The Jewish Community Center of the Lehigh Valley hosted a friendship dinner Feb. 20 to discuss various faith perspectives about the water we all share as a valuable natural resource. The session was hosted by the Lehigh Dialogue center in partnership with the Sierra Club Pennsylvania chapter, Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Conference of Churches, with over 220 area residents in attendance.

Following a buffet style dinner, Rachel Rosenfeld, community outreach coordinator, Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter, and Muhammed Said Selmanlar, president of the Lehigh Dialogue Center, welcomed attendees.

“We hope you take home what you’ll learn here tonight and become environmental leaders in our communities,” said Rosenfeld after she addressed the impact of impervious surfaces on the 86,000 miles of rivers and streams in Pennsylvania.

Said Selmanlar spoke in terms of the “bright clear liquid that is the symbol of life” and the need to find common ground when addressing issues.

Keynote speaker David Brandes, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Lafayette College, discussed flooding in the Lehigh Valley and weather trends that can impact it. Brandes said flooding is caused by heavy rainfall and exacerbated by development. Using data, Brandes said that summers are getting hotter and larger rain events have increased by 40 percent. “There is a definite pattern that days and weeks of more than 5 inches of rain is increasing,” observed Brandes. “One-half of the greatest rainfalls from 1960 to 2019 have happened since 2000,” he added.

Brandes suggested incremental changes, such as updating storm water ordinances and using green infrastructure guidelines to address the issue. “The best way to control floods is with natural assistance,” he said, naming vegetation, rain gardens and rain barrels as potential aids.

In the faith panel discussion led by Rosenfeld, Rabbi Michael Singer related praying for rain to caring for the earth and the human obligation to take care of the planet. “If there is no water there is no life,” he said. “We are at a tipping point and the time for talk has ended, the time for action is now,” concluded Singer.

The Reverend Dr. Larry Pickens addressed the Christian perspective of stewardship and nurturing the planet. “There is a need for all of us to be involved in injustice and to protect the environment,” he said. “We all have a role in shaping public policy,” intoned Pickens. “We have to make our voices heard.”

Muslim Chaplain Ustadh Amjad Tarsin explained that there is a direct relationship between water and humanity as a cleansing agent and noted that both the earth and humans are composed of roughly 70 percent water. “God brings water for humans and all of life is sustained by that water,” he said. Striking a hopeful tone, Amjad Tarsin said,”Even if the sun is rising from the west to mark the end of the world, and you are holding a seed, plant that seed.”