02/20/2025
Environmental Leaders Participate in Federation’s Tu B’Shevat Program
Renny Wolfson, from left, Rabbi Noah Leavitt, Jason Powers, Marc White and Kerry Kertesz join to educate the community on environmental sustainability at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland's Tu B'Shevat dinner and presentation. Photo / Andrea Hallgren
LILLIE ASKARI
Article reprinted with permission from Cleveland Jewish News
About 60 people attended the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Tu b’Shevat program, featuring environmental leaders, Feb. 11 at Rid-All Green Partnership at 2889 E. 81 St. in Cleveland.
“These events are a great way to bring our community together over a shared interest and common goals,” Kerry Kertesz, co-chair of the event, said in an email to the Cleveland Jewish News. “We invited people from across Cleveland that do important work in the environmental and sustainability space.”
Kertesz and co-chair Renny Wolfson first visited Rid-All in May 2024, Kertesz said. According to Kertesz, the co-chairs expressed interest in bringing back this Tu b’Shevat celebration that they loved attending before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The evening began with Rabbi Noah Leavitt of Oheb Zedek Cedar Sinai Synagogue in Lyndhurst, who spoke about the Jewish history of the holiday and led the group in prayer.
Marc White, founding partner of the Rid-All Green Partnership and Rid-All Farm operations manager, spoke to the attendees about sustainability projects in Israel.
Jason Powers, senior vice president of community development corporation advancement and resilience at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, spoke about building a community trust for a more sustainable neighborhood.
Judge Dan Polster of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and a Federation volunteer, spoke about his involvement in a cross-border initiative between Israel and Jordan on sustainable agriculture and farming practices through the Federation’s overseas connections committee.
Scott Garson and Marty Shankle, co-chairs of Federation’s new Jewish Environmental Roundtable, spoke about the endeavor, which is part of the Federation’s Jewish Volunteer Network.
