Pass it on! This coming October 23rd-24th is Global Climate Healing Shabbat. A press release this week from a group of American Jewish organizations announced:
A number of Jewish groups, including the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (the national umbrella group on public policy) today called for October 23-24, 2009, to be declared a “Global Climate Healing Shabbat.”
That Shabbat is in Jewish tradition Shabbat Noach, when Jews around the world read the Torah portion about the Flood, Noah, the Ark, and the Rainbow. This reading lends itself to focusing on the danger of destruction of life on our planet, and also on the actions we need to take to prevent destruction and preserve the web of life in which the human race has emerged and created civilization….
The international observance of “Global Climate Healing Shabbat Noach” is a prelude to the crucial United Nations conference on global warming scheduled for Copenhagen in December, 2009. The Jewish groups are urging that there be many global climate-related educational events that are consistent with the laws and spirit of Shabbat on that day.
“Almost daily reports of widespread droughts, floods, storms, wildfires and melting polar ice caps, mountain snowcaps, and glaciers indicate that we are already in a lot of trouble. So much trouble that I feel the words ‘global warming’ give people a false sense of comfort, and I call the danger ‘global scorching’ instead,” commented Rabbi Arthur Waskow, director of The Shalom Center.”
The Climate Shabbat is part of a groundswell of initiatives leading up to the Copenhagen Conference. We at Jewish Climate Initiative are proud to endorse it.
The press release calls on people to mark the day with:
“Sermons, lectures, debates, panel discussions, resolutions, special kiddushes and meals, nature-walks, invitations to public officials and environmental activists, stories for children, and much more.”
As the date gets closer we’ll be posting ideas and resources for communities who want to be a part of this global initiative. It’s a great opportunity to awaken the Jewish people to the urgency of climate change and to make our voices heard at this pivotal moment.
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I'm Julian, Co-Founder of 
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[...] Global Climate Healing Shabbat: This Parshat Noach: Save the date! In the wake of the Copenhagen Conference to Replace Kyoto, Jews around the world will focus Shabbat around global warming and the climate crisis. [...]