Narration is in bold. 

Jen: Hi, it's Jen Richler. Welcome back to Can We Talk?, the podcast of the Jewish Women's Archive, where gender, history, and Jewish culture meet. 

The climate crisis has entered an alarming new era. Since President Trump started his second term, the Environmental Protection Agency has announced dozens of actions to undo environmental protections. It's also fired scores of climate scientists and is trying to slash funds for clean energy. 

For organizations fighting climate change, it's been a giant step backward. Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action is one of those organizations. Here's Dayenu's founder and CEO, Rabbi Jennie Rosenn: 

To watch what we have built be dismantled so quickly. The rollbacks, the clawbacks…you know, we worked very hard with many, many others on the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which are historic investments in clean energy. The fact that those funds are now being threatened—it's a devastating moment. And we need to be doing everything we can to fight back.

Jen: In this episode, Rabbi Jennie Rosenn talks about how climate activists are fighting back, and how Jewish values fuel her activism. She starts by linking climate action to the Israelites' Exodus from Egypt, which Jews around the world are about to mark at our Passover seders. 

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Jennie: The story that's at the core of our people's narrative, I think, I always come back to, is the journey out of Mitzrayim, out of Egypt. Mitzrayim is literally a narrow place, a place of oppression, a place of genocide, which so many peoples have faced, including the Jewish community.

And while we're wandering in the desert, God reminds us that the path forward, our redemption, is not in heavens or beyond our reach. Lo bashamayim hi. One of my favorite psukim. Lo bashamayim hi. It's not in heaven or beyond our reach. It's in our hands. And God says—this is in Deuteronomy—God says, "It's not too baffling for you or beyond your reach. It's not in the heavens or beyond the sea. No, this thing is very close to you. It's in your mouth and in your heart to do it." 

And I think about this a lot, that the future of the world is in our hands, as in, it's like, in our hands, it's on us. It's up to us. And it's also, like, in our hands. We have the capacity. We have the science, we have the resources, we have the people, we have the power. We have the ability to close the gap between the world as it is and as it should be, by reimagining and rebuilding this really different future.

Jen: Speaking of the exodus from Egypt, we're about to celebrate Passover, and the name of your organization, Dayenu, has a Pesach connection. Can you explain the meaning behind the name? 

Jennie: Dayenu is, of course, the joyous song that we sing each year at the Passover Seder, when we retell the story of our people's journey from slavery to freedom. And we recount all the things that God's done for us, right? We say, "If God had taken us out of Egypt by not giving us the Torah, Dayenu, it would have been enough." And we go on. It's a whole litany. 

But Dayenu also means we've had enough. We've had enough destruction. We've had enough valuing of fossil fuel companies over human life. We've had enough letting the impacts of climate destruction fall disproportionately on Black, brown, indigenous, poor, marginalized communities. Enough! But it also has a double entendre, because it can also mean we have enough. We have what we need to confront the climate crisis and move towards climate solutions.

You know, we're only two percent of the population, but the Jewish community has a very strong voice in American society and politics. And this is really an all-hands-on-deck moment. And no one and no community can sit this out.

Um, and I also think that there are Jewish values that call us to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis.Values like bacharta bachayim, choose life, or tirdof tzedek, pursue justice, or shomer ger yatom v'almanah, protect the most vulnerable. 

And at its most basic, addressing the climate crisis is about the very concept of living l'dor Vador, generation to generation. Will generations continue? What kind of lives will our children and grandchildren [and] great-grandchildren have? And I think, you know, this is an existential crisis, and Jews have faced existential crises and disruption and destruction many times throughout history. And each time we've not only survived, but we've envisioned and rebuilt a different kind of future. So I often think about the climate Torah, as we call it, in some ways is really also about the Torah of agency. It's about what is possible for us to do, as opposed to a sense of despair or doom or acquiescence.

Jen: We're in a time of such intense political polarization and divisiveness and, and the Jewish communities aren't immune from that—

Jennie: Mm-hmm.

Jen: —especially when it comes to issues related to Israel and the war in Gaza. And I wonder if you see climate action as a way to bring Jews together across some of these  divides.

Jennie: Absolutely. About two months after October 7, we had a training online, a Jewish climate organizing training, and one person showed up with a yellow ribbon, a hostage ribbon, and someone else showed up with a Ceasefire Now button—

Jen: Mm hmm.

Jennie: —and it felt powerful. It felt powerful to be in this, you know, virtual Zoom room together at a time when, in so many places, Jews are not able to come together in the same space. And I think that's really, really powerful, especially in this time.

It's interesting, you know, the research shows that more than 80 percent of American Jews are concerned about the climate crisis. And that's actually a statistic from a number of years ago. And I imagine that number is much higher now, just tracking how those numbers have grown in the American population in general.

It's a top issue for Jewish voters, and it actually ranks either number one or number two for Jewish voters under 40. You know, people often think [of] Israel, antisemitism, both of which are obviously tremendously big issues. And for many more Jews, climate is actually a top concern.

Jen: So the majority—the vast majority—of American Jews are concerned about the climate crisis. But many American Jews are not actively engaged in climate action, and I wonder, you know, why you think that is, why there's this gap between the concern and the action.

Jennie: I think there are two reasons. One is, I think people aren't sure what they can do to make a difference in the face of what feels like such a complex issue. And the second is that I think it's difficult to face the truth of what's at stake, just on, like, an emotional and psychological level.

Like, the fact that without massive change, we're hurtling towards a world in which much of the earth will be uninhabitable, that our children and grandchildren won't have enough food to eat or clean air to breathe or water to drink, that many of the major cities we live in will be underwater. It's like it's too much to take in.

And so I think we disassociate, we turn away, we distract ourselves. It's, like, how can, how can our psyches bear such a painful possibility? And Dayenu really comes to respond to both of these reasons for inaction to create meaningful ways to take action on a systemic level.

Things like climate policy and stopping  the extraction and burning of fossil fuels and electing climate champions and transitioning to a just, green energy economy. All of these kinds of systemic levers for change. So we create powerful strategic campaigns that folks can join supporting grassroots Dayenu circles around the country in synagogues and Hillels and neighborhoods, and really giving people ways to come together to take action at the scale that science and justice require of us.

And the climate crisis isn't only a political, ecological, and social justice issue. It's also, I would say, an issue of the soul. And so encountering the climate crisis from a place of spirit means recognizing and honoring the way in which it can be profoundly overwhelming. So in addition to campaigns and grassroots organizing and training, we've created workshops for Jews across the country to make space to really confront those overwhelming feelings of anxiety and fear and grief, for some people anger, for some people guilt, grounded in Jewish teaching and tradition and music and spirit. We have new Jewish climate music and art and climate Torah, ways to spiritually resource Jews and Jewish communities, because it's hard. Right now we're in a moment where the work has gotten a whole lot harder, and it could not be more important.

Jen: I'm glad you brought up, you know, how this work is becoming more difficult. We're having this conversation against the backdrop of the Trump administration announcing all these directives that would roll back environmental protections. Can you talk a little bit about the broader context of doing this work now?

Jennie: It is clear that we need to continue to push back against the insidious, destructive takedown of climate protections and our advancement to aclean energy future that is under attack in ways that are just unimaginable. And one of the places where we actually have the potential to gain real traction is not on the federal level in these next few years, but is on the state and local level. That is where—you know, clean energy is cheaper, more accessible. There is a clean energy revolution underway, whether or not Trump and the administration likes that. And it's actually very complicated, because it's happening in a lot of red states in very significant ways. It is not a blue state, red state—the Inflation Reduction Act, some of the biggest investments are actually in red states like Texas.

So it's a complex landscape, but there is real work that can and must happen in these next few years on the state and local level. So Dayenu is really right now shifting to continuing to do work on the federal level, but really leaning into our work and supporting Dayenu activists on the ground in state and local campaigns,  And that is a place where there is tremendous potential, even in this really devastating time.

Jen: Can you speak to the connections between climate action and gender?

Jennie: Yeah. So climate is a socioeconomic and racial and gender justice issue because climate affects everyone, but it does not affect everyone equally. I think about it as a force multiplier—it intersects with other vulnerabilities. And this is true across Black, brown, indigenous, poor communities who are disproportionately impacted. And it's also often true around gender. So we know that fossil fuel extreme weather events, like heat waves and droughts and floods,disproportionately impact women because they're more likely to be experiencing poverty and to have less access to basic human rights and financial security, to face violence, food insecurity following climate disasters. In developing countries, this can mean daily challenges like needing to travel farther to collect water. It can mean longer term challenges like failed crops that impact children's nutrition and growth and development. Or needing to make painful tradeoffs around basic needs. When girls and women are displaced, they're often not able to continue their education or pursue economic opportunities. 

So that's on an international level. I think in the US, we see time and time again how these climate-caused extreme weather events and flooding and fires disproportionately impact women-led households, often who have fewer resources. So forcing their children and them to couch surf or stay in shelters or live in their cars, disproportionately not able to afford to repair their homes or have emergency savings.

I will say on the strength side, there are, you know, tremendous women climate leaders. One of my favorite books of all time is called All We Can Save, which is women writing on climate.

So women are not just victims. They're also, you know, delivering solutions and leading change.

Jen: So you were saying earlier that, you know, this work, in the current landscape, is harder than ever, and it is a time where it is easy to feel a sense of despair. What, what gives you hope in the fight against climate change and what sustains you?

Jennie: What gives me hope and sustains me is that there are communities, you know, across the globe, across the US, across the Jewish community, working with each other, working together to address the climate crisis and to do so on a systemic level. To mitigate the most devastating impacts of climate change, we need to take action on a systemic level, and that is happening and that is happening together. 

And for me, it's also my faith, my deep belief in our ability to come together to envision and build a more just future for us and for our children and grandchildren and for all people for generations to come.

Jen: What advice would you give to people who are looking to take action in the fight against climate change?

Jennie: I think there, there are six, like, super quick things I would say. One, remember, you don't have to be a scientist, you don't have to be a policy wonk to play a meaningful role in addressing the climate crisis. 

Two, find a group in your community that's already working on climate. You can see if there's a Dayenu circle in your area. You could start a Dayenu circle in your area. There are lots of different groups working on climate. 

Three, ensure that this group is addressing one of the major levers for change: policy, keeping fossil fuels in the ground, working for a just transition to renewable energy, electing climate champions.

Four, think about what you have to bring. Do you like to write? Do you like to build relationships? Do you like to make spreadsheets? Do you like to march? You have gifts that the movement needs. 

Five, find ways to sustain yourself in the work.  So Dayenu has developed climate Torah and spiritual adaptation workshops and music. Find what works for you to nurture your spirit in this hard and holy work. 

And finally, remember that if we're going to avert the worst of climate disaster and build a just green, new energy economy, it's going to take all of us, and none of us needs to be doing this alone.

Jen: That was Rabbi Jennie Rosenn of Dayenu. You can learn more about Dayenu, including their upcoming Earth Day events,  at D-A-Y-E-N-U.org. 

Thank you for joining us for Can We Talk?, the podcast of the Jewish Women’s Archive.  Our team includes Nahanni Rous and Judith Rosenbaum. Our theme music is by Girls in Trouble. Right now, you're listening to "L'Dor Vador," composed and sung by Rena Branson 

You can find Can We Talk? at jwa.org/canwetalk or on your favorite podcast app. 

I'm Jen Richler. Happy Passover and Chag Sameach to everyone celebrating!