Hazon

Hazon, meaning “vision” in Hebrew, creates a more sustainable Jewish community and a healthier, more sustainable world for all. Hazon was founded in  with a mission of combining challenging physical outdoor adventures with serious Jewish learning and engagement. Since then it’s grown into the largest Jewish environmental organization in North America. Hazon’s recipe for change includes three major ingredients: transformative experiences, thought leadership, and capacity building. So whether you’re an environmentalist, a biker, a camper, a farmer, or a foodie, Hazon has programming and advocacy opportunities to match your tribe’s vibes. 

As a leader of the Jewish Outdoor, Food, Farming & Environmental Education (JOFEE) movement, Hazon is working to build the capacity of other organizations— through the JOFEE fellowship, which places young professionals at Jewish environmental education organizations across the country, and the 2017 JOFEE Network Gathering, which provided fertile ground for collaboration. Hazon also offers guidance and support to organizations looking to advance sustainability-related education, action, and advocacy through its Seal of Sustainability program. The  first 23 Seal organizations collectively diverted 61,000 pounds of garbage from land fills, installed 500-plus LED light bulbs, and reduced their carbon footprints by 128.5 tons. The environmental bike rides across the United States and Israel promote earth-friendly bike culture. For those who want a little bit less of a workout but still want to get their hands dirty, Hazon has opportunities to engage with the land through immersive, multiday programs and a smorgasbord of food programming, including the first faith-based community- supported agriculture program, food conferences it regularly hosts, frequent food festivals with social-justice speaker panels, and interactive workshops. And its members 

are serving as activists on the national stage: When the United States withdrew from the Paris climate accord in June, Hazon authored a letter to Jewish institutions inviting them to commit to voluntarily reduce emissions to the Paris standards. Nearly 200 organizations signed on. Hazon has a vision for the kind of world in which the environment and Jewish communities are both sustainable and intertwined, and we are all better for it.