30 results for author: Noam Dolgin

1200 Jewish Young Adults Walk Into a Casino…

From March 5-8, I had the pleasure of participating in the first ever Tribefest, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. This fantastic event put on by the Jewish Federations of North America, brought together 1200 young adults from across North America to ‘Connect, Explore and Celebrate’ their Jewish identity, culture and community. While not particularly an environmental friendly event (judged by the location, quantity of disposable dishes, etc.) the organizers went out of their way to include two environmentally themes sessions, one on food and one on energy. Both were well attended with 100 - 150 participants. ...

Generation of Change: How Leaders in their 20s and 30s are Reshaping American Jewish Life

In September 2010, the Avi Chai Foundation put out a report “Generation of Change: How Leaders in their 20s and 30s are Reshaping American Jewish Life.” The report elicited responses from 4,466 Jewish leaders of all ages, myself included, and after thorough analysis of the data came up with a range of interesting results that I believe relate directly to our work as Jewcologists. The survey divided respondents into a number of categories, based on 2 main factors. Establishment vs Non-establishment Jewish leadership, and Young (20s& 30s) vs Older. It asked a range of questions on Jewish identify, practice, affiliation, goals, ...

My Oh Mayim: Rethinking Water Usage in a Land Flowing with Milk and Honey, but Little Water.

Ushavtem mayim b'sason.Draw water in joy. A classic song of joy danced to at every celebration by millionsof Jews worldwide. Jews sing and dance about water at every proayer service and celebration. Through our prayer, song and dance, we hope that Israel willhave enough water for the coming year. The last couple of years have seen the harshest drought to hit the region in decades. Demand for water is high and continues to grow as population expands, therefore Israel's fresh (sweet) water resources are quickly drying up, and Israelis know it. Israeli society Is quickly working to address the region's water shortages before the ...

The Inspiration of Engaging Judaism

As a Jewish environmental educator, people often ask me if my work more Jewish or more environmental. I usually refuse to answer the question in the simplistic form in which it’s asked, and instead offer an answer about the complete interconnectedness of the material... But, today, just for you, Jewcology readers, I will answer the original question with a little secret. While at my core, the cause I am working toward is environmental sustainability, the work is primarily Jewish education. Nature, ecology, environmental responsibility, are all tools to teach a Jewish value of responsibility for self, people, humanity and all Creation. ...

Moving the Jewish Community Beyond Tu B’Shvat on Environmental Issues

As a freelance Jewish environmental educator, the 2 weeks surrounding Tu B’shvat might be considered my high holidays. This year I will be teaching in 4 cities, 3 synagogues, and 11 supplemental and day schools in just that window. Yet in the two months following I only have a few random teaching engagements. While those of us in the Jewish environmental field have moved beyond just Tu B’shvat as the core of our work, the remainder of the Jewish world continues to see this one day as their only opportunity to teach Jewish environmental values. So here is our challenge. To redefine the Jewish understanding of our connection and ...

Chochma & Bina, Wisdom & Understanding

This week my wife and I are on Hornby Island, on the coast of beautiful British Columbia. It’s here, on the edge of the Pacific Ocean that I feel most in awe of the natural world and all its creatures. A walk on the beach is a lesson in nature’s complexity. Whitecaps give way to waves churning onto the shore, where winter storms have deposited a year’s worth of driftwood and sea weed. Seals and sea lions maintain an ongoing truce as they patrol their respective aquatic territories for fish, and eagles soar and dive against a ever-changing cloudy backdrop. A few moments of observation is all it takes to realize that the ...

Think Israel, Act Local

Most of us know by now that our personal actions have global consequences. What and how much we drive, fly, eat, and shop, contributes to a litany of global environmental challenges, topped by climate change. The mantra, ‘Think global, act local’, was adopted in the 1980s as a rallying cry for personal responsibility in a global age. Environmental concerns to this point had primarily been local; however a new generation of global environmental challenges were forcing people to look beyond their home communities. Unfortunately, this new global vision came with its own challenges. While the statement’s sentiment is true, it ...

Hanukah 2010, A Re-Dedication to Social and Environmental Change

Hag Urim Sameach! Happy Holiday of Lights! Hanukah is upon us once again, this wacky annual celebration that we don't exactly know how to celebrate. It's not biblical, so we don't have the traditional holiday structure, and it's up against Xmas, so there is lots of pressure to give gifts. So how can we make this Rabbinic holiday relevant to the world of today? Easy! Go back to the core of this holiday, make this Hanukah a celebration and a reflection on our relationship to light and energy, and a re-dedication to fighting for social and environmental change. A Holiday of Lights in the Darkest Time of Year Imagine your ...

All this Pollution is Making me to Schvitz!!

All this Pollution is Making me to Schvitz!! by Noam Dolgin So everyone is talking about Climate Change, Global Warming, Greenhouse Gases, Shifting Climate but what does this all mean. What is really happening and why? What can we do to make a real difference? The Greenhouse Effect. If it wasn’t for the Greenhouse effect, the Earth’s average temperature would be 9 degrees Fahrenheit, way too cold to support life as we know it! This life giving layer traps heat that would otherwise be lost to the atmosphere and keeps it in our global system. Not only is the Earth’s greenhouse gas layer not a bad thing, but ...

Congrats to the entire Jewcology team!

Mazel Tov!!! Well done to everyone who got Jewcology up and running. The site looks great and I can't wait to see what we are all able to do with it. Hats off (but not the kippah) to you all!