Equipping Jewish Leaders for Climate Action

We know the climate crisis is real. But knowing isn’t enough. It takes leaders—strategic and collaborative leaders—to help our communities not only survive but thrive in a warming world. One of those leaders is Rafi Addlestone who is on the front lines of this work in the UK both professionally and within the Jewish community. I got to meet Rafi thanks to longtime friend and Jewish leader Sandy Cardin. Sandy is the brains behind Global Jewry, a new nonprofit whose mission is to connect and leverage the passion, energy and resources of Jewish organizations in new and unprecedented ways to strengthen the Jewish future.

So let me tell you about Rafi — a London-based sustainability professional with serious credentials. He’s led global advisory teams at Deloitte and Amazon Web Services, helping some of the world’s largest companies create measurable impact for people and planet. He knows the business case, the policy pathways, and the practical steps toward sustainability. But what sets Rafi apart isn’t just his corporate résumé. It’s the way he’s partnering with other passionate Jewish leaders and activists to turn that expertise into results in the Jewish community and beyond.

In recent years, Rafi has been a part of an exciting movement in the UK that is building a unique bridge between Jewish identity and climate action. They are not only asking, “What can the Jewish community do to help?”—they are actively helping Jews gain the skills, confidence, and connections to lead in this space. At the heart of his work is a simple but powerful idea: our tradition has always been about responsibility—to one another, to the land, and to future generations. Climate action is Jewish action.

Upskilling a Jewish Climate Workforce

Through the Jewish Climate Professionals Network (JCPN)—which he co-founded—Rafi has created a home for Jewish professionals working in sustainability. In a time when many feel isolated or overwhelmed, JCPN offers community, mentoring, and real-world opportunity. Already, it’s helped members find new jobs, explore new sectors, and launch collaborations rooted in both climate science and Jewish values.

The group is working with Jewish schools and students to offer mentoring and advice, summer socials, and working groups focused on areas like policy, fundraising, and community engagement. One of its standout initiatives was a recent event with 10×10 Philanthropy, which raised thousands of pounds for Jewish organizations doing climate and social justice work. One of the beneficiaries of this work was Sadeh Farm — a farm and environmental community center based on Jewish values. Their work is focused on engaging young people in environmental education; practicing and teaching regenerative land practices; cross communal and inclusive Jewish engagement and local and interfaith community building.

Upskilling, networking and community building is the Jewish future in action—not just responding to crisis, but training our own to be leaders in law, finance, energy, real estate, and more—so that Jewish values are not just on the sidelines of climate strategy, but at the center.

Greening Our Communities

Another major volunteer activity for Rafi is that he serves as a trustee of EcoJudaism, a nonprofit which was founded by Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg. Its CEO is Naomi Verber. Together they are helping the UK Jewish community live its values more fully. That means everything from planting trees and cleaning rivers to creating learning materials for Jewish schools and rabbis. EcoJudaism’s team is working on “Yeshiva EcoVersity,” a first-of-its-kind environmental leadership program for religious leaders.
But it doesn’t stop with education. EcoJudaism’s work extends into lobbying and policy, including dialogues with UK government officials about how the Jewish community can partner on nature restoration and building decarbonization—especially in areas with large Jewish populations like Golders Green and Brent Cross.

Thinking Globally, Acting Jewishly

Climate change doesn’t respect borders, and neither does Rafi’s vision. With Global Jewry, he helped launch an international roundtable bringing together Jewish environmental leaders from Israel, South Africa, the U.S., Australia, and beyond. They share lessons, challenges, and strategies—proving that Jewish climate leadership is alive and growing in every time zone.

As a passionate advocate for tikkun olam, I find Rafi’s approach deeply inspiring. He doesn’t just “do climate”. He is helping Jews lead, with wisdom, warmth, and skill.

We often hear about the urgency of the climate crisis. But we also need to hear about hope—the hope that comes from people like Rafi Addlestone and the teams of people in the UK who are working together. Many of them are persistently, and effectively preparing the Jewish community for a more sustainable future.

Photo Rafi Addlestone courtesy of RA.

Want to get involved?

If you’re a Jewish professional in sustainability—or just hoping to make a difference—check out JCPN. Another initiative you can get involved in as a sponsored walk for EcoJudaism – on 12th August. Rafi will be walking 100k steps (about 80km) around London’s ‘capital ring’, joined by friends and colleagues for different bits of the route – all to place a focus on the climate and nature crisis and our role as Jews to take a stand. You could join for all or part of this journey towards a sustainable future. There are many other ways to get involved as well. To learn more, reach out to Rafi at rafi@pineapplepartnerships.com.

In the words of Pirkei Avot, “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.”

And with Global Jewry plus leaders in the UK and elsewhere working to lead the way, we don’t have to do it alone.