Open Letter to Teen Leaders About J-Serve

If you have an idea for a program or project, email Adam Oded aoded@thepartnershipnj.org.

JNF GoNeutral – An Environmental Movement for Tomorrow

Jewish National Fund is proud to announce JNF GoNeutral – An Environmental Movement for Tomorrow. The new campaign will educate individuals about their personal impact on the environment and empower them to take steps to curb climate change. Visit www.jnf.org/goneutral to calculate your carbon footprint, plant trees in Israel to offset your emissions, and support JNF’s cutting-edge ecological work.To help communities access this new program, we are excited to offer JNF’s GoNeutral Bootcamp, Monday, October 15 in New York City from 4:00-7:00PM. This free program will provide you and friends/members of your congregation the tools needed to go back to your community to raise environmental awareness and encourage action by reducing and offsetting carbon emissions.

The JNF GoNeutral Bootcamp will include a panel of environmental experts to teach about the environmental issues we are facing, breakout sessions to learn how the program works, and tactics to engage those in your community.

To register for the program or for more information, please contact Debbie Scher at dscher@jnf.org or (212) 879-9305, ext. 298.

Teen Volunteer Opportunity: JNF Green Sunday

JEWISH NATIONAL FUND’S ANNUAL
Green Sunday   
Sunday, November 18, 2007

At the offices of Merrill Lynch
51 JFK Parkway, Short Hills, NJ

Sign up for one of the following shifts:

• 9:30-12:00
• 11:30-2:00
• 1:30-4:00
• or All Day

Support the vital work of the JNF In Israel!

BRING A FRIEND! FOOD! PRIZES!

Ages 12 and over are welcome. For more information, or to become a volunteer, please call Flo at the JNF office 973-593-0095, Ext. 205 or email fsiderman@jnf.org

To learn more about the JNF, visit: www.jnf.org.

The Jewish Responsibility to Preserve the Piping Plover

This past weekend I was out in Cupsogue Beach with a friend.  There was a roped off area between the dunes and about 5 feet of beach.  My friend wanted to walk to the other side of the rope and investigate some large invertebrate that had washed up.  I held him back saying that he should not disturbe the habitat of the piping plover.  “The what?”

“The piping plover.  You don’t know about the piping plover?”  Apparently he did not, so I told him everything I knew off the top of my head, and some of the Jewish rationale for not disturbing the bird’s habitat.  The end result was that we left the nesting area untouched. 

So, I figured that with a lot of people heading down the shore this summer, maybe it would be of interest to know a little about the bird, and about why we should care about it.

According to Audubon:

Piping Plovers first declined due to hunting in the 19th Century. Populations recovered after the enactment of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Since the end of World War II, however, development and increased recreational use of coastal zones and shorelines led to a second decline for the species. In 1986, the Piping Plover was listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the U.S. In response to intensive conservation efforts following its protection under the ESA, Piping Plover populations have stabilized or begun to grow in some regions. The Atlantic Piping Plover population, for example, has increased in many States in response to careful management. 

For the most up to date facts about the piping plover, see The US Fish And Wildlife Service Website. (click here)

What does Judaism have to say about this?  I came across The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) website.  They had a page of resources about Biodiversity in Jewish Thought.  In an article called “Caring for Creation: A Jewish Response to Preserving Biodiversity,” Rabbi Lawrence Troster relates that:

“Our Rabbis said: Even those things that you may regard as completely superfluous to Creation — such as fleas, gnats and flies — even they were included in Creation; and God’s purpose is carried through everything — even through a snake, a scorpion, a gnat, a frog.” (Breishit Rabbah 10:7) In environmental terms, every species has an inherent value beyond its instrumental or useful value to human beings…

For COEJL’s resources on Biodiversity in Jewish Thought, click here.

Go Green! You Could Win $50 for iTunes

Jewish National Fund has made Israel the only country in the world to end the 20th century with a gain in forested land.  In addition to helping offset global warming by planting trees, JNF provides education to raise awareness about climate change, and projects you can do to help offset carbon emissions. 

Help JNF plan interesting projects for you.  Let us know what interests you and what you like to do.

Please click here to fill out an on-line survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=985113492947

Several respondents will be chosen to win $50 gift certificates for iTunes, but more importantly, you will be helping to protect the environment and build Israel through the work of JNF.

PanimWorks: An Activist’s Adventure

Work with a close-knit group of Jewish teens, sharing heart, mind and muscle with a Navajo family and rural community in the Southwest U.S. For two amazing and intense weeks, you exchange your labor for friendship and connections to a unique and rich culture. You will examine Jewish approaches to social engagement, learn about leadership and responsibility, explore the great outdoors, and challenge yourself in new ways. Be part of a reciprocal exchange and gain powerful insights into personal and communal ethics by assisting with work projects that serve family and community needs in this often overlooked part of our country.

To find out more go to: http://www.panimworks.org

SCA Outdoor Summer Program for Jewish Students

Are you:

• A current high school student or 2007 graduate (ages 15-19)?
• Looking to make a difference in the world?
• Interested in a tuition-free outdoor volunteer experience?

Then you should join the Kosher Conservation Crew of the Student Conservation Association!

SCA’s Kosher Conservation Crews provide participants with an opportunity to spend a month working on a service project while building community and gaining a deeper understanding of their connection to the environment.

As a member of a Conservation Crew, you and 5 other teens will spend 4 weeks in a residential front or backcountry setting completing conservation projects, learning outdoor skills, and making a difference in the world. Crews are led by two qualified adult leaders with experience working in Jewish outdoor programs. You’ll spend the last few days of the program on an outdoor adventure trip with your crew.

Join other teenagers from around the country for this unique outdoor volunteer opportunity. During the program kosher cookware will be provided. All food will be kosher vegetarian and work, rest and travel days are scheduled so that Shabbat can be observed. Crews will run for 30 days beginning June 13th and July 25th (dates subject to change).

Apply today:

Please send an email to rlettre@thecsa.org stating that you are submitting an online application* and then submit your conservation crew application.

*Please indicate that you are interested in participating in a Kosher crew in the regional preference section of your application.

Questions? Email Rachel Lettre or call (703)524-2441.

More information: http://www.thesca.org/cc_jewishstudents/