The Heschel Center for Sustainability, one of Israel’s most influential environmental organizations, and one which trains generations of sustainable leaders in media, art and politics, saw its Tel Aviv offices damaged during a recent missile attack from Iran, a reminder that even institutions dedicated to protecting the planet are not immune to regional conflict.
As the old Yiddish phrase says: “Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht” (Man plans and God laughs). Last Thursday, Tamara and Oded from the center dispatch “as we left our offices for the weekend, we had been looking forward to a busy couple of weeks, including a special event for our alumni community around the regeneration of our Heschel Fellows Program and a webinar exploring the transformative practice of “Commoning” within the education system.
“On Saturday, everything changed. The transition from routine to war has become a familiar, painful and all-too-familiar reality in Israel. As we prepared our families and returned to emergency routines, a missile struck the heart of Tel Aviv.
“Buildings in the vicinity were damaged, including the Heschel Center’s beloved offices… Seeing our workspace, our place of gathering and collaboration, reduced to broken glass and debris is deeply painful.
They add, “We are here to stay, fighting for a world that is more just, sustainable, and democratic. We know that better days will come, and we are grateful to have you by our side as we build that future together.”
Founded in 1994, the Heschel Center has played a central role in shaping Israel’s modern environmental movement. Named after the Jewish philosopher and environmental thinker Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, the organization focuses on education, policy innovation, and leadership training aimed at building a more sustainable Israeli society.
Our concern with environment cannot be reduced to what can be used, to what can be grasped. Environment includes not only the inkstand and the blotting paper, but also the impenetrable stillness in the air, the stars, the clouds, the quiet passing of time, the wonder of my own being,” once said Heschel.
“I am an end as well as a means, and so is the world: an end as well as a means. My view of the world and my understanding of the self determine each other. Forfeit your sense of awe, let your conceit diminish your ability to revere, and the world becomes a market place for you. The complete manipulation of the world results in the complete instrumentalization of the self.”
For decades the center has served as a bridge between government, academia, grassroots organizations, and young environmental leaders. Through programs such as its environmental fellows initiative, Heschel has trained hundreds of activists, planners, and policymakers who now work across Israel in climate policy, urban planning, and environmental justice.
They’ve trained Rabbi Pearlman, who I’ve interviewed here.
From its Tel Aviv base, now wiped out, the center has helped push forward conversations about sustainable cities, climate resilience, and responsible land use. It has also worked closely with Israeli universities and municipalities to integrate environmental thinking into public policy and infrastructure planning.
Green Prophet has followed the work of the Heschel Center over the years as part of its coverage of Israel’s environmental innovation ecosystem. In previous reporting we have highlighted the center’s efforts to cultivate a new generation of sustainability leaders, particularly through fellowships that combine academic research with real-world policy engagement.
The organization has also been active in urban sustainability and climate planning, contributing ideas about how Israeli cities can adapt to rising temperatures, water stress, and population growth. These issues are especially pressing in the Middle East, where environmental challenges often intersect with geopolitical tensions. They don’t consider man outside of the environment, but rather part of it, and what that entails.
Despite the damage to its office, the broader mission of the Heschel Center will continue, according to their update.
