Canfei Nesharim

Canfei Nesharim, begun by a group of five young, Orthodox Jewish environmental professionals, exists to provide a Torah-based approach to understanding and taking mindful action on pressing environmental issues of today. Through programs and materials
that underscore the Torah’s mandate to protect the environment, Canfei Nesharim has concentrated its efforts predominantly within the Orthodox Jewish community, which previously has not been focused on environmental issues; however, due to demand for these resources, the organization has expanded to include the wider Jewish community. 

Programs are actualized by community lay leaders and educators in synagogues and schools on both the East and West coasts. A six-program synagogue series is being piloted in seven communities across the US on topics such as water, energy, health and Israel. On Eagles’ Wings, a monthly e-mail newsletter (and the translation of “Canfei Nesharim”), now reaches more than 1,000 readers, while Eitz Chayim Hee (“a tree of life”), which contains teachings on the environment based on the weekly Torah portion, goes out to hundreds via e-mail, is archived on Canfei Nesharim’s website and is also syndicated on a number of other websites, both Jewish and secular. 

According to one evaluator, 32-year-old Executive Director Evonne Marzouk is “tireless in her pursuit” to shift the Jewish way of thinking to value, protect and preserve our natural resources in accordance with Jewish tradition. She has “not given up her dream,” and “it is slowly taking root.”