Leading Jewish environmental organization formed through Hazon-Pearlstone merger, now becoming Adamah, to scale impact in Jewish environmental education, climate action, and immersive retreats 

Mission is to cultivate vibrant Jewish life in deep connection with the earth

BALTIMORE – Two organizations at the center of the Jewish environmental movement, Hazon and Pearlstone, today launched a new identity for their merging organization: Adamah, chosen to emphasize the deep connection between people and planet, adam and adamah.

The combined resources of the new Adamah organization will allow it to strengthen and expand its current educational, retreat and climate programs. The launch of the new name also includes a major announcement in the week ahead from the newly formed Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition, convened by the organization.

“Since announcing our planned merger 18 months ago, we have been hard at work integrating our organizations, sharpening our focus, and building a world-class team to respond to the exponential demand across the Jewish world for environmental education, climate action, and immersive retreats,” said Jakir Manela, CEO of Adamah. “Our new name reflects a recommitment to our roots, to our core values, and to the essential Torah that we hope to infuse into Jewish life everywhere.”

Adamah’s mission is to cultivate vibrant Jewish life in deep connection with the Earth, catalyzing culture change and systemic change through Jewish environmental education, immersive retreats and climate action. 

“Caring for the Jewish community and caring for the earth go hand in hand, they’re the basic building blocks of vibrant Jewish life. That’s why we’re excited for the scaling and positioning this merger represents,” said Marina Lewin of New York City, outgoing Board Chair of Hazon and Aaron Max of Baltimore, incoming National Board Chair. 

The new brand is the result of research and discussion among stakeholders to better understand how they perceived the two parent organizations and what they most valued. This process involved hundreds of hours of work, dozens of meetings and many voices from within both the Pearlstone and Hazon communities.

“Adamah will take the immersive experiences pioneered by Hazon and Pearlstone over more than 20 years to another level. Our hundreds of thousands of program participants, staff, and philanthropic partners are part of a powerful and growing movement in Jewish life. As a leader in the Jewish environmental movement, Adamah is poised to grow our impact and ultimately create change that leads to a deeper appreciation of the wisdom of our tradition and respect for our environment,” said Josh Fidler, Nominating Chair of the National Board and Founding Board Chair of Pearlstone.

The Pearlstone Campus outside of Baltimore remains an agency of The Associated: Jewish Community Federation, and will serve as Adamah’s new headquarters. Alongside the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, these represent Adamah’s two core campuses and largest platforms for immersive impact. As the pandemic recovery continues, Pearlstone and Isabella Freedman will impact tens of thousands of participants each year through immersive Adamah experiences. 

In addition to these core campuses, Adamah is building Community Impact Hubs in major Jewish communities across North America. Detroit is the most impactful and longest established hub, and this year Adamah plans to launch hubs in both Southern California and New York City. Additional hubs will be established in years to come, in partnership with local Jewish communal leadership. Adamah will manage an estimated $13 million budget and a staff of over 150, and directly engage nearly 40,000 program participants annually.

Since the merger began 18 months ago, Adamah has convened the Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition, a group of twenty major Jewish organizations, to confront the moral urgency of the climate crisis and jointly commit to climate action. Adamah is the home of popular programs such as the Jewish Youth Climate Movement, a Gen Z-led movement dedicated to combating climate change and promoting environmental injustice from a Jewish lens; Teva, a program that integrates outdoor environmental education with Jewish concepts and values; the Adamah Fellowship, a three-month program for adults in their twenties and thirties that integrates organic agriculture, farm-to-table living, Jewish learning, community building, social justice and spiritual practice; and immersive retreats at the Pearlstone and Isabella Freedman retreat centers. These programs allow Adamah to be a leader in the Jewish environmental space as well as in the larger environmental movement.

The organization has launched a new website as part of the brand launch. It can be found here: www.adamah.org. 

About Adamah

Adamah cultivates vibrant Jewish life in deep connection with the Earth, catalyzing culture change and systemic change through Jewish environmental education, immersive retreats and climate action. In this work, Adamah creates a deep connection between people and planet, “adam” and “adamah.” Every day, Adamah inspires and empowers people to feel that connection, activate Jewish identity, build inclusive community and work toward a more sustainable future. Central to Adamah is the belief that we are the link between our ancestors and our descendants, and so we feel called to respond to today’s crises with the full power of the Jewish spirit. The Adamah name was launched in 2023 as the merger of Hazon and Pearlstone, two leaders in the Jewish environmental movement.