Molly Goldberg is the
incoming Social Action Vice President of the North American Federation of
Temple Youth (NFTY). She is currently the Social Action Vice President of
NFTY’s Missouri Valley Region.
Nearly 120 NFTYites from across the country gathered last
weekend at Veida, our annual meeting for regional and North American board
members. We met at Greene Family Camp in Bruceville, Texas to elect a new North
American board, pass resolutions, and select study and action themes for
2010-2011. We were proud to select “Anavah: Humility – What do we really need? NFTY Addresses
Overconsumption” as our Action theme for the year to come.
At each URJ Biennial convention, President Rabbi Eric Yoffie
launches new Biennial Initiatives,
issuing challenges to our Movement to rethink Jewish perspectives and take
action on thought-provoking subjects, from embracing Shabbat to initiating Muslim-Jewish
dialogue. During his Shabbat morning sermon at the 2009 URJ Biennial in
Toronto, Rabbi Yoffie presented the following statistics:
The meat industry today generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas
emissions that are accelerating climate change throughout the world. According
to a U.N. report, animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gas
than all transportation sources combined. And the preparation of beef meals
requires about fifteen times the amount of fossil fuel energy than meat.
Then, Rabbi Yoffie challenged our
Movement – including NFTY – to consider what we eat and how it affects our
environment. The NFTY 2010-2011 Action
Theme, “Anavah: Humility – What do we
really need? NFTY Addresses Overconsumption,” adopted last weekend, will encourage
NFTYites to rise to Rabbi Yoffie’s challenge. Our resolution on consumption challenges
NFTYites to rethink their eating habits with an eye to the environmental impact
of our food choices.
But we won’t stop
there. Beyond conscious eating, our new action theme encourages NFTYites to
examine their per capita consumption and consider amending their consumption of
fuel, minerals, and other resources to preserve our Earth.
To implement “Anavah: Humility,” we will incorporate the concept of overconsumption
on all levels of NFTY, from communal to individual. NFTY will partner with the
Religious Action Center and the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life to
advocate for comprehensive legislation to address climate change and encourage
the transition to a cleaner, more efficient energy economy. NFTYites and others
can start by writing to Congress using
the RAC’s action alert.
Our 19 NFTY Regions will study how unsustainable fishing practices and insufficient waste management blight
the developing world’s infrastructure through educational and experiential
programming. Next, with our respective syangogues and youth groups, we will
align with Shulchan Yarok, Shulchan Tzedek (Green Table, Just Table), a newly launched URJ initiative that encourages congregations
to implement food policy and programs that promote healthy, sustainable, and
ethical eating, such as Community Supported Agriculture and synagogue garden projects.
Finally, on an individual level, we will encourage NFTYites to give up bottled water, reduce energy use by
washing their laundry in cold water, switch to energy-efficient CFL light bulbs,
and reduce fuel consumption by carpooling, biking, walking, and taking public
transit.
Combined, these projects on all
levels of NFTY, as well as alliances with the RAC and URJ, will give Reform
Jewish teens insight into how each of our daily actions affects the environment,
and how we can make informed choices to have a more positive impact.
Century, we realize that Midrash Ecclesiastes
Rabbah 7:13 rings true: “See my works, how fine and excellent they are! All
that I created, I created for you. Reflect on this, and do not corrupt or
desolate my world; for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you.”
With our 2010-2011 Action Theme, NFTY plans to live up to this teaching, doing
our best to repair our broken world and ensure that generations to come will
enjoy the environment that is so crucial to all our lives.