Jewish teens are coming of age amidst a “polycrisis.” Of the many overlapping crises, some are particular to the Jewish community, and some are universal. The climate crisis is upon us, as natural disasters, extreme heat, and air quality worsen every year. Our social fabric is unraveling; while teens wrestle with all the usual trials of adolescence, they also feel increasingly anxious, lonely, and isolated from one another. This runs parallel with their growing disconnect from traditional Jewish institutions, as young people perceive them as misaligned with the issues that most impact their lives. All the while, antisemitism continues to rise both at home and abroad.
Polls demonstrate climate change is the number one issue for Jews under the age of 40. The Adamah Youth Movement responds by integrating Jewish identity, nature connection, climate action, and leadership development into accessible and meaningful experiences. By connecting Jewish life to purpose-driven action and peer community, the Adamah Youth Movement fosters belonging, resilience, and long-term commitment to the Jewish people, while building a more sustainable and just future for us all.
Jewish texts, traditions, rituals, and the Jewish calendar provide the foundation for everything we do. Through holiday programs, Jewish learning, embodied prayer, and relationship with Jewish communal life, we connect teens’ sense of environmental responsibility to their Jewish values.
Retreats, Shabbatonim, wilderness programs, Israel trips, and nature-based learning are among the most transformative experiences that the Adamah Youth Movement offers. They foster confidence, resilience, deep friendships, and lasting connections to both our community and the natural world. The merger and integration of Wilderness Torah into Adamah expands Adamah’s ability to offer transformative immersive experiences that strengthen Jewish identity while cultivating wonder, responsibility, and belonging.
Teens design programs, facilitate learning, organize community initiatives, develop partnerships, advocate for change, and mentor one another. Leadership opportunities exist at every level, from participating in a local holiday event to serving on a Regional Board or the National Leadership Board.
As the Talmudic sages taught, learning is important because it leads to action. Whether leading service projects to restore local ecosystems, advocating for legislative change, or partnering with community organizations across lines of difference, Adamah teens are translating Jewish values into meaningful climate action and impact.
If one of the above areas is particularly exciting to you, or you have a program idea that you’d love for us to run, we encourage you to fill out our survey here!
From local gatherings to regional retreats to national community calls, there are so many opportunities to get involved with the Adamah Youth Movement! We offer monthly in-person programming in New York City, Boston, and Los Angeles, open to any Jewish teen. We also have at least one national call per month, where you can connect with like-minded Jewish teens, build community, and make a difference by participating in our national campaign.
Being a part of this Jewish youth-led movement has molded our youth and future. Connecting with like-minded peers across the country has been a beyond fulfilling experience for both of us.
—Ari & Lila, Brookline, MA
“The Leadership Board has been my favorite high school experience. I am so lucky and privileged to be working with all of these amazing young people who are and will be the Jewish climate leaders of our generation.”
Avi F., Hillside, NJ
“This movement has given me a space where I can be vulnerable and not fear judgement from others, where my fears and anxiety are validated but also where I can turn grief and anxiety into a powerful tool and take action.
Ellah V., Sacramento, CA
“I feel the most connected I’ve ever felt to both Judaism and climate activism! Serving on the Leadership Board has allowed me to deepen my understanding of the intersection between Jewish values and fighting the climate crisis. Judaism also provides an outlet during intense feelings of climate grief.
Marlowe L., New York, NY
“This is a holy path we are embarking on and it invigorates me to pursue it!!”
Elijah S., Memphis, TN
“As a Jew, I have learned that my responsibilities reach much farther than being observant. As a climate activist, I have acted in my community and beyond to educate and mobilize. As a young person, I have experienced the power of collective action and taking responsibility for my future on earth.”
Esther S., New Haven, CT
“Being on the New York Regional Board has made climate change feel more personal and hopeful, because instead of feeling overwhelmed, I now feel empowered knowing that I’m part of a community actively working toward real solutions and meaningful change.”
Eden D., Brooklyn, NY
The retreats have been the most impactful; there’s really no competition. Being in an environment with other teenagers who share my passions, principles, and desires made me feel like I had finally found my place in the world. That only motivated me to become more curious, more compassionate, and fight harder for the future I was envisioning.”
Hope A., Orlando, FL
In 2020, Adamah (then Hazon) launched the Jewish Youth Climate Movement. We began building a movement of young American Jews across the country who cared about taking concrete action to build a more sustainable world while strengthening their Jewish identities. Since then, JYCMers have started over 80 local chapters, graduated 83 alumni from our national Leadership Board, and reached thousands of teens across the country every year.
Following the merger of Hazon and Pearlstone into Adamah, and broader strategy shifts within the climate movement, the role of Adamah’s teen programming began to evolve. As the virtual organizing days of deep pandemic receded, teens were asking for more and more in-person time, ideally immersing in nature. Our staff began to understand the program’s role as not just a powerful force for climate justice, but also a place where teens learned crucial organizing and leadership skills, while building spiritual and emotional resilience rooted in Jewish tradition. We also sought to bring more teens with diverse interests into our work. To integrate these shifting priorities into our work, JYCM became the Adamah Youth Movement in August 2026. The Adamah Youth Movement carries forth the best elements of JYCM, while expanding our offerings and providing a spiritual and activist home for more teens than ever before.
The Adamah Youth Movement offers a variety of programs, for teens with different interests and leadership styles. In New York City, Boston, and Los Angeles, we offer monthly in-person programming, where teens connect with nature, build community, and take climate action. Every March, we host a Shabbaton focused on environmental learning and community organizing skill building. Each month, we convene for a Community Call, where national Leadership Board members lead bonding activities and provide opportunities to get involved in our national campaign.
Applications for all of our Boards open every spring; if you’d like to nominate a teen (or yourself!) for this leadership opportunity, you can do so here, and we will send them the application when it opens.
For existing communities and youth groups, our teen leaders and staff educators are trained to lead a variety of programs, including spiritual resilience trainings, pickling workshops, climate science presentations, and interactive activities on collective action. If you’d like to bring the Adamah Youth Movement to your community, you can contact us here.
The best way to get involved is to attend a program! We offer in person programs every month in New York, Los Angeles, and Boston; see the program calendar below to find the event nearest to you. If you are not in one of those cities, then we highly recommend attending our next monthly Community Call, to meet current Adamah Youth Movement teens and learn more about our annual campaign.
To stay up to date on upcoming events and retreats, you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter at the bottom of this webpage. If you’re a teen, you can also join our national WhatsApp community; send an email to teens@adamah.org and we’ll connect you.
If you are in one of Adamah’s Community Impact Hubs (Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Detroit, Atlanta, Baltimore, and San Francisco-Bay Area), our staff may be able to bring Jewish environmental education directly to you. We offer a variety of programs, including spiritual resilience trainings, pickling workshops, climate science presentations, and interactive activities on collective action. We’ll work with you to determine the scope, format, and pricing of the program, and we know it’ll be a meaningful experience for your teens! If you are not based in one of these cities, we are happy to work with you on virtual programming. In both cases, fill out this quick inquiry form to learn more.
Immersive retreats are a powerful part of the Adamah Youth Movement. If you are interested in co-sponsoring an upcoming retreat, please email us at teens@adamah.org. This could involve collaborating on programming, reserving a block of rooms for your teens, or something else! We’re excited to partner with you.
The best way to get involved nationally is to come to our monthly Community Calls. These calls provide an opportunity to meet current Adamah Youth Movement teens and plug into our national campaign. If there is an upcoming Shabbaton, we highly recommend attending, to immerse yourself in our culture and community. See our program calendar below to sign up for either of these opportunities. You can also join our WhatsApp community; email teens@adamah.org to join.
If you are ready to take the next step towards climate leadership, we encourage you to apply for our national Leadership Board. Applications open every spring, and we especially encourage teens outside of our Regional Board cities to apply. You can nominate yourself or someone else for the national Leadership Board here, and we will send them the application when it opens.
Yes! The Adamah Youth Movement offers opportunities to get involved at any leadership level. If you are in Boston, New York City, or Los Angeles, participation in our monthly in-person programs is a great way to get started. If you are outside of those cities, come to our next Community Call, where there will be ways to take action on our national campaign without committing to ongoing leadership. If there is an upcoming retreat, we highly recommend attending that as well. See our program calendar below for more details!
If you are part of an existing teen group, we can also come to you! We offer a variety of staff-and-teen-led programs, including spiritual resilience trainings, pickling workshops, climate science presentations, and interactive activities on collective action. To learn more, have your group leadership or staff fill out this form, or email teens@adamah.org.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 “Endangerment Finding” established this, stating that “greenhouse gases threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations.” This finding grounded our government’s mobilization, across multiple administrations of both parties, to regulate greenhouse gas pollution (which we call shmirat ha’adamah or protecting Creation) and to save lives (our moral imperative known as pikuach nefesh).
[June 27, 2025] Ever since I was evacuated on a raft from my home in the pouring rain during Hurricane Harvey, I have cared about climate action. When I was 15, I learned that climate change intensified the Category Four hurricane that decimated Houston, Texas in 2017. That same year, I joined the Jewish Youth Climate Movement as a climate activist.
[April 21, 2025] The transition to clean energy has entered a new phase in New York, as the state faces threats from new tariffs, economic headwinds and a pivot away from climate change policies in Washington, D.C. Yet renewable resources like solar and wind
Once again, it’s the new year of the trees (see below for context on the holiday). On the one hand, Tu b’Shvat is about hope. Our tradition notes that even at the height of the global north’s winter, when deciduous trees are decidedly bare and spring feels so very far off, the process toward new verdancy is unfolding as it should. The trees, bare now, will shortly bear fruit. Deep within each tree, the sap is already rising. And so are we.
This Tu B’Shvat, We Can All Take Steps for Climate Action.
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