Yonatan Neril directs The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development and its branches Jewish Eco Seminars and Eco Israel Tours. A native of California, he completed an MA and BA from Stanford University with a focus on global environmental issues, and received rabbinical ordination in Israel. He has spoken internationally on religion and the environment, and organized two interfaith environmental conferences in Jerusalem in which religious leaders of several faiths spoke. He is the lead author and general editor of two publications on Jewish environmental ethics and was a Dorot and PresenTense Fellow. He lives with his wife, Shana, and son, Shacharya, in Jerusalem.

Gidon Melmed has close to a decade of experience in management and strategic development of projects, focusing on sustainable development in the Holy Land. In 2011, he completed the Gevim Program for mediation, fulfilling a long-time passion of deepening his practical knowledge and skills in mediation and conflict resolution. Gidon has contributed to several business start-up projects, most recently leading business development for www.excelingo.com. Gidon acquired his MBA from Swinburne University of Technology (2006) and B.Sc. in Life Sciences, minoring in Jewish Thought and East Asian studies, from Hebrew University (2003), combining these studies with yeshiva Torah learning programs. He and his wife Hadas live in Jerusalem with their three children.

Project Partner

The Interfaith Declaration on Climate Change (IDCC) uses the Internet to create a collaborative, innovative and global community for discussion and action on climate change. They work to foster local, national, and international conversations to create a unified voice that will guide and influence people, institutions, and governments on how to best address the issues of climate change and sustainability. IDCC is collaborating with the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development on a joint project, the United Planet Faith and Science Initiative.