With the Senate passing a $3.5 trillion budget resolution, Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, Founder and CEO of Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, issued the following statement:
“The passage of a $3.5 trillion budget resolution is the first step to getting the significant and essential investment in climate action that a clear majority of Americans support. The United States has a once-in-a-generation opportunity, after decades of inaction, to turn away from fossil fuels and towards an equitable, clean energy economy. With proposed investments in clean energy, environmental justice, jobs, healthcare,, and childcare, the budget resolution is a necessary step towards a sustainable future. The reconciliation package must include these historic investments. With fires raging and fires raging and nearly 175 million Americans under heat advisories amidst a summer of record temperatures, anything less than the proposed $3.5 trillion will constitute a failure by Congress to meet this moment.
“During Jewish month of Elul, we prepare for the High Holy Days by calling ourselves and our communities to account. We take stock and vow to do better. This Elul, it is painfully clear that we must do teshuvah; we must turn, as a community and as a planet, away from fossil fuels and towards a livable, equitable future for all.
“In the coming weeks, Jews across the country will mobilize and demand that their Members of Congress hear the call of the shofar and support bold climate action. Leading with the Hear the Call campaign, Dayenu is organizing over a dozen local rallies across the US, punctuated by the call of the shofar. With Members of Congress heading home for the recess, Dayenu members will be there to welcome them home and remind them that when it comes to climate, there is simply no time left to waste.”