The Jewish Solar Challenge has awarded grants to nine Jewish organizations across America to purchase and install solar panels.
This year’s grantees include seven synagogues, one camp and one Jewish school:
- Congregation Sons of Israel in Nyack, N.Y.
- Westchester Torah Academy in New Rochelle, N.Y.
- Bet Torah in Mount Kisco, N.Y.
- Temple Hillel B’nai Torah in Boston
- Temple Emanuel in Newton, Mass.
- Temple Emanuel of South Hills in Pittsburgh
- The Temple (Hebrew Benevolent Congregation) in Atlanta
- Congregation Bonai Shalom in Boulder, Colo.
- Habonim Dror Camp Gilboa in Big Bear Lake, Calif.
“We are honored to help such an incredible group of organizations across America make the transition to solar power,” said Mitchell Schwartz, the founder of Jewish Solar Challenge.
“This round—our largest ever—marks the first time a majority of our grantees were located outside California and includes our first recipients in New York, advancing our mission to make solar energy accessible to Jewish communities everywhere.”
During this grant cycle, the Jewish Solar Challenge awarded $300,000, bringing the total awarded for solar projects to more than $1 million since the organization launched three years ago.
Since its founding, the Jewish Solar Challenge has supported more than $10 million in solar projects, totaling an estimated two megawatts of capacity. These installations generate approximately 3.28 million kWh of electricity per year, preventing the release of 1,272 metric tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere and saving nearly $500,000 in annual electricity costs.
“Solar is one of the best ways to take direct climate action with clear, measurable impact,” said Josef Abramowitz, a pioneer of the Israeli solar industry and a member of the Jewish Solar Challenge board.
“Investing in solar reduces operating costs but also helps us build more resilient, self-sustaining communities, benefiting our people and our planet long term.”
For Camp Gilboa, this grant transforms how it operates.
“Camp Gilboa is entirely off the grid,” said executive director Rebecca Green. “We’ve been running the camp on propane generators, which are both unsustainable and unreliable. When a generator goes out, we risk losing our food and internet access, which we rely on to stay in touch with the outside world, including emergency services.”
Green said that she and her youth leaders also care deeply about environmental justice: “This solar project enables us to teach campers about renewable energy not just in theory but in action and to inspire them to take those lessons back to their schools, synagogues, homes and communities.”
Winners were required to demonstrate a commitment to sustainability beyond installing solar.
Rabbi Aaron Meyer of Temple Emanuel of South Hills in Pittsburgh was inspired by a fellow rabbi who had installed a solar-powered ner tamid, a lamp found in every synagogue, meaning “eternal light” in Hebrew.
“We have inherited from the generations before us a world undergoing significant transformation as a result of climate change and have an obligation to protect it for future generations,” Meyer said.
“With gratitude to the Jewish Solar Challenge and our congregation, we are placing a 187.5-kilowatt solar array on the synagogue’s roof, saving us $1.4 million in projected electricity costs over 30 years while tangibly living our environmental stewardship values.”
Schwartz launched the Jewish Solar Challenge with a simple goal: to put solar panels on every Jewish institution in North America. This year’s grants include three projects in the New York City metro area, home to the world’s largest Jewish population outside Israel.
“One of our school’s core values is a commitment to your best self, and we really felt that our solar panel project was a part of our values,” said Rose Just-Michael, director of communications and development at Westchester Torah Academy.
“Caring for the environment is an integral part of Torah education. This project allows us to be a model for our community and showcase ways that we can give back, while allowing our school to remain sustainable—both financially and environmentally.”
Media Contact: Ava Bostock, Ava@miller-ink.com
