Environmental Committee

MISSION

The Congregation Agudath Israel (CAI) Environmental Committee seeks to educate the CAI community on caring for the environment grounded in Jewish teachings and history; take actions to help the Synagogue and congregants of all ages and stages to lessen our impact on the environment; collaborate with local/state community partners on activities and advocacy to sustain and protect the environment; support environmental justice; engage with the Jewish environmental movements outside of CAI/our community.

For more information or to join our committee, please contact co-chairs Harriet Sepinwall or Mark Lipsy.

The Rabbinical Assembly (the international association of Conservative rabbis) met and asked these questions (she'elah): "In a world facing the urgent challenges of climate change and environmental degradation, how should a Jew live? What does Jewish law (Halakhah) teach and require in the matter of sustainability?" After much consideration of what Jewish texts and our sages have taught, the RA issued a Response (Teshuvah). The document states that Conservative rabbis and congregants need to respond by informing ourselves about sustainability issues and to respond with urgency, share with family, friends, colleagues, and co-workers, and ensure that all our decisions align with the goals of sustainability. It points out that Rabbi Tarfon taught לֹא עָׁ ל יָך הַ מְּ לָׁאכָׁה לִ גְּמֹר, וְּלֹא אַ תָׁ ה ב ן חֹורִ ין לִ בָׁ טֵ ל מִ מ נָׁה. (Yours is not to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to abstain from it). 82 Kavvanah. The RA's Teshuvah concludes that "Until such time as all human-devised systems for extraction, consumption and disposal of material resources are themselves sustainable so that sustainability becomes part of the default operating system of civilization, sustainability will require constant vigilance and intentionality." Click Here to read more.

AWARDS AND HONORS

Caldwell Sustainability Award
On December 5, 2020, the Borough of Caldwell honored Congregation Agudath Israel and its Environmental Committee with its annual Caldwell Sustainability Award.

The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions Environmental Achievement Award
Presented to CAI's Environmental Committee in December 2022 for outstanding accomplishment in local environmental protection for the "Planting Native Trees" project.

Hazon Seal of Sustainability
We are proud to have been awarded the Hazon Seal of Sustainability and accepted into this prestigious program. Hazon, the largest Jewish environmental organization in the United States, addresses environmental and related issues through the lens of Judaism. Their program offers a framework to promote sustainable practices by providing methodology, resources, and means to describe and execute sustainability goals. Being part of the program gives CAI access to information, programming, and environmental practices of our community and provides engagement with other Jewish communities and the local community on environmental issues. CAI also received a Hazon mini-grant to develop and adopt new sustainable food practices at the synagogue.

RECENT ACTIVITIES

Tour of the Caldwell Pollinator Garden with the Caldwell Environmental Commission, July 9, 2025