Atlanta Jewish Foundation Impact Story
February 18th, 2026
When we talk about Jewish philanthropy, we often speak in metaphors – planting seeds, nurturing growth, honoring our roots. For Adamah ATL, an Atlanta Jewish Foundation grant recipient, those aren’t just symbolic ideas. They’re a call to roll up your sleeves and get to work in sanctuaries, campuses, and soil across Atlanta.
Pause, Plant, Repeat
On February 4, community members gathered at The Temple for an Adamah Tu B’Shvat Seder filled with food, ritual, and song. One attendee captured the experience simply and powerfully: “The food was amazing. The program was amazing-er. The singing was the best. I actually closed my eyes and took a breath!” It was more than a holiday gathering – it was a moment of pause, gratitude, and reconnection.
Days later, that same spirit took root outdoors. In southwest Atlanta, a multi-faith coalition led by Adamah ATL, Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (GIPL), and Trees Atlanta brought volunteers together for the annual Tu B’shvat tree planting. By day’s end, 75 trees were in the ground -expanding Atlanta’s urban forest and contributing to cleaner air, cooler shade, and healthier neighborhoods.
Elijah, a Georgia Tech student volunteer, reflected on the experience: “Families came and brought their kids, college students (my friends) volunteered, and local community members came to plant trees along the street. While we were planting, local residents walking their dog or driving by stopped and thanked us. It was a beautiful act of community bonding, for the Jewish birthday of the trees, that will be felt by the local community for years to come.”
Rooting for Change
These shared moments – joyful, practical, and values-driven – reflect the growing impact of Adamah in Greater Atlanta.
Adamah (Hebrew for land, soil) is a national Jewish environmental organization dedicated to cultivating vibrant Jewish life in deep connection with the earth. Through immersive experiences, environmental education, leadership development, and climate action, Adamah works to catalyze cultural and systemic change.
Adamah ATL brings that national vision to a local scale – empowering youth through hands-on action, and connecting people and planet across Jewish Atlanta.
From Cafeteria Waste to Climate Leadership
Leading Adamah ATL is Director Joanna Kobylivker, a public health–trained strategist turned environmental organizer. After a decade in project management at Emory Healthcare, she stepped back from full-time work to raise her sons and began volunteering at their public elementary school, where “I started noticing tremendous amounts of food waste in the cafeteria, and they were using Styrofoam.”
Instead of accepting it, she organized. Working with other parents, Joanna helped push Atlanta Public Schools to transition from Styrofoam to compostable trays in 2019 and launched composting at her school.
She soon applied that same lens to Jewish communal life: “Every Saturday, we wrap up that plastic tablecloth, throw away all the food from Kiddush, everything’s disposable plastic, and it just felt bothersome, because we just spent three hours praying and thanking God for the fruit of the tree, and then we cut our apples with plastic knives. It struck me as a disconnect. And so, I got curious, like, I can’t be the first person to feel this way.”
Joanna’s path led to Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, where she became the first Jewish community organizer in their network, helping houses of worship implement practical climate solutions. Joanna brought these solutions to her own synagogue, Congregation Shearith Israel, where sustainability practices took hold. “We have a hybrid model – we use real forks, which saves money, and we dishwash the silverware. We also compost all the plates, napkins, and food.”
But even with her success at GIPL, Joanna kept searching for a specifically Jewish response to climate and environmental justice. “I feel like the Jewish people are such leaders,” she says, “that’s who we are. We help, we solve problems. We punch above our weight. We’re creative, we’re innovative. And so I had to find out – where does our ritual and our innovation come together to solve this?”
The answer came from Eric Robbins, former President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. “Eric introduced me to Adamah. And when I learned about what they’re doing around the country, I thought – this is a dream! Here is a Jewish organization doing the work, getting Jewish people connected to nature, and doing it in a thoughtful and deeply rooted in Judaism way. I felt such a longing to do the work that way.”
The Fruits of Their Labor
With support from a Federation Innovation Grant, Adamah ATL officially launched in 2023.
But early momentum met an unexpected obstacle. “Two months in, October 7 happened.” Joanna shares, “I have family in Israel, so I could understand why the Jewish community was shocked, grieving, traumatized. Nobody wanted to talk about light bulbs or composting at this point. So, it was very hard to move this work forward.”
Still, the initiative endured – and blossomed. In 2025, Adamah ATL expanded its reach significantly. Programs reached more than 2,200 participants, including 800 children, through day schools, synagogues, camps, and partner organizations. Experiences included pickling workshops, Sukkot dinner under the stars, “Reverse Tashlich” river cleanups, guided nature walks, and more. “Our young people really want it,” says Joanna, “they’re very, very anxious about the climate.”
On college campuses, engagement has tripled since 2024, and at the institutional level, the Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition currently helps 13 local organizations turn values into operational change through climate action planning and facility improvements.
Abby Friedman of Congregation Or Hadash shared: “Being a part of Adamah Atlanta’s Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition has made it possible for us to expand the value of Tikkun Olam into environmental work. Adamah’s guidance and support has given us a road map on how to be better stewards of our space. We’re very grateful.”
Planting What Comes Next
From Tu B’Shvat tree plantings to recycling education, from compost bins to tailored climate action plans, Adamah ATL is helping Jewish Atlanta live its values in tangible, hopeful ways – strengthening both community and environment.
With the Federation Innovation Grant set to expire later this year, Adamah now turns to the community to help sustain and grow this vital work. Atlanta Jewish Foundation donor-advised fund holders can support Adamah ATL through their donor portal. To explore long-term, sustainable giving solutions (like endowments), reach out to Ghila Sanders at gsanders@jewishatlanta.org or call 404-870-1611.
