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Bruce is the Public Education Manager at Hazon, overseeing and directing the development of public education programs that challenge and support Jewish institutions to develop and integrate commitments to addressing the climate crisis. Bruce brings ten years of experience working in urban agriculture, community composting, and public horticulture. Additionally, Bruce has worked in nonprofit strategic planning and leadership development. He holds a Masters degree from New York University in Environmental Conservation Education focusing on Nonprofit Management. Bruce is an amateur naturalist, lover of composting, and an avid fermenter of food and drink.
New York, NY | 212.644.2332 x319 | bruce.spierer@hazon.orgRebecca Eisen is the Human Resources Manager. She works with and for the employees, dealing with training, benefits, and ensuring all policies and procedures are followed. Rebecca has worked in the financial, retail, health, and start up industries. She received her Masters Degree in Human Resources Management and Labor Relations from NYIT and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from SUNY Oswego. Rebecca lives in Long Island, NY with her husband and fur baby, Maisy.
New York, NY | 212.908.2511 | rebecca.eisen@hazon.orgSarah is the Information Systems Manager for Hazon. She derives great pleasure from implementing, maintaining, and tidying systems of all sorts and sizes. Before coming to Hazon, Sarah worked in various Jewish nonprofits, followed by an AmeriCorps service spent with the New York Restoration Project, working in community gardens in the Bronx. Sarah enjoys learning of all kinds, especially Torah, which she focused on for two years as a Fellow at Mechon Hadar, while in the summers she learned Yiddish at Yiddish Farm. Sarah has some of the best coworkers around and is grateful to work for an organization that shares so many of her values.
Philadelphia, PA | 212.908.2500 | sarah.wolk@hazon.orgDavid Rendsburg is currently the Budget Director at Hazon, and the incoming Chief Finance and Administration Officer, supporting all departments with number-crunching. Originally from Binghamton, NY, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004 with a degree in Jewish Studies, and spent time living and learning in Israel as well. David has held many roles since joining Hazon in 2006, including Director of Bicycle Rides and Director of Data and Analytics. He has participated in or staffed over 40 bicycle rides with Hazon and has attended many holiday retreats at Isabella Freedman. After 15 years in New York City, David moved to Philadelphia in 2020 with his wife and two children.
Philadelphia, PA | 212.644.2332 x302 | david.rendsburg@hazon.orgNigel Savage founded Hazon, the Jewish lab for sustainability, in 2000. He served as its CEO for 21 years, stepping down in July 2021.
Under his leadership, Hazon became the largest environmental organization in the American Jewish community.
Hazon was one of only two groups to have been in every single Slingshot guide, and was recognized by the Sierra Club as one of 50 leading faith-based environmental organizations.
Nigel has been a popular teacher and speaker in a wide range of venues.
In recognition for his work, in 2015 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Jewish Theological Seminary. He has twice been named a member of the Forward 50, the annual list of the 50 most influential Jewish people in the United States. He is a recipient of the Bernard Reisman Award, and has given Commencement speeches at Wagner (NYU, in 2011), at Hornstein (Brandeis, in 2014) and at Spertus (in Chicago, in 2018).
Before founding Hazon, Nigel worked in asset management in London for NM Rothschild and as co-head of UK Equities at Govett. He has an MA in History from Georgetown, and has learned at Pardes, Yakar, and the Hebrew University. He was a founder of Limmud NY.
Nigel executive produced the British independent movies Solitaire For 2 and Stiff Upper Lips and had an acclaimed cameo appearance in the cult Anglo-Jewish comic movie, Leon The Pig Farmer. He is believed to be the first English Jew to have cycled across South Dakota on a recumbent bike.
New York, NYHazon means vision and Hazon’s vision is to create a vibrant, healthy Jewish community in which to be Jewish is to help create a more sustainable world for all. So what is your vision for how we can repair the earth and how do you play a role in that?
One of the reasons that I think it’s so hard for people to live sustainably is cost and convenience. Mostly convenience. But also cost. It’s just really, really convenient to get disposables and get things to go and most of the things that you have access to are disposable or just not good for the environment. I think that making sure that we have more sustainable options available is important. Obviously, it would be optimal if we got to a point where there were more sustainable options and not unsustainable options, but if there’s at least a comparable amount of both I think that is something that would make a huge impact.
Also, a huge thing that we do is equity and being sustainable can be really expensive.
Finding biodegradable or compostable cutlery or plates is a lot more expensive than buying a bajillion solo cups. So then obviously with the access and the process there’s a certain amount of privilege to being able to live sustainability. So I think that working with other companies and organizations, and helping them make more sustainable choices will end up having ripple effects. And I think that my role is, it’s actually interesting, because I read this article recently that was saying how someone living a low waist life is potentially not as impactful as living a regular waist filled life and reaching out to large companies who generate a lot of waves is important and actually asking them to make changes. I don’t know whether or not I agree with that, but it’s definitely something I’ve been thinking about. I try myself to live as minimally wasteless as possible. But something that I definitely want to work on is reaching out to different companies and organizations that are widespread or that have an impact on me and seeing if they can make more sustainable choices.
What role does tikkun olam play in your life and how is that connected to the Brit Hazon?
So many ways. One of the things that I love about Hazon is our three things that we call out for what we want for this world. We want a healthy, sustainable and equitable world. And I think that a lot of the different ways that we practice and improve and incorporate health, sustainability and equity is a form of tikkun olam. Making sure that animals are treated fairly and in doing so, doing away with factory farming, which is kinder to the earth, and abolishing all of these terrible practices, making the norm be ethical practices that would lower the cost of things. And I just think that it’s all tied together so that we’re helping the planet and animals and humans all be able to have the same access to live a healthy, sustainable and equitable life.
Hazon means vision and Hazon’s vision is to create a vibrant, healthy Jewish community in which to be Jewish is to help create a more sustainable world for all. So what is your vision for how we can repair the earth and how do you play a role in that?
One of the reasons that I think it’s so hard for people to live sustainably is cost and convenience. Mostly convenience. But also cost. It’s just really, really convenient to get disposables and get things to go and most of the things that you have access to are disposable or just not good for the environment. I think that making sure that we have more sustainable options available is important. Obviously, it would be optimal if we got to a point where there were more sustainable options and not unsustainable options, but if there’s at least a comparable amount of both I think that is something that would make a huge impact.
Also, a huge thing that we do is equity and being sustainable can be really expensive.
Finding biodegradable or compostable cutlery or plates is a lot more expensive than buying a bajillion solo cups. So then obviously with the access and the process there’s a certain amount of privilege to being able to live sustainability. So I think that working with other companies and organizations, and helping them make more sustainable choices will end up having ripple effects. And I think that my role is, it’s actually interesting, because I read this article recently that was saying how someone living a low waist life is potentially not as impactful as living a regular waist filled life and reaching out to large companies who generate a lot of waves is important and actually asking them to make changes. I don’t know whether or not I agree with that, but it’s definitely something I’ve been thinking about. I try myself to live as minimally wasteless as possible. But something that I definitely want to work on is reaching out to different companies and organizations that are widespread or that have an impact on me and seeing if they can make more sustainable choices.
What role does tikkun olam play in your life and how is that connected to the Brit Hazon?
So many ways. One of the things that I love about Hazon is our three things that we call out for what we want for this world. We want a healthy, sustainable and equitable world. And I think that a lot of the different ways that we practice and improve and incorporate health, sustainability and equity is a form of tikkun olam. Making sure that animals are treated fairly and in doing so, doing away with factory farming, which is kinder to the earth, and abolishing all of these terrible practices, making the norm be ethical practices that would lower the cost of things. And I just think that it’s all tied together so that we’re helping the planet and animals and humans all be able to have the same access to live a healthy, sustainable and equitable life.