisdom that inspires you to do this work?

People are often surprised that climate work can be joyous. Joy in a crisis? Yet Jews have known for millennia that grief and joy go hand-in-hand. As Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer (42:11) on Exodus 15:20 teaches: “Miriam the prophet… took a timbrel, and all the women followed her.’ But how did they have timbrels and dances in the wilderness? [Because] before they left Egypt they had prepared for themselves timbrels and dances.” I love that Miriam prepares her generation for a future of celebration, even (especially) as she is knee-deep in the world as it is. Miriam’s joyous leadership is contagious.