RNS Opening Budget — Monday, February 10, 2020

A handful of recent initiatives are challenging taboos around death and organ donation among Sikh and other South Asian communities in the U.K. By Aysha Khan. 1,300 words. (category: i) COMMENTARY RNS-Silk-Oped: A day for environmentalist […]

NEWS STORY
RNS-Sikh-Organ: Eyeing shortage of minority organ donors, British Sikhs take charge on demystifying donation
LONDON (RNS) — A handful of recent initiatives are challenging taboos around death and organ donation among Sikh and other South Asian communities in the U.K. By Aysha Khan. 1,300 words. (category: i)

COMMENTARY
RNS-Silk-Oped: A day for environmentalist Judaism
(RNS) — Monday is Tu B’Shvat, the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat and a minor Jewish holiday. The Mishnah (the original portion of the Talmud) calls Tu B’Shvat the New Year of the Trees, and because of that, the holiday in modern times morphed into a Jewish Arbor Day dedicated especially to planting trees in Israel. Over the past few decades, Jewish environmentalists have combined the mystics’ meal with the arborist concept to create ecological seders. And the more we learn about the importance of forests for carbon sequestration and biodiversity, the more Tu B’Shvat has become a touchstone for Jews concerned about climate change. By Mark Silk. 652 words. (category: k)