22 | MAY 26 • 2022 

I

f you’re driving an electric or hybrid 
vehicle around Kalamazoo and need 
some charging power, you could head to 
the parking lot at Temple B’nai Israel. The 
congregation maintains two power lines 
available to anyone.
The charging station, installed last June, 
might impress onlookers as strictly an 
expression of environmental concerns, 
but the congregation also is expressing a 
modernized approach to spirituality. Its 
introduction happened in what has been 
designated a shmitah year, according to 
Torah teachings — 2021-22 in line with the 
 
Hebrew calendar year of 5782. 
Although shmitah years historically have 
been observed as times to give the ground 
a rest by leaving it fallow, Temple B’nai 
Israel has extended the concept to address 
current concerns in nature by promoting 
relief from carbon emissions. 
National recognition of the dual objec-
tive has brought the temple $1,500 as one 
of six national winners of the Interfaith 
Power and Light Cool Congregations 

Annual Award for Leadership and 
Sustainability. 
“The charging station became part of the 
conversation when we started discussing 
the shmitah year and our role as stewards 
of the Earth,
” said Rabbi Simone Schicker. 
“We questioned what that means outside 
of the land because there’s argument that 
shmitah is not only about the biblical land 
itself. 
“We have a Green Team that took on 
actions we could take right now to make an 
impact, and a piece of it was that we have 
a number of congregants with electric cars 
and hybrid cars who felt it was something 
that would both benefit the immediate car 
nation and be a statement of our values.
“It became a statement that we have 
responsibility to our planet and to our 
neighbors as well.
” 

THE GREEN TEAM
Steering the project — and all temple envi-
ronmental projects — is Green Team leader 
Steven Bertman, professor of environment 

and sustainability at Western Michigan 
University and former volunteer building 
manager for the temple. He is an environ-
mental chemist who also implements his 
principles at home and advocates for con-
servation throughout the community.
Part of the impetus for developing the 
charging station came from learning about 
financial incentives offered by a local 
power company. 
“I’m constitutionally disposed to con-
serving energy, and ever since I was in 
high school, I wanted solar panels,
” said 
Bertman, who has them installed on his 
own home. “Renewable energy seemed 
like it was a no-brainer and, 40 years later, 
when we’re still burning fossil fuels, I final-
ly bit the bullet and bought an electric car. 
“I think for a lot of people, the barrier 
to getting an electric car is that it’s differ-
ent. We have to learn a new thing. That 
certainly was part of it for me. I got the car 
and learned all the things I needed to do, 
including the use of charging options — 
how fast vehicles charge and the differences 
between wiring. That’s how I learned about 
the rebate program.
”
The program covered 90 percent of the 
temple installation.
“There’s a fee structure that covers the 
cost of the electricity so the temple isn’t 
making a profit, but it’s not taking a loss in 
terms of the electricity,
” Bertman said. “
Any 
driver can pull into our parking lot, scan 
payment information with a cell phone, 
using either an established account or cred-
it card identification, and plug in. 
“
A big part of my motivation was to raise 
awareness and make it less scary to try 
something new.
”
Members of the congregation can charge 
their cars while attending services or 
meetings, thereby taking care of religious 
interests while vehicles are powering up. 
On average, a two-hour charge would cost 
the user about $3.64 for some 60 miles in 
range. For a comparable range using gaso-
line, the current cost in Michigan would be 
about $8.78.
Jennifer Odza is a temple member who 
regularly powers up her vehicle at times she 
is pursuing congregational commitments.
“I really appreciate that our congregation 
is making meaningful efforts to be environ-

OUR COMMUNITY

Kalamazoo’s B’nai Israel puts faith into action 
with electric vehicle charging station.

‘Charging Up’
 Their Faith

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Jennifer Odza charges 
her vehicle at Temple 
B’nai Israel.

B’NAI ISRAEL

