About Shomrei Adamah

Shomrei Adamah stresses the connections between Judaism and environmentalism. Several Jewish holidays such as Tu'B Shevat, Sukkot and Hanukkah promote conservation and/or thankfulness for life on earth. Parts of the Torah explicitly forbid wasteful practices. Respect for Adonai, central to Judaism, clearly translates into respect for our earth. Shomrei Adamah aims to increase appreciation of these and the many other connections in several ways.

Shomrei Adamah's work involves: holiday celebrations, lectures and other educational efforts, synagogue outreach (greening synagogues) and activism such as participation in local and national environmental campaigns.


Organizational Structure

Shomrei Adamah is a grassroots organization, completely run by volunteers. Until recently, the group had no formal leadership. As the organization has grown, we installed our first executive board (all volunteers) in the summer of 2000 in order to become more organized, and hopefully more effective.

The executive board is made up of members willing to make a substantial commitment to guiding the organization. We also have a large advisory board consisting of active members of the Greater Wasahington Jewish community who are strong proponents of the environment who are available to provide Shomrei Adamah with guidance and support.

To develop a program idea for Shomrei Adamah, please contact shomrei_adamah@yahoo.com to get involved now. For more information on helping out, see the section on getting involved.

History

Shomrei Adamah was founded over ten years ago on Earth Day 1990. Among the original founders were long time DC activists Mike Tabor and De Herman, both of whom are still active in the group.

During the 1990s, Shomrei Adamah participated in many local and national environmental campaigns, published our guide for greening synagogues and hosted plenty of lectures. Most of the group's work however involved organizing holiday celebrations with an environmental twist.

Shomrei Adamah led scores of Jewish holiday celebration during the past decade. At each celebration the group pointed out the environmental meaning of the holiday. The events, particularly our tu B'shevat seders and Hanukah celebrations, were consistently popular. Such holiday celebrations are still one of our main focuses, so check out our events schedule.

We look forward to meeting you at our next event!



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