We are living in a time of multiple, interlocking challenges that we are experiencing psychologically, socially, and economically, and it is no surprise that these catastrophes are also manifesting in our climate patterns. When wildfires in Canada and the upper Midwestern states leave Boston with hazy skies and the smell of smoke for two days, it’s hard not to feel that we are looking at something close to the end of our world as we’ve known it. We recognize that we are called to pick up our share of the work, but we are increasingly disoriented and unsure of the efficacy of “tried and true” methods. How does a person of conscience proceed?
This is not the first time that the Jewish people have lived through a calamity; we have emerged from ashes and rebuilt many times over. What wisdom can we find in our history and our teachings that can help us get through this moment, and that we can share with the larger community?
Please join Rabbis Nina Cardin, Natan Margalit, and Ashira Stevens to explore the frameworks our ancestors used in other times of catastrophe, as well as new ways of looking at venerable ideas. Come with questions, and be prepared for discussion!
Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin is the chair of the Tzedek Center’s sustainability initiatives for the Conservative/Masorti movement. She also chairs the sustainability initiative of the Baltimore Environmental Sustainability Network and is the author most recently of To Forever Inhabit this Earth: An Ethic of Enoughness.
Rabbi Natan Margalit is a scholar with 30 years of experience in teaching,writing, organizing and congregational leadership. He has taught at Bard College, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Hebrew College Rabbinical School, and now is chair of the Rabbinic Texts Department at the Aleph Ordination Program. He is also Director of the Earth-Based Judaism track of the A.O.P., and is founder of the non-profit Organic Torah. He is the author of The Pearl and the Flame: A Journey into Jewish Wisdom and Ecological Thinking (Albion Andalus, 2022). He lives in Newton, Massachusetts with his wife and two sons.
Rabbi Ashira Stevens (she/her), ordained from Hebrew College in 2023, has served as the rabbi and spiritual leader of Temple Emanu-El of Haverhill and as the Director of Congregational Learning at Temple Beth David of Westwood. She finds deep meaning and delight in making Judaism accessible and relevant for people of all ages and backgrounds, whether through exploring sacred texts, sharing meaningful ritual moments, or appreciating and stewarding the wonders of Creation.