Advent 3, "Resist with Joy" (Isaiah 35:1-10)

We are joined on this episode by Rabbi Yonatan Neril.  Rabbi Yonatan Neril founded and directs the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, which reveals the connection between religion and ecology and mobilizes faith communities to act on climate change. In 2024 Yonatan co-organized a faith and ecology video campaign with Nas Daily, which received nine million views. He authored the bestselling book Eco Bible: An Ecological Commentary on the Hebrew Bible. He speaks internationally on religion and ecology, including at the World Economic Forum in Davos, multiple UN climate conferences, and the Parliament of World Religions. In December 2023 he initiated and co-organized the first-ever Faith Pavilion at a UN climate conference (COP28 in Dubai), which included 70 sessions with 325 speakers. Yonatan has also co-organized twelve interfaith environmental conferences in the U.S. and Israel. Yonatan is a member of the World Economic Forum's Faith In Action working group. Raised in California, Yonatan completed his M.A. and B.A. from Stanford University where he conducted research on renewable energy in India, and on genetically modified corn in Mexico. He received rabbinical ordination in Israel and lives with his wife, Shana, and their two children in Jerusalem. He enjoys hiking and being in nature.