News

Over the weekend of 10–12 October 2025, Progressive Jewish communities across Germany came together to mark Shabbat HaAdamah — an Environmental Shabbat dedicated to celebrating and protecting the natural world through the lens of Jewish teaching.

More than twenty congregations participated, from Berlin to Munich, Hamburg to Frankfurt, each creating unique services and programmes focused on sustainability, responsibility, and hope for the planet. Sermons and Torah discussions explored Jewish ecological values, while youth groups led creative activities such as tree planting, river clean-ups, and climate awareness workshops.
Organised in cooperation with the Union progressiver Juden in Deutschland (UPJ) and supported by the EUPJ, the initiative aimed to inspire practical action alongside spiritual reflection. “Caring for the environment is not only a moral duty but a deeply Jewish one,” said Rabbi Elisa Klapheck of Frankfurt. “Our commitment to tikkun olam — repairing the world — begins with how we treat the earth itself.”

The weekend concluded with a nationwide Havdalah broadcast online, connecting hundreds of participants across Germany in a shared moment of song, prayer, and recommitment to environmental stewardship.

As one participant in Hamburg put it: “It was powerful to feel that we were all lighting candles, singing the same melodies, and taking real steps for change — together.”