There are all sorts of lessons out there just waiting to be learned from the goings-on of the past couple of years. We won’t get into yes vaccine-no vaccine debates, the efficacy of masks, or the economic and psychological fallout of lockdowns. But one thing, surely, must come shining through the pandemic mist. When we were all grounded, restricted to our immediate vicinity, and not allowed to drive or fly anywhere, the world was a cleaner place, and the air was far less polluted.

That must come into the equation with the approach of Earth Day 2022. This year’s global environmental event takes place on April 22, over half a century after the UN-sanctioned curtain-raiser. Earth Day is now marked all over the globe and, this time around, the theme is “Invest in Our Planet” and features six primary programs: The Great Global Cleanup; Sustainable Fashion; Climate and Environmental Literacy; Canopy Project; Food and Environment; and the Global Earth Challenge.

All are crucial existential issues that need to be tackled by every country. But how are we getting on over here at our end of the Middle East? What progress have we made in cleaning up our act, and what do we have to offer the world?

EVEN THE briefest of glimpses of the OLAM roster suggests the answer to the latter question is plenty.

OLAM is a network of Jewish and Israeli organizations working in the fields of global service, international development, and humanitarian aid. It acts as a sort of hub for a wide range of enterprises getting into all kinds of positive ecological derring-do, both here and all over the world.

OLAM’s declared goals include aiming “to inspire, educate, and empower Jewish leaders to become champions for global service, international development, and humanitarian aid.” And there is looking “to bring together Jewish and Israeli global service, international development, and humanitarian aid practitioners to network, learn, and pursue ethical best practices.”

All of the above sound like a wholesome endeavor clearly designed to improve the lot of one and all, across geographic, cultural and ethnic demarcation lines.

How is Israel Helping... Continue reading on The Jerusalem Post website

This article was originally published in The Jerusalem Post, on April 7, 2022.