We must approach the challenge of Tu B’Shvat with vision and strength
Protests in opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline Courtesy of Getty Images
After four tumultuous years, many Americans saw Inauguration Day as a turning point for our nation. The swearing-in of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and a new Congress marks a new chapter in U.S. history, but it should not — and can not — be seen as a “return to normalcy.” There is nothing normal about this moment.
In the last year, we’ve witnessed a deadly global pandemic, taken refuge from raging wildfires and destructive storms, participated in record-breaking mobilizations protesting police brutality and systemic racism, voted in a historic election and watched in horror as white supremacists attempted to stage a violent coup. These converging crises make clear what many of us have known for a long time: that our society is in need of a re-assessment.
Going back to “normal” is no longer an option. Addressing these existential crises will be the work of our lifetimes. As we enter the Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shvat, the “new year of the trees,” we reflect on what it means to be rooted in that work.
Scientists say that we have less than 10 years to get the world on track to zero emissions, an effort that will require the wholesale transformation of our energy, transportation, agricultural and industrial systems. Cutting emissions while ensuring a just and equitable transition that leaves nobody behind will require action from every sector of society. That means making unprecedented investments in clean energy and transportation infrastructure, keeping fossil fuels underground and unburned and planning for a just, equitable transition to this new economy.
After years of inaction, a newly elected administration and Congress face perhaps the most crucial inflection point on climate in history. What we do as a country in the next two years could set us on the pathway to a livable, just, and equitable future for generations to come — if we do it right.
Fixing the destructive environmental rollbacks of the Trump era will be a gargantuan task, but will not be enough. From rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement to cancelling the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, the Biden administration’s initial actions show promise and give us hope for what’s to come. But there is much, much more to be done. Our leaders will need to have the strength and fortitude to forge ahead, even as they face inevitable attempts to distract from, derail and dilute this kind of bold action.
The Jewish community must step up and join together with other communities in this crucial moment, calling for change and offering hikuz, or strength and encouragement, to our leaders. Jewish people have confronted existential crises before, survived and thrived. In this moment, we are summoned to action, to bring our voices, our spirit and our power to the fight.
In the first psalm, we are called to be “like a tree planted beside streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, whose foliage never fades, and whatever it produces thrives.” This Tu B’Shvat, we must plant ourselves as trees, rooted with vision and strength, so that we may confront the climate crisis today and yield the fruit of a safe, just and sustainable world for generations to come.
Rabbi Jennie Rosenn is Founder and CEO of Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
