New organization Dayenu seeks to mobilize US Jews for climate action

National Catholic Reporter

The climate movement in the United States has grown increasingly diverse in recent years, with young people and front-line communities leading the way. But what has been missing, according to Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, is a strong Jewish mobilization effort at the national level.

Rosenn’s newly launched organization, Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, wants to change that.

The Hebrew phrase “dayenu” is well-known among Jews. It’s the title of a popular song communities have sung at Passover celebrations for a millennium now. In English, dayenu is typically translated as “it would have been enough,” reflecting gratitude for all of God’s gifts.

But there is another possible translation, rooted more in urgency than thanks, that Jewish environmentalists say speaks to the current moment.

“‘We’ve had enough,’” Rosenn, Dayenu’s founder and CEO, said in a telephone interview. “It’s time for us all to act. We’ve had enough with the climate changing and there not being robust enough action.”

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