Community called to action
“I believe climate is the most significant issue at the moment – how we raise awareness and how we respond.”
CLIMATE change and the Jewish community was the theme as a 60-strong crowd gathered earlier this month at the National Council of Jewish Women.
The question “How can we make a difference?” was explored by a number of panellists.
Presented jointly by the Jewish Sustainability Initiative (JewSI) and the NCJWA NSW, with support through a grant from Woollahra Council’s Community Environmental Grants Program, the event featured a discussion about the impact of climate change, specifically why and how the Jewish community should respond.
Danielle Celermajer, professor of sociology and social policy at the University of Sydney and deputy director of the Sydney Environment Institute, shared her personal experience of living through the 2019 wildfires.
For the audience, it brought home the reality that climate change is happening right here in Australia and is having a devastating impact on humans and the environment.
Reflecting on lessons learned from her grandfather, a Holocaust survivor whose life was guided by the idea of “l’dor vador”, inter-generational responsibility – an idea held “so strongly in our Jewish tradition” – Celermajer shared how she’s changed her own life in order to leave a healthy world for future generations.
She called on the Jewish community to take to heart our responsibility to take action now in order to protect the future for our children, grandchildren and the generations to follow.
Jessica Harrison, Jewish Community Organiser at the Sydney Alliance, urged people to find out and share stories about the impacts of climate change on people within the Jewish community, for example, the elderly who are more vulnerable to heat but can’t afford the energy cost of running air conditioning to keep themselves safe during heat waves.
Jimmy Thomas, Sustainability Projects Officer, Woollahra Council, described how local councils are cutting their own carbon emissions while also supporting initiatives by residents, businesses and institutions in the eastern suburbs.
NCJWA NSW president Maxine Bachmayer added, “I believe climate is the most significant issue at the moment – how we raise awareness and how we respond.”
JewSI is a volunteer-led Sydney-based community group that draws on Jewish tradition to promote the sustainability of Earth’s natural resources. According to panel moderator Annie Kingsbury, “JewSI’s focus right now is to support the Jewish community to take urgent action on climate change.”
Visit the Jewish Sustainability Initiative website or Facebook page for more information.
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