Community
United Synagogue lays down roots in Norfolk
The organisation has planted the first trees in its inaugural forest
March 20, 2024 14:29
By, Rosa Doherty
1 min read
The organisation has planted the first trees in its inaugural forest
March 20, 2024 14:29By, Rosa Doherty
The United Synagogue has planted the first of thousands of trees in what is the first US-sponsored forest in the UK.
The US has partnered with the Woodland Trust to establish a Norfolk forest, which can be visited by Jewish schools and communities in order to learn about the environment. The first few trees, which were due to be planted by the Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, were instead put in the ground on Tuesday by US head of environmental policy Naomi Verber and Rabbi Ben Kurzer, who is soon to take up the pulpit at Golders Green Synagogue.
Rabbi Mirvis was unable to attend the first planting because he had to fly to Israel to attend a funeral.
Naomi Verber, head of environmental policy at the United Synagogue, planting the organisation's first tree in its inaugural forest, in Norfolk (Photo: Ben Vos)[Missing Credit]
Verber said: “I’m incredibly proud to be able to do this. I think it shows how, as a community, we are not willing to be bystanders to the environmental issues around us. We are really showing each other and others our commitment to these issues.”
