Kehillat Israel Organizes Coastal Cleanup Day in the Palisades

By LILY TINOCO | Reporter

The start of September kicked off Heal the Bay’s Coastal Cleanup Month, and the environmental advocacy group has asked Angelenos to get connected and host their own cleanups.

Pacific Palisades’ Kehillat Israel will be honoring Coastal Cleanup Day with a communitywide event for all ages on Saturday, September 26. The day will be spent cleaning up the surrounding area and neighborhoods, including streets, parks, local shorelines and more.

“The Jewish tradition emphasizes that we must care for and preserve the natural world around us,” Rabbi Daniel Sher said to the Palisadian-Post. “Coastal Cleanup Day is one of the world’s largest annual volunteer efforts for our coastline, and it is imperative that we all do our part.”

Sher added that this outdoor event can be done with family and neighbors—and that cleaning up is not limited to the beach.

“Picking up trash in your neighborhood, local park and storm drains helps protect our coast,” he added.

Palisadian Holly Naim-Moss, a member of the temple for over 10 years, and KI Program and Event Coordinator Rebecca Serot are working hard to spearhead the event, while still adhering to CDC guidelines for COVID-19 safety.

This is KI’s second year participating in Heal the Bay’s Coastal Cleanup Day.

“This year, because of stay-at-home orders with COVID[-19], our beaches and hiking trails were heavily visited more than ever before,” Naim-Moss said to the Post. “I will be out with my three kids—masks on and gloves in hand—to clean up our beautiful natural setting in [the] Palisades.”

Heal the Bay asked participants to help keep track of the amount of trash gathered through either a mobile application or a physical cleanup data card, keeping a count of found items using tally marks.

Volunteers are asked to pick up small pieces of trash because animals often mistake them for food, but to avoid picking up sharp objects like broken glass, syringes, needles and dead animals.

“The data you have collected will be used for science, education and advocacy purposes to help make Southern California coastal waters and watersheds safe, healthy and clean for all,” according to the data card.

“We ask the Palisades community to donate a couple of hours of their time on Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.,” Naim-Moss said. “While practicing social distancing, I believe we can still all come together and do something that impacts our community.”

Participants are asked to bring a mask, gloves, trash bag, and a friend or family member. For more information, email programs@ourki.org.