NEW YORK (JTA) –Thirty-three Jewish organizational leaders signed on to a statement committing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 14 percent within three years.
The signatories to The Jewish Environmental and Energy Imperative pledged as well to promote sustainability in the Jewish community, advocate for reduced fossil fuel emissions, appoint a sustainability officer, conduct an energy audit and commit to specific reporting structures to monitor progress.
Among the signers are the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the largest synagogue denomination in the United States, and the head of the Orthodox Union, one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States.
"We have before us a challenge of special moment for Jews, a challenge as compelling and urgent as any that humankind has ever faced before, a challenge of interest both universal and particular," the statement reads.
A signing ceremony for the statement, organized by the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, or COEJL, will be held next week in New York.
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