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As we approach the end of January and the middle of the Hebrew month of Shvat, not to mention the beginning of a new presidential administration, we lean into welcome sensations of newness and renewal, and listen for the early murmurings of the rebirth that Spring will soon bring.
And yet the challenges we face in the Jewish community and in this country and world writ large are far from over. From the ongoing dual pandemics of COVID-19 alongside systemic racism and white supremacy to the existential threat of ongoing climate change, we need resilient community more than ever.
We hope you’ll join Mitsui Collective alongside 100+ partner organizations at the first ever Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest, all online January 27-31 in conjunction with Tu Bishvat 5781 (the New Year for the Trees). This festival is a collaboration by and for those ready to activate Jewish values towards addressing climate change — open to all, no experience or prior knowledge required. We hope this festival will herald a major new phase of the Jewish community’s work and leadership in addressing both the root causes and the systemic and collective impacts of climate change.
Mitsui Collective is specifically spearheading two programs next week — an embodied morning prayer experience for Tu Bishvat, and a conversation on racial equity in the Jewish climate movement — that we would love to see you at. Read on below for more details.
And with an incredible lineup of mainstage events and over 140 community produced events, all free and open to the public, there is an overflowing abundance of offerings in this festival to choose from.
We hope you’ll come be a part of this event, and make your voice heard and presence felt. It won’t be the same without you.
Etz Chayim Glee: A Tu Bishvat Embodied Morning Prayer Experience
Thursday, January 28
11 AM – 12 PM EST
Join Yoshi Silverstein and Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife for a dynamic and nourishing embodied Jewish prayer experience for Tu Bishvat morning focused on gratitude, connection, and awakening. We’ll incorporate song, movement, chanting, meditation, and stillness practices inspired by the thematic structure of the morning Shacharit service to awaken our bodies, hearts, and souls as we enter the New Year for the Trees.
This program is a collaboration between Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Instititute and Mitsui Collective.
Learn more and register here!
Us and Us – Centering the Margins of Racial Identity in the Jewish Climate Movement
Friday, January 29
1:00 – 2:30 PM EST
As Jews, when we discuss “environmental racism,” conversations and learning often fall into the paradigm of framing the conversation as “Us” (Jews) and “Them” (People of Color). When this framing occurs, even if subconsciously, what assumptions are being made about who Jews are and where do Jews of Color fit in?
Join Kristy Drutman (Brown Girl Green), Nate Looney (Avodah), and Yoshi Silverstein (Mitsui Collective) for a conversation on our experiences as Jews of Color working at the intersections of nature connection, environmental activism, farming, service, and Jewish education; and on how the Jewish climate movement must evolve in its relationships and practices both external and internal to Jewish community in order to actualize a green and equitable future.
This program will begin by centering conversation between the three featured “conversationalists” followed by curated Q&A with the broader community present.
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