Yonatan Neril

Background

About Yonatan Neril

I'm passionate about promoting a sustainable future. I do that through my work as founder and executive director of the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD), which reveals the connection between religion and ecology and mobilizes faith communities to act. Here's some of what I have been up to in this work, since 2010: I co-authored Eco Bible: An Ecological Commentary on the Hebrew Bible, which shines new light on how the Hebrew Bible and great religious thinkers have urged human care and stewardship of nature for thousands of years as a central message of spiritual wisdom. I enjoy speaking on religion and ecology, and have done so at the World Economic Forum in Davos, multiple UN climate conferences, the Parliament of World Religions, and at dozens of houses of worship. I have co-organized thirteen interfaith environmental conferences in Jerusalem, New York City, Dubai, Washington D.C, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and elsewhere. In December 2023 I initiated and served as a co-organizer of the first-ever Faith Pavilion at a UN climate conference (COP28 in Dubai), which included 70 sessions with 325 speakers. At COP29 in Baku, I spoke at ten sessions, including the Faith Pavilion, press conferences, and Buildings and Cooling Pavilion. Raised in California, I completed an M.A. and B.A. from Stanford University with a focus on global environmental issues, and received Orthodox rabbinical ordination in Israel. While in university, I conducted research on renewable energy in northern India, and on genetically modified corn in Oaxaca, Mexico, about which which I wrote my thesis. I enjoy hiking and being in nature. To sum it up, I have: A track record of organizing interfaith environmental conferences, seminars, and events. Experience in non-profit organizational management and working with a team of staff and volunteers. A significant background in Jewish learning, Jewish environmental teachings, and global environmental issues. Public speaking experience on Jewish environment ethics, religion and ecology, and interfaith environmental cooperation. And I am open to speaking opportunities on religion and ecology.