On the Nature of Chanukah – A Dialogue
–A Heschel Center post on Chanukah? But aren’t you guys all about the environment and sustainability and such? –Nu? (Yiddish for: “so, what’s your point?”). –So, what’s the environmental side of Chanukah? I always thought it was either about miracles, like the oil that lasted for eight days, or about military bravery and fighting for […]
The City As an Energy Producer – A research
Background The urban economic opportunity: Many cities in Israel, especially those without a strong commercial base, experience a chronic shortage of resources because of a lack of secure sources of funding. The national energy need: Israel, despite abundant sunshine, has not managed to produce solar energy on a large scale. Currently, Israel is producing just […]
Sustainability in a Time of Corona
For years the sustainability community has been calling for the world to pay attention to our wasteful, self-absorbed, destructive lifestyles. “We need a new paradigm”, we said – “this isn’t working.” The rich will get richer, the poor will get poorer, nature will diminish, more and more species will become extinct, and at some point, […]
Of Bicycles and Urban Life
Or What Can We Learn From the Netherlands? By Ran Raviv The most recent bicycle accident in Tel Aviv succeeded in finally attracting public attention to the issue. Among the many articles that were written, the question of the infrastructure needed for safe, easy, convenient and comfortable bicycle riding was raised repeatedly. That is, riding […]
Climate, The Recent Elections, and the Idea of an Israeli Green New Deal
A central Heschel Center message is that the climate crisis one of the leading challenges of our generation. However, many Israeli decision makers like to note that Israel is a tiny country whose carbon footprint has a marginal impact on global emission levels. But what most of the Israeli public doesn’t realize is that Israel […]
100% Renewable Energies: The Future Is Closer Than Ever Before
According to McKinsey’s Insight’s Global Energy Perspective (January, 2019), the world will see an increase in renewable energy usage, starting in 2020. However, the dire news is that even if all the countries in the world reach their climate goals as stated in the Paris Agreement by 2050, we will only reduce 22% of global […]
With Climate Change – Size Doesn’t Matter
Lia Ettinger, The Heschel Center, published on 2 Feb. 2020 in Haaretz (Hebrew). “Israel is too small to matter” is a common claim among government officials when it comes to (not) making climate policy in Israel. But this claim is both immoral and irrational. In this global crisis, no country is too small to matter […]
The Climate Crisis – The First Post-Modern Natural Disaster
By Dr. Jeremy Benstein This story took place in 1755. On Sunday, November 1, All Saint’s Day, around 9:30 a.m., a big earthquake hit Portugal. Big is not the word: tens of thousands of people were killed, in Lisbon, the third largest city in all of Europe. Most buildings (including all its churches) were destroyed, […]
Extinction Rebellion Comes to Israel
By Dr. Lia Ettinger On May 1, the British Parliament declared a climate emergency. A week and a half later, Ireland’s parliament issued a similar declaration. Who influenced the members of the parliaments to adopt such a harsh formulation? In one word, the answer is the public. For 11 days the strike was conducted by […]
Heschel Fellows 19 Cohort Reflections
At the end of May, the 19th cohort of the Fellows program concluded. This year, most of the participants had significantly less environmental background than in previous cohorts, which represented a successful attempt of the Heschel Center to reach new populations. This year, the program focused on more experiential activities, such as tours and workshops, […]
When Sustainability and Business Collide
The interview for “Graduate Success” takes place this time with Sheana Schechterman, Director of the Department of Sustainability at Dizengoff Center, a graduate of the 13th Cohort, and conducted by Galia Cukierman. Sheana holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in sociology and anthropology from Hebrew University. She also has extensive experience […]
Abrahamic Traditions & Environmental Change
On June 23-26, I attended a workshop in Rhodes, Greece entitled “Abrahamic Traditions & Environmental Change.” The workshop was co-organized by the University of Connecticut Abrahamic Programs, the Moroccan Al Akhawayn University, and the Yale Forum for Religion and Ecology. One of the tasks of this workshop was to explore how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam […]