For members of Temple Emanuel of Greater New Haven, cleaning up trash helps right some of the world’s wrongs
MILFORD, Conn. – About 30 people took advantage of a pause in the rain Oct. 4 to fan out across Woodmont Beach and gather cigarette butts, fishing string and other debris as part of a new tradition as Jews celebrate the beginning of their new year.
“We call it Reverse Tashlich,” said Dr. Karen Fenichel, who organized the event for Temple Emanuel of Greater New Haven. “Jews have a tradition called tashlich of throwing crumbs into the water to get rid of their sins. The water is supposed to carry their transgressions away. In Reverse Tashlich, we take mankind’s sins – all the pollution people create – out of the water. It’s a great time for entire families to spend some quality time on the beach doing something good for the community.”
It’s the fifth year Fenichel worked with the religious school at Temple Emanuel to assure that students as well as the adults were involved. In addition, she coordinates with Repair the Sea, an international Jewish environmental preservation group; Save the Sound, a regional group dedicated to protecting Long Island Sound; and the City of Milford’s Open Space Preservation office.
“We’re coming back to the beach to help clean up some of the sins of humanity, some that people might not notice but are leaving a mark on the world,” Rabbi Michael Farbman told the group before they spread out.
Kids and adults moved up and down the beach in groups, picking up trash, putting it in bags and documenting what was found. They looked for all sorts of trash. Cigarette butts were deemed particularly dangerous to wildlife because of the materials used to make them. The final talley included 176 of them.
In addition, the group found sunglasses, fireworks, bandaids, 106 food wrappers, bottles, drinking cups, a set of earphones, and much more.
“This is a season when we are thinking about our actions and their impact,” said Rabbi Michael Farbman. “This is a wonderful opportunity to combine our traditions with those of the rest of the world. It also makes you think about your own actions the next time you walk on the beach.”
“It’s a way for the TE Community to give back to the wider community,” added Lindsey Sussman, temple president. “It’s a recent tradition to make the world better from generation to generation.”