Environmental Education Fellows

The Nathan Cummings Environmental Fellowship initiative recruits, trains, and places top-rate Jewish environmental educators at various Jewish camps throughout North America. The program attracts to Jewish camps quality, environmentally conscious personnel who might not otherwise have participated in Jewish institutions, and, in the process, brings fresh, creative energy to both Judaism and the environmental movement. Prior to the creation of the fellowship, environmental education was often viewed as a low-status program in Jewish camps, suffering from lack of resources, materials, space, and staffing. Since its inception two years ago, the initiative has enhanced—and in many cases created—the Jewish environmental education offered to nearly 10,000 campers and staff at 23 camps. The fellowship program is part of a larger effort to support the emerging movement of individuals who creatively interconnect Judaism with environmental protection and justice.