Climate Papa #12: What can the Climate Movement Learn From the Jewish High Holidays?
Announcement: It’s PNW Climate Week next week and I’m going to host the first ever Climate Papa meetup! Next Wednesday, September 27th, at 3:30pm at Volunteer Park. Register here!
Fall is here—the leaves are changing and it’s back to school season. This time of year always feels like the “real” start to the year. Coincidentally, it’s when the Jewish High Holidays begin, the New Year, Rosh Hashanah, followed by Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. What does this have to do with climate change? Well, Jews have been on an annual rhythm of “repentance, prayer, and charity” for millennia. Perhaps the High Holidays have something to teach us about how to build a pattern of individual and collective assessment, reflection, and action?
Ben turns to Tamar, host of a climate Torah Study podcast, to get a High Holidays 101 lesson, and to help unpack the symbolism of the holidays in the context of a climate crisis. They reflect on how holidays can awaken our motivation, how disasters affect communities, and they compare the Book of Life to regular IPCC reports.
Tamar Libicki is a mother and fan of green energy, habitat restoration, regenerative agriculture, and Torah study. She hosts the "Ḥoni's Circle" podcast along with Rabbi Paula Rose, which is a project of Congregation Beth Shalom and Ahavat v'Avodat haAdamah.
Referenced in the episode:
If You’re Reading This, You’re Probably ‘WEIRD’ on Ezra Klein
Get connected:
Ben - Climate Papa
Feedback? Guest suggestions? Email ben@climatepapa.com
Music: Slynk & Lazy Syrup Orchestra - Mellow Kinda Hype (Balkan Bump Remix)