By Rachel Mandelbaum, Campaign & Policy Manager
As the comment period on the EPA’s Endangerment Finding draws to a close (September 22), we are moved and energized by the astounding wave of voices rising up to defend it. Across the country, people of faith, communities on the frontlines of climate impacts, and advocates for justice are speaking clearly: Do not repeal the Endangerment Finding!
For weeks, I’ve been working with activists and partners to mobilize action against the reckless move to repeal the Endangerment Finding.
Last week, I joined activists from a variety of faith organizations at a rally in front of the offices of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where we delivered nearly 10,000 public comments from people of faith across the country. Thousands of people from synagogues to pulpits echoed this same plea: do not rescind it.
At the same time, on Capitol Hill, climate organizations and members of Congress joined the chorus, delivering more than 225,000 public comments demanding action.
In August, I represented Dayenu at a public hearing with the EPA, offering testimony that cut to the heart of what’s at stake:
“A repeal would be a complete betrayal of the EPA’s original mission – and of the interests of the American people, our children, and our future.”
It’s been energizing to work with so many people who share my outrage at this senseless move to deny science and roll back climate progress. This is our mission at this time: to stand up for science, clean energy solutions, and a just and livable future.
Notes from my testimony in front of the EPA in August
Repealing the Finding would betray the values that should guide every leader entrusted with protecting life. As Jews, we are called to uphold pikuach nefesh—the saving of life—as our highest commandment. We had hoped that Administrator Zeldin, the first Jewish head of the EPA, might embrace this principle and pursue policies that honor life in the face of an accelerating climate crisis. Instead, this proposal runs directly counter to that moral responsibility.
The EPA’s stated mission is to protect human health and the environment. In our tradition, we often say l’dor v’dor—from generation to generation. This moment demands that spirit: to protect and sustain people and the planet not just for today, but for all who will come after us.
And the crisis is not abstract. In Silver Spring, Maryland, where I live, flash flooding this summer transformed familiar paths into rivers within minutes. Ten feet of water surged through a local creek in half an hour, stranding cars, trapping people in buildings, and prompting emergency rescues across the county. While lives were thankfully spared, the economic and emotional toll was real.
This is why our Jewish values — and our shared human values — compel us to act. The wisdom of our tradition is clear.
A Midrash on Genesis reminds us:
“Be mindful then that you do not spoil and destroy My world—for if you spoil it, there is no one after you to repair it.” (Kohelet Rabbah 7:13)
To repeal the Endangerment Finding would be to abandon this sacred charge. It would be like discarding the Ten Commandments themselves—denying fundamental truth, and discarding the framework that allows our government to act in alignment with its mission and our values.
But there is still time to make your voice heard. The comment deadline is September 22nd. Every comment counts, every voice matters. Together, we can ensure that our government upholds its responsibility to protect life, justice, and future generations.
rachel mandelbaum
Rachel Mandelbaum has been an organizer and campaigner in the climate movement for over a decade. She got started in this work doing campus organizing at American University around fossil fuel divestment, and since then has gone on to work at 350.org, Chesapeake Climate Action Network and the Maryland Democratic Party. She joins Dayenu after seven years at the Sierra Club, building their federal organizing program and working on campaigns ranging from stopping oil and gas leasing on public lands, to passing the Inflation Reduction Act.