By Izzi Zellan ‘23 GOA’s Climate Activism Club is up and running again, with big plans for this year. While the club spent most of last year working with GOA to divest from fossil fuels and eventually use ESG investing, this year, they are pivoting to work with the Jewish Youth Climate Movement (JYCM). JYCM defines itself as “a Gen Z-led movement dedicated to combating climate change and environmental injustice from a Jewish lens.” Founded in late 2019 by Hazon, the largest faith-based environmental organization in the US, it has quickly grown to include over 40 “Kvutzot” across the US and Canada.
“It is really important that we push for meaningful action against climate change,” said sophomore Shayne Cytrynbaum at the Climate Activism Club’s first meeting. Cytrynbaum, who is co-president of the Climate Activism Club in addition to being the Policy Director at JYCM, is an avid activist for climate justice. “This is our planet, and we need to protect it,” he said. As a “Kvutzah,” or chapter, of the Jewish Youth Climate Movement, the Climate Activism Club is participating in the 2022-2023 Eytz Chaim Campaign, which is focused on recruiting new members, training them in climate policy and organizing skills and leading them to take action in their own communities. The Eytz Chaim Campaign has three subsections that run throughout the school year. The “Shoresh” (Roots) Campaign runs from September to November and builds relationships between the “Kvutzot” of JYCM; the “Anafim” (Branches) Campaign will run from December to February and will focus on policy lobbying and skill training; and the “Alim” (Leaves) Campaign will run from March to May and will organize protests in JYCM’s main cohorts’ regions to demand policies to protect the climate. As part of their work surrounding the Eytz Chaim Campaign, the Climate Activism Club hopes to hold a series of presentations for the student body on various topics surrounding climate change and activism. They also hope to work with other New Jersey cohorts in selecting policies to research and organizing direct action in the spring during the “Alim” Campaign. For example, they hope to coordinate a protest targeting polluters or a day of direct lobbying for a particular bill. The Climate Activism Club is currently planning a fundraiser to raise money for the JYCM’s activities and boost awareness for the club which will aid them in their efforts to divest the school from fossil fuel corporations. The Climate Activism Club’s first event was the JYCM Day of Climate Education and Action on Sunday, October 30th in New York City. The event brought over 50 teens from New York and New Jersey to Central Synagogue to learn about the climate crisis, take action, build stronger relationships in their community and learn about how Judaism connects to climate activism. “The Day of Climate Education and Action was really successful,” said senior Daniel Shapiro, the other co-president of the Climate Activism Club and an activist with the New Jersey Student Sustainability Coalition (NJSSC). “I learned a lot and made connections that were extremely valuable to both myself and the movement at large. I think this kind of event is one of the best tools in the toolbox of student activists,” he said.
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December 2023
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