By Sam Sobel
Hello, reader! In case you missed the previous Baltimore Environmental Sustainability Network blogs, let me introduce myself. My name is Sam Sobel and I am the Baltimore Climate Action Coordinator for Adamah.
BESN is a collection of Jewish organizations and individuals in the area working to promote a more sustainable Baltimore. This network was pioneered by Mark Smolarz and The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, and is co-chaired by Carole Taylor, Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin and myself.
While the BESN focuses on community collaboration, I also work with Jewish organizations in the area on their own internal climate action plans, through Adamah’s national Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition. Open to any Jewish nonprofit at no cost, the coalition (adamah.org/coalition) is made up of community organizations that recognize the existential threat and moral urgency of climate change.
The coalition works to strengthen climate actions within an organization, while the BESN works to promote community collaboration and external engagement. Any Jewish community organization in Baltimore is welcome to join both.
On the afternoon of July 28, I was preparing to share my “Roadmap to Decarbonization: A Tiyul towards Net-Zero” board game and a “Green Your Home” session at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation’s “Summer Justice Party” later that day.
But as the evening neared, the severe weather alerts began appearing. First for thunderstorms, then for flooding, and finally for a tornado watch.
Instead of a meaningful evening spent with community engaging in discussion about climate action, I was stuck at home as the surrounding streets flooded, left to ponder what the impact would be in the aftermath of the storm.
Rather than dwelling on the climate chaos at hand, I tried to focus my attention on action that could be taken. I considered the path of debris knocked over by the storm, since heavy rain and wind events sweep trash and contaminants directly into bodies of water. Not only does this garbage become an eyesore but it also negatively affects animal ecosystems and water quality.
But that doesn’t have to be the end of the trash’s journey, so long as we have something to say about it! We can take action by participating in a community clean up to remove trash and contaminants from bodies of water.
I would like to invite you to the first Baltimore community-wide “Reverse Tashlich” program! On Sunday, Sept. 6,, from 9 a.m. to noon, we will be at Middle Branch Park, 3301 Waterview Avenue in Baltimore, for a community clean-up in partnership with Tikkun Hayam’s Ninth Annual International Day of Reverse Tashlich.
So what exactly is Reverse Tashlich? Or even traditional Tashlich?
Here’s an explanation from Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin, BESN’s chair:
“Tashlich is a folk tradition inspired by verses in Micah which says: ‘Who is like You, God, forgiving iniquity, overlooking our transgressions. …You will take us back in love, and hurl (tashlich) all our sins into the depths of the sea.’ Eager to hasten this act of forgiveness, Jews have been gathering on the first day of Rosh Hashanah (unless it falls on Shabbat, in which case we gather on the second day) to give God a hand in hurling our sins symbolically into a convenient local body of water. Sometimes our sins are represented by stones but most popularly these days bread is the preferred object tossed into the water. Which is good neither for the water nor the wildlife that populates it.
“In recent years, a new Jewish tradition has sprung up: Reverse Tashlich. Instead of gathering on river banks to throw our sins into the water, we come together to dredge them out. Bottles, plastic bags and man-made trash of astonishing sorts often find their way into our waterways, either tossed in thoughtlessly or migrating there in the flow of rainwater. In this emerging Reverse Tashlich tradition, Jewish groups gather on a day before or after Rosh Hashanah to wade into local waters or walk along their shores to remove as much trash as they can.”
Anyone and everyone is welcome and encouraged to join us for the Reverse Tashlich program. There will be accessible areas that folks with mobility aids can reach, and a letter-writing campaign table for those looking to participate in another way (and for anyone who wants to take a break from trash-grabbing).
Please feel free to share this information and registration link (adamah.org/event/reverse-taschlich-baltimore) far and wide!
For information, visit adamah.org/event/reverse-taschlich-baltimore/.
Feel free to reach out to Sam Sobel and the BESN at besn@associated.org. For questions about the Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition, reach out to Sam at sam.sobel@adamah.org
This article was originally published in JMore Baltimore Jewish Living on August 26, 2026 .