SPEAKERS GUIDE

Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb

Rabbi
Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation

7727 Persimmon Tree Lane
Bethesda, MD 20817
Tel: (301) 767-3333 x506
rabbifred@adatshalom.net

A long-time Jewish environmental educator and activist who in 2003-04 became COEJL’s first ever Rabbinic Fellow, Fred Scherlinder Dobb has served for a decade as Rabbi of Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation in the Washington DC area. Still active on the COEJL board, he is also involved in the leadership of the Teva Learning Center, DC’s Shomrei Adamah, Religious Witness for the Earth, and other environmental groups, as well as various mainstream and social-justice-oriented Jewish organizations. Fred has taught and written widely on various subjects at the intersection of Judaism and ecology, which remains a chief passion. Yet his ability to focus on it is limited for three good reasons: his sacred community of Adat Shalom, his beloved wife Minna Scherlinder Morse, and above all their glorious baby daughter, Sara Penina Scherlinder.

Topics on which qualified to speak:

• Theological / Philosophical Perspectives
• Ethical / Halakhic Perspectives
• The Jewish Festival Cycle and Ecology
• Experiential Jewish Environmental Education
• Jewish Environmental Action
• Green Building / Sustainability
• Jewish Resources on Climate Change and on Biodiversity
• Genesis: Ecology and Gender
• Modern Jewish Eco-Philosophy (Hirsch, Buber, Heschel, Kaplan)
• Poetry, Prayer, and Planting Trees
• Shabbat as Earth Day
• Jewish Environmentalism and Messianism
• Public vs. Private Good in Seder Nezikin and in Congress
• Berakhot (Blessings) and Ecological Responsibility
• Interfaith Approaches to Creation Care
• Hope in a Greenhouse

Types of Presentations available for:

• Scholar-in-residence for congregations
• Scholar-in-residence for campus
• Jewish outdoor education programs for youth
• Jewish outdoor education programs for adults
• In-service training program for educators
• Synagogue speaker / sermon
• Campus speaker
• Conference speaker
• Day school / religious school speaker