By Annie Wolock & Michael S. Simon, Adamah Climate Circle
Beth Israel held a Shabbat dinner and tour of its garden.What happens when a community comes together to turn shared values into collective action? In 2023, the Ann Arbor Jewish Climate Circle (A2J CC) was founded on a simple yet powerful premise: our Jewish heritage calls on us to respond to the climate crisis not just as individuals but as a unified community. What started as a local initiative to spark dialogue and education through the Washtenaw Jewish News has quickly grown into a powerful model for regional impact.
Now, we are excited to see this concept expand into Metro Detroit with the launch of the new Adamah Climate Circle in the Detroit Jewish News. This expansion represents a powerful step forward in building a unified regional effort.
The Ann Arbor Jewish Climate Circle is honored to welcome to our community of Jewish climate writers the newly created “Adamah Climate Circle,” which will be published in the Detroit Jewish News.
First A2J CC Kabbalat Shabbat dinner at Temple Beth Emeth, Ann Arbor.
Dayenu Circle leadership at Temple Beth Emeth, Ann Arbor.Formed in March 2023 by Annie Wolock of the Ann Arbor Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), the goal of the A2J CC is to align our community across the spectrum of Jewish denominations and organizations to respond as a collective to the impending threat of climate change, through the lens of our Jewish heritage. Thanks to the partnership and collaboration with Clare Kinberg, editor of the Washtenaw Jewish News (WJN), we have been allotted a one- or two-page section each month for climate-oriented articles.
New air-sourced electric heat pumps on the roof of Beth Israel Congregation.Another goal is to build community-driven action, and with that in mind, we seek to enable our diverse community to join us for a series of sponsored, quarterly, climate-oriented Shabbat vegetarian potluck dinners at each participating synagogue and, as appropriate, at other relevant local events.
Rooted in Tradition, Driven by Diverse Voices
The work of the A2J Climate Circle is informed by the Jewish concepts of tikkun olam (repairing the world) and bal tashchit (the biblical injunction against needless destruction). This latter prohibition was expanded in Jewish tradition as a concept against unnecessary waste and useless destruction.
University of Michigan student volunteers working at the Beth Israel Congregation community garden as part of the Adamah College Outreach program, April 2026. Guided by these values, our overarching goal is threefold: education, motivation and engagement. We promote cross-organizational dialogue to help our community become better environmental stewards and provide real opportunities for climate action. Today, our growing network successfully bridges nearly a dozen local Jewish organizations, including synagogues, the Hebrew Day School of Ann Arbor and other community organizations (large and small) across Washtenaw County.
To provide knowledge and spark action, we publish a wide array of content, including event updates, expert knowledge, profiles of local climate heroes, and practical monthly tips on food choices and composting. A rich spectrum of local leaders create these articles — including congregational and community rabbis, University of Michigan professors and dedicated lay leaders. In the articles by our rabbis, we seek to better understand the best “Jewish response” to climate change, whether explored from the perspective of a specific denomination or through a community rabbi’s individual understanding and interpretation.
Composting instructions used at Beth Israel Congregation weekly Shabbat kiddush lunch.
Part of Beth Israel’s annual produce donation to Food Gatherers.Over the past year, these pages have tackled everything from a deep dive into the Conservative Movement’s 30-page Teshuvah(Responsa) on climate change, to twice-yearly national lobbying efforts with the Jewish Earth Alliance, to timely opinion pieces on federal environmental policy.
Widening the Circle to Detroit
We are thrilled that this framework is now expanding eastward. Many of our Ann Arbor members are already active participants in Adamah’s Detroit chapter, the largest Jewish environmental organization in the United States. Under the direction of Amit Weitzer, Detroit Adamah has been incredibly productive, running educational programs and workshops, nature walks, summer camps and the vital Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition.
Through the Coalition, Jewish institutions develop actionable plans to reduce their carbon footprints, focusing on key areas such as clean energy, energy efficiency, food waste reduction and advocacy. It is truly an all-hands-on-deck effort where organizations learn from one another’s strengths.
An Epic Races, zero-waste event, using compostable cups (no single-use plastic).By housing the new Adamah Climate Circle within the Detroit Jewish News, there is immense potential to broaden this vital communication. We hope to see this new group encompass Metro Detroit’s Jewish houses of worship, schools, nonprofits and foundations, coalescing into a united Detroit-region Jewish front against climate change. It is implicit in our tradition and essential for our future: together, we stand stronger.
For more information, visit jewishannarbor.org/category/climate.
This article was originally posted on The Detroit Jewish News.