Sustainability and the Jewish Blessing Over the Food with Yonatan Neril

Discover a thoughtful Jewish blessing over food with Rabbi Yonatan Neril, Founder and Executive Director of the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development. In this inspiring reflection, Rabbi Neril offers an ecologically conscious perspective on gratitude, mindful eating, and humanity’s responsibility to care for creation.

Rooted in Jewish tradition, this blessing highlights the connection between faith, food, and environmental stewardship. It encourages us to recognize the Earth’s resources as sacred gifts and to approach our meals with appreciation, responsibility, and a commitment to sustainable living.

This video was recorded at the Symposium on Ecologically Informed Theological Education held in Washington, D.C. in March 2017. The symposium brought together more than 70 seminary deans and faculty members to explore how faith, ecology, and environmental stewardship can be integrated into theological education and seminary life.

Co-organized by the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, the Washington Theological Consortium, the Green Seminary Initiative (GSI), and the Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO), the event was hosted by The Catholic University of America’s School of Theology and Religious Studies. The symposium formed part of the Seminary Environmental Leadership Initiative, supporting the development of future faith leaders equipped to address today’s environmental challenges.

If you are interested in hearing more commentary from leaders in Jewish sustainable awareness, check out our video on nature, sustainability, and Sukkot with Rabbi Jessica K. Shimberg!