FJMC

The charter of the FJMC Shomrei HaAretz initiative is to empower Jewish Men through Men’s Clubs to make significant contributions to the most effective use of God’s resources provided to us as mother earth.

Empower yourself, your club and your community through the threads and links below. Contact us through This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

FJMC / Conservative Movement Initiatives

1. Soy Shabbat and Holiday Eco-Candles

Soy eco-candles are a petroleum free symbol of your environmental committment that will light up your Shabbat and Holiday home celebrations.  The unique appearance, and symbolic melting of the wax into oil as they burn provide beautiful opportunities to explore ancient Jewish traditions in the light of a candle made from home grown soy beans.  A variety of candles are available from tea candles to candles that fit into glass cups for your candelabras.  Candles are avialble, gift boxed or in bulk for resale.  Purchase here

2. Eco-Plasticware

Wholesale eco-friendly plates and cutlery.

Click here for details and purchasing instructions

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Symbolically light your chapel or sanctuary with sun power and keep it lit rain or shine.

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FJMC / USCJ / WLCJ / Masorti / Masorti Olami / JNF Environmentalism Partnerships

FJMC Shomrei  HaAretz is partnering to represent FJMC Men’s Clubbing in the Jewish Environmental movement in Conservative-Masorti Judaism.  We are collecting funds and redistributing them, participating in Joint program planning with other arms so that each arm best serves its constituency as we make green the new blue in Judaism.   Send a note to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to subscribe to our newsletter and check for What’s New on this Shomrei Haaretz web page.   Our partnership with JNF can provide men’s clubs with JNF speakers and opportunities to partner with the JNF GoNeutral program.

FJMC Shomrei HaAretz water bottle

Bottled water is a lose-lose product.  Plastic bottles are wasteful to make from petroleum and become ugly waste wherever we enjoy the great outdoors.  The answer is simple and has immediate payback – keep drinking water, soft drinks are even worse offenders as they also are not healthy, but drink it from a reusable metal bottle.  If you don’t like your tap water use a purifier at home like the Brita.  At work or synagogue replace the big water bottles with a purification system that makes freshly purified water to order.  To ice the cake, try giving up cold water for room temperature water, it is an acquired taste.

WOW, how about reminding people about water use efficiency every week at synagogue by presenting an additional gift to bar and bat mitzvah kids of the FJMC Shomei Haaretz water bottle.

To find out  more about water bottles or water purification systems  email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

What's New

The Shomrei HaAretz Initiative is developing new partnerships and more depth in the FJMC products that promote environmental efficiency.   Contact  FJMC Shomrei HaAretz chairman Richard Gray at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to join in.

1.     FJMC is promoting Movement Integration with Shomrei Haaretz and a relationship with GreenFaith as cornerstones to a new collaboration / integration initiative with Womens League and United Synagogue.

2.     FJMC has partnered with JNF to make their speakers bureau available to our clubs for TuBishvat and other times.  JNF’s perspective on environmentalism and development in Israel will bring new perspectives to your club programming.

3.     Shomrei HaAretz has many relationships with organizations that teach about environmental topics including COJEL and GreenFaith.  We have sent representatives recently to a webinar on the national environmental legislation as well as on an incredibly rich resource for finding funding sources for environmental and energy savings projects in your community.  Upcoming are local seminars in Connecticut and New York City that address details of energy management in synagogues.

4.     FJMC is promoting Energy Star for Congregations, a US Government initiative has specific resources available for improving energy efficiency in sanctuaries.

5.     Soy tea eco-candles are a great eco-gift and symbolic candle at Shabbat and Holiday events.  They are now being offered at lower total costs through judicious selection of shipping supplier, with optional free gift wrapping and direct mailing to recipients.  Go to www.ecoshabbat.com to see the full range of soy eco-candle offerings.

6.     FJMC has arranged for wholesale purchase of bio-degradable plasticware for use at club and region events.  New England Region has used it for their Keeper of the Flame event and investigated all aspects of proper disposal.

7.     Try our new metal water bottle in eco-green and with the Shomrei HaAretz logo.  Picture the message of presenting it on the bima to bar and bat mitzvah honorees in addition to your classic gifts.  Eliminating plastic water bottles by using tap water, filtered if you like, offers huge savings in road trash and petroleum usage.

8.     FJMC’s unique eco-symbol, the solar ner tamid, is in the process of becoming an international symbol with an installation in progress in Israel.  The Seaboard Region as well as FJMC energy offset donors are supporting this and other planned environmental initiatives in Israel.  Joel Shrater is the contact.

9.     Women’s League initiatives have been promoted -  Yom Yarok initiative – Green Day, a Tu B’Shevat Celebration.  Search WLCJ and Yom Yarok.

10.  FJMC has installed a water filtration system in its New York offices.  The vendor is committed to reducing our usage of bottled water, replacing it with even purer filtered water while eliminating the need for disposable plastic bottles.  Energy conservation, water, cleaning toxins, waste and grounds maintenance are among the areas of investigation for future programs in support of FJMC clubs.  The vendor is supporting FJMC initiatives and is available to speak to FJMC groups.

11.  Upcoming and continuing are Eco-newsletters (get on the list), community gardens, architect driven improvement opportunities, endorsement of international climate change resolutions and more.

12.  Your ideas are invited.  Contact Richard at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to go further with anything mentioned above or to add your two cents worth.

Immediate Past FJMC President Norm Kurtz (right) presents check during FJMC convention for the first Solar Ner Tamid to be constructed in Israel to Foundation Executive Director David Lissy.