8 | AUGUST 19 • 2021 

guest column
Investing in the Future
I

n early August, the Biden 
administration announced 
a goal to make half of 
all new cars sold in the U.S. 
electric by 2030. In June, the 
congregation I 
serve, Temple 
B’nai Israel in 
Kalamazoo, 
installed an elec-
tric car charger 
with the assis-
tance of Hope 
for Creation. 
Through the congregation’s 
relationship with Michigan 
Interfaith Power & Light, as 
well as other groups, it has 
become clear that strong, 
clean car standards have the 
power to drive down vehicle 

pollution as well as spur inno-
vation in the development of 
new clean car technologies.
Therefore, our congregation 
made the decision to invest 
knowing there are members 
who would benefit but also 
because our values teach us 
the importance of caring for 
the planet. Investing in electric 
vehicles is one way we can 
shift our dependency away 
from the fossil fuels that are 
causing our climate crisis. 
As Reform Jews, we look 
to the Book of Deuteronomy
for the basis of our belief in 
caring for the Earth. Verses 
20:21-22 speak of actions 
during wartime that directly 
impact the Earth: “When in 

your war against a city … you 
must not destroy its trees, 
wielding the ax against them. 
You may eat of them, but you 
must not cut them down.” 
From these verses arise 
the value of bal tashchit — 
which is translated as “do not 
destroy.” Humanity is taught 

that they shall not destroy 
fruit trees during wartime. 
But Judaism does not only 
draw from the Torah, but also 
from the later commentaries 
of the rabbis, the sages, of the 
Mishnah and Talmud. These 
sages extrapolate from this 
idea to include all ecological 

Rabbi 
Simone 
Schicker

Electric Vehicle Expo held at Peoples Church in Kalamazoo on July 18, 
2021. Peoples Church and Temple B’nai Israel are among a few reli-
gious communities in Kalamazoo that have installed electric vehicle 
chargers as part of their commitment to climate action. 

PURELY COMMENTARY

essay
Carl Levin Was a Community Relations Senator
T

he night I learned that 
Sen. Carl Levin had 
passed away I did not 
feel shock but tremendous 
sadness and 
loss. His death 
marked the 
end of an era 
and the passing 
of a longtime 
friendship 
with the Jewish 
Community 
Relations Council, now 
known as JCRC/AJC, the 
Jewish Community Relations 
Council/American Jewish 
Committee.
As a past president of the 
organization, I recall a very 
cold winter day, probably in 
the 1980s, going with Jewish 
community leaders and lead-
ers of the Arab American 

community to discuss the 
burgeoning of an organization 
linking Arab Americans and 
Jewish Americans who were 
working on local issues of 
importance to both groups.
Sen. Levin offered his help 
in any way possible. This came 
as no surprise. Sen. Levin was 
later honored by the organi-
zation as was his sister and 
brother. 
The senator was no strang-
er to making alliances or to 
working with people of all 
backgrounds and all races, 
ethnicities and religions. He 
was non-judgmental, open 
to ideas, but not willing to 
compromise his basic beliefs. 
He was truly “our” senator 
because community relations 
work in the Jewish community 
is committed to those very 

Jeannie 
Weiner

continued on page 10

continued on page 10

 TEMPLE B’NAI ISRAEL

Sen. Carl Levin with current JCRC/AJC Executive Director Rabbi 
Asher Lopatin, at the Huntington Woods July 4th Parade, 2018.