Put a Jewish woman in environmental activism "On the Map!"
Courtesy ofDouglas Brown/Flickr.
Next week is Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish birthday for trees. The meaning of the holiday has undergone some major evolution over the years; it started as a tax deadline, was co-opted by Kabbalists and then the Zionists, and is now considered a holiday celebrating the environment and environmental activism in a broad sense. At the Jewish Women's Archive, our Tu B'Shevat tradition is to seek out and celebrate Jewish women who have dedicated their lives to environmental activism.
In 2009, we recognized the work of Arlene Blum, Betsy Shure Gross, Rabbi Jill Hammer, Leah Koenig, Shelley Morhaim, and Jill Stein on our website in a new feature called "Jewish Women in Environmental Activism." A number of readers wrote in to tell us about other activists who were doing great things and so last year for Tu B'Shevat we invited you to submit names of women to add to our list. In 2010, we added 10 more women to our list. But we know there are a LOT more out there that deserve recognition.
This year, we're not asking you to submit a name; we're inviting you to put a Jewish woman in environmental activism "On the Map!"
We're cutting out the middle man (er, middlewoman?) and inviting you to add an inspiring Jewish woman to JWA's archive instantly and in your own words.
This morning, already planning to write this blog post, I checked the map and saw that Yoshi Silverstein of the Pearlstone Center had beat me to it! He added Kayam Farm, a 5 acre Jewish Educational Center for spiritual and ecological learning with a garden known as the "Matriarchs Orchard" -- a space for women to celebrate the cycles of life. How incredible is that?!
Take Silverstein's lead and put a Jewish woman in environmental activism (or a landmark significant to Jewish women and environmental activism) "On the Map!" If you have a woman in mind, you could add her workplace, a landmark significant to her work, or her hometown. The women put on the map in the next few weeks will also be added to our "Jewish Women in Environmental Activism" feature on jwa.org -- and don't forget, jwa.org is being archived by the Library of Congress so your entry will be preserved in perpituity.
If you aren't sure how to go about adding a landmark to the map, watch our video tutorial. You can always ask for help, too. (Use the contact form on the sidebar, or ask for help on Twitter @jwaonline.)
So, is there Jewish woman environmentalist in your life deserves recognition? Put her story "On the Map!"
Double your impact to amplify Jewish women’s stories—
All gifts matched up to $35,000
Before you close this article, please consider supporting the Jewish Women’s Archive and uplifting Jewish women’s voices.
At JWA, we preserve the voices of Jewish women and gender-expansive people past and present, share them freely with millions online, and empower a new generation of Jewish feminists to lead with courage, creativity, and conviction.
But none of this happens without you. JWA is an independent nonprofit— we rely on people, like you, who believe that history belongs to all of us and that the voices of Jewish women must remain powerful, and heard.
This month, a generous JWA board member will match every gift dollar for dollar—up to $35,000—through June 30. Your contribution goes twice as far right now.
Every contribution—no matter the size—helps us document, teach, and inspire through Jewish women’s stories.
It takes less than a minute to make a difference.
Thank you for being a part of the JWA community,
Judith Rosenbaum, CEO
