AUG 5, 2024. Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi\\
The Jewish Earth Alliance, a grassroots nonpartisan network of 50 groups across the country, will call on Congress again this coming Thursday to take action on climate change. National groups, including the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, are partners on this, as well as local groups from Oregon to Florida. The Jewish Earth Alliance works with other faith communities to hold up Judaism’s mandates to care for Earth, our common home, and act in the spirit of loving our neighbors as ourselves.
I will be one of the many people joining the group for online meetings with key leaders. You can sign up to join too.
One of the people my team will be meeting with online is Maryland’s senior Senator, Ben Cardin, whose work on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has included a spectacular leadership role in five Senate delegations to COP conferences, the latest one last December in Dubai. He was also key in passing the Inflation Reduction Act, a landmark environmental bill as well as in the promotion of electric vehicles and renewable energy. He also has done a tremendous amount to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay. Earlier I published and interview with Senator Cardin, who is one of my heroes, HERE.
When we meet with Senator Cardin and other leaders from our home states, the timing of the meetings are connected to Tisha B’av, when Jews commemorate the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. The stories told in the Talmud about the destruction of the Second Temple do not mince words in laying the blame on human action. This tragedy is not something that fell upon us from the sky, but rather – like the issue of climate change — was the consequence of poor choices and a failure to consider the long term good of the community. It was particular actions by individuals and by the community which led to destruction of the Temple.
There is much in our current politics that can lead to people feeling that what they do doesn’t matter and that it’s not worthwhile to engage. Tisha B’av reminds us of what happens when there is a vicious cycle. But there can also be virtuous cycles, where one good action prompts the next and things turn around. The time frame for acting on Climate Change is very short. Unless we change our behavior, not only as individuals, but more significantly through government and inter-governmental action, the window will shut and the consequences will be devastating.
But Judaism teaches that we can change and take action to create a better future.
In meeting with Senators and Members of Congress over zoom, the group (myself included) will focus on the Supreme Court decision on the Chevron Doctrine and how it might impact our country’s efforts to reverse the climate crisis. Our focus will be on this issue because we are deeply concerned that the Supreme Court decision on the Chevron Doctrine will make it much harder for the federal government to protect people, and the entire web of life, from climate change.
Jewish teachings are very clear that it is the responsibility of the community to protect the air, land and water that are shared by everyone. We understand that the Chevron decision does not weaken the authority of federal agencies to enact regulations, but it does make it easy for special interests to challenge regulations in court. We cannot afford the delays that this decision may well bring. Congress must take action to ensure that agencies, and especially the EPA, can do their work. We will ask leaders to support the Stop Corporate Capture Act which was recently introduced in the Senate. For more information on this topic see HERE.
In our meetings we will also ask leaders to support:
Climate solutions in the Farm Bill – We support the Senate’s version of the Farm Bill, especially because it preserves the $19.5 billion of Inflation Reduction Act funding allocated specifically to agricultural programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (S.1149) – We will urge leaders to support bringing this bipartisan bill up for a vote before the end of the year. It passed the House in the last session and has bipartisan support in the Senate.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi is the co-founder/director of the Mizrahi Family Charitable Fund (a DAF). She has worked directly with presidents, prime ministers, 48 governors, 85 Ambassadors, and leaders at all levels to successfully educate and advocate on key issues. In July, 2023 Mizrahi was appointed to serve as representative of philanthropy on the Maryland Commission on Climate Change. She has a certificate in Climate Change Policy, Economics and Politics from Harvard. Her work has won numerous awards and been profiled in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Inside Philanthropy, PBS NewsHour, Washington Post, Jerusalem Post, Jewish Sages of Today, and numerous other outlets. Mizrahi has published more than 300 articles on politics, public policy, disability issues, climate and innovations. The views in her columns are her own, and do not reflect those of any organization.