Green Rebels: Changing Lives Around the World

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had an interest in renewable energy and sustainability as it is the most important aspect of our world, which is often neglected. I started interning at Jerusalem New York Productions (JNY Productions) here in Jerusalem, as a part of a program called JInternship where Americans can get work experience in Israel while learning about what it means to be Jewish.

As someone who lives in Southern California, I have experienced rising temperatures and increased forest fires throughout my life. It’s fairly common for multiple fires to break out throughout one summer which is why some people refer to it as “fire season”. It breaks my heart to see fires consuming what were once beautiful hills and valleys.

During this time, I have been working with Harvey Stein, the head producer at JNY, to help promote their new film “Green Rebels”. It follows the great solar energy visionary Yosef Abramowitz as he travels from Israel to Africa, building solar fields for communities that don’t have access to electricity. The main issue for many of these families is that they need to make a fire inside their homes for cooking and light. Poor ventilation leads to indoor air pollution which causes long-term illness and in many cases, death. On top of this, there may be no forests in several East African countries due to the amount of logging. This heartbreaking news and the importance of sustainable energy drives Abramowitz to fight for what he does. 

At the Burundi solar field

I had the pleasure of interviewing Abramowitz to ask him about why he is doing this and what it means to be doing this as a Jew. He told me that when discussing the mission statement of the Jews he thought of a very well-known line in the Torah that says Israel will be a light unto the nations. He rephrased this as Israel will be a renewable light unto the nations. 

This is a significant sentiment because as Jews, we are tasked with Tikkun Olam, which he accomplished by going to underdeveloped countries and helping bring them electricity. When he finished building his first solar farm at Kibbutz Ketura, he understood that his potential to spread renewable energy was being wasted in Israel. He felt that with all the bureaucracy, it was difficult for him to continue. Not to mention many politicians are in the pockets of oil companies and permit them to drill for natural gas off Israel’s coast as well as many places on the globe. So, he decided to move his operation to Africa where he could have a much larger impact on individual lives. 

Abramowitz sees his involvement in Africa as an ethical opportunity. In the current world, many people only look out for themselves. When I saw him giving everything to help people of a country he has no relation to, I felt inspired to help improve the world. 

Even though it is easy to see that his position is to help people get basic resources, some people see him encroaching on their territory and want him to stop. Most of the time operations get slowed down in Africa because of the unstable and often corrupt governments, that are still overcoming their legacies of Western colonialism. 

He had plans to build solar fields on ten campuses around Ethiopia, but the deal was canceled when the country faced coups and they couldn’t continue construction. The main issue that Abramowitz faces when trying to build in Africa is the threat of corruption from people who have an interest in exploiting resources. One major setback he told me about was in South Sudan where the military showed up to prevent his company from opening a solar field.

When I asked him if he experienced any antisemitism while in Africa, he said he saw the opposite. A large population of Africans are Christian, and see Jews as motivated to help fix the world. He told me in almost every place he’s visited, he wears a kippah and has had no issues with the people. In fact, many Africans loved seeing a Jew visiting their country. I found this surprising because I have seen a rise in antisemitism in America, yet he has felt the opposite while working in Africa.

Yossi Abramowitz with Zambian Bishop Scott Mwanza

Abramowitz’s dream is to live in a world that runs on sustainable energy. He believes that if he can start in the areas that need it most, he is hoping to one day spread his idea of sustainable energy to the whole world. The film will bring his idea to more people and increase awareness surrounding sustainable energy and climate change. Additionally, this film will bring a positive impact as he hopes to get the message through that Israel will be “a renewable light unto the nations” as he put it.

JNY Productions hopes to inspire future generations by showing Abramowitz’s actions and how he has been able to affect the lives of so many people with hard work and dedication. He recently went to an energy convention (held in Capetown, South Africa, sponsored by Chevron) – where he was the only person advocating for solar energy. There is a lot of subsidizing for fossil fuels to continue, despite the fact they are causing long-term issues around the globe. If people can come together and cut the funding for fossil fuels, it will end their use.

From my interview with Abramowitz, I found that I want to get more involved in making the world a better place for future generations. His actions are helping many underprivileged people living in third-world countries. With our impact film event on July 23rd in Jerusalem, we will be able to touch the lives of all the people attending and show them that it is possible to make a change.