Boiling Point: "Putting the Chutzpah into Climate Action"

Host: Sammy Roth (L.A. Times columnist)
Guest: Rabbi Jenny Rosen (Founder & CEO, Dayenu)
Release Date: September 11, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Sammy Roth sits down with Rabbi Jenny Rosen, founder and CEO of Dayenu—an organization mobilizing American Jews for climate action. They trace Dayenu’s growth from its pandemic beginnings to its current focus under the Trump administration, exploring how spiritual strength, Jewish tradition, and community organizing intersect with climate policy. The episode addresses the moral imperative of confronting climate change, the unique role faith-based groups can play, strategies for sustaining hope, and practical state-level campaigns, especially in California and New York.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Founding of Dayenu

• How and Why Dayenu Began (03:58–07:01)

  • Rabbi Rosen explains her three decades of organizing Jews around social justice and the realization that climate change is both existential and deeply tied to justice.
  • The Jewish community, though concerned about the climate, lacked coordinated action due to emotional overwhelm and uncertainty about how to help.

  “We founded Dayenu five years ago, really to address both of these reasons for inaction and to build a movement of Jews across the generations that are coming together to take action on climate.”
  — Rabbi Jenny Rosen [04:53]

  • “Dayenu” is Hebrew for “it would have been enough” and reflects both gratitude and a declaration that “we’ve had enough” of climate destruction.

2. Launching During the Pandemic

• Adapting to Unique Circumstances (07:06–08:32)
  • Dayenu launched two weeks into the pandemic (April 2020), pivoting rapidly to online organizing.
  • The group’s early focus advocated for a “just green recovery,” tying into federal legislation efforts like Build Back Better and the Inflation Reduction Act.
  • The pandemic’s pause provided a fertile ground for virtual community building and activism.

3. The Political Landscape: From Biden to Trump

• Current Federal Challenges (09:10–17:28)

  • Sammy and Rabbi Rosen discuss Lee Zeldin, the first Jewish head of the EPA, who has pursued aggressive rollbacks of environmental protection.
  • Zeldin’s use of religious rhetoric—e.g., calling climate action a “climate change religion”—deeply disturbed Rosen, highlighting the conflict between his actions and core Jewish values.

  “He managed somehow to denigrate religion and science and the desperately needed life-saving efforts to address the climate crisis. Like all in one fell swoop.”
  — Rabbi Jenny Rosen [10:30]

  • Rosen: Zeldin’s actions are “completely antithetical to Jewish values like Pikuach Nefesh (to save a life), Tirdof Tzedek (to pursue justice), or... becharta bechayim (to choose life).” [10:48]
  • The unraveling of the “endangerment finding” (EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases) is likened to “tossing out the Ten Commandments.” [13:06]
  • Dayenu is organizing public comment campaigns and mobilizing Jews to speak out, even when federal officials seem unresponsive, to uphold moral clarity and reclaim authentic Jewish ethical leadership.

  “So much of this is also about narrative and culture and what the kind of collective understanding of our nation is. So the use of public voice is incredibly important—like woe unto us if we stop, you know, and become quiet in the face of what is happening to our country.”
  — Rabbi Jenny Rosen [16:18]

4. Spiritual Resilience and Mental Health in Climate Action

• Responding to Eco-Anxiety (18:40–23:36)

  • Rabbi Rosen acknowledges how overwhelming climate change can feel, leading to disengagement or despair.
  • Dayenu creates spiritual and emotional resources—workshops, rituals, Jewish “climate Torah,” and music—to help participants confront feelings and activate agency.

  “Resourcing people, I would say spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, has been a core part of Dayenu's work really from the beginning, and the need for it has only grown in recent years.”
  — Rabbi Jenny Rosen [20:46]

  • Rosen describes a generational mix of emotions: sadness, anxiety, fear (especially for young people), guilt (among older generations), anger, and loss.

5. State-Level Climate Action

• Practical Policy Priorities Amidst Federal Setbacks (23:36–27:48)

  • Dayenu’s focus has shifted toward state campaigns, especially in blue states where meaningful progress remains possible.
  • California: Central campaign is the “Climate Superfund” to make polluters pay for cleanup—also pursued in Massachusetts.
  • New York: Cap, trade, and invest programs.
  • The importance of continued organizing even in “climate-friendly” states, whose commitments are under pressure from political headwinds.

  “It is not by any means a foregone conclusion that [California, New York, Massachusetts, Illinois] are going to deliver on those commitments...without considerable organizing and people power.”
  — Rabbi Jenny Rosen [27:45]

  • Dayenu organizes where its Jewish base is strongest, amplifying impact in states with outsized emissions and influence.

6. Building a National Movement: Sunday 2025

• Rallying Around Solar Power: “Sunday” (27:48–31:41)

  • Rabbi Rosen discusses Dayenu’s involvement with the September 21 “Sunday” national day of action, led by Bill McKibben and allied organizations, to highlight the potential of solar energy.
  • Emphasis on the practicality and abundance of renewables: “It is cheaper to manufacture, install and connect solar panels than it is to restart a coal mine or build a new gas pipeline.” [28:38]
  • The missing piece is the political will and moral imagination required for full-scale transition.

  “We have abundant sun and wind and water and we have the technology, but what we need is the will and the commitment to make it happen at the scale that is so urgently needed and to ensure that it reaches all peoples and all communities.”
  — Rabbi Jenny Rosen [29:14]

  • Faith groups offer vision and grounding, summoning hope and collective action.

  • Playful reference:

    “[Bill McKibben] says, ‘We need the power from the heavens, not from hell.’ If sun is coming from above and the dirty, dirty energy is coming from below.”
    — Rabbi Jenny Rosen [31:25]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Zeldin's EPA Leadership:

  • "Here he is... sanctifying the space with a mezuzah, all while he's taking a sledgehammer to the very things that protect human health and our environment."
    — Rabbi Jenny Rosen [11:19]

• On Mobilizing Through Faith:

  • “So part of, I think what a community of faith can bring to this movement is the vision... the reality that we can build a different society and a different energy system.”
    — Rabbi Jenny Rosen [29:44]

• On Spiritual Resources:

  • “We also develop and share what we call climate Torah and new Jewish climate, music and ritual, Jewish spiritual resources that sustain us in the work and that root us in Jewish wisdom and community.”
    — Rabbi Jenny Rosen [22:05]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |------------|----------------------------------------------| | 03:58–07:01| Founding of Dayenu; meaning of "Dayenu" | | 07:06–08:32| Launch during pandemic and virtual growth | | 09:10–17:28| Federal politics, Lee Zeldin, and Jewish values| | 18:40–23:36| Coping with climate anxiety; spiritual resources| | 23:36–27:48| State-level strategies and campaigns | | 27:48–31:41| National organizing; “Sunday” solar movement |

Episode Takeaways

• Faith-based climate advocacy brings unique moral clarity, narrative power, and emotional resilience—and can mobilize communities in new ways.
• Public moral voice matters, even when policymakers seem immovable; telling the truth, holding up values, and refusing to cede religious or ethical rhetoric to climate opponents is vital.
• State-level action is critical and still possible; progress in key states can shape national outcomes.
• Building resilience and hope is as essential as advocacy—sharing spiritual, emotional, and communal resources sustains activists.
• The shift to renewable energy is a matter of will, not technology; collective action can turn possibility into reality.

To Learn More:
Find links in the show notes to read more about Dayenu’s divestment work and Sammy Roth’s reporting on California climate policy. For resources, events, and advocacy opportunities, check out Dayenu and allied campaigns.