Jakir Manela

Jakir is the CEO of Adamah, the largest Jewish environmental organization in North America, whose mission is to cultivate vibrant Jewish life in deep connection with the earth. Jakir was trained as a Jewish environmental educator and worked for many years on the farm and in the forest before serving as Executive Director of the Pearlstone Campus for Living Judaism, outside of Baltimore, from 2012-2021. In 2013, Jakir was awarded the national Young Professional of the Year award by the Jewish Communal Service Association (known today as JPRO). In 2016, Jakir’s work at Pearlstone was awarded the inaugural national Lippman Kanfer Prize for Applied Jewish Wisdom, celebrating his groundbreaking curriculum, Hadran Alach for integrating Torah, agriculture, Jewish values, and contemporary issues of sustainability, food justice, diversity, and sacred sustainable rhythms of rest. Today, Jakir leads the wonderful national Adamah staff and board, and collaborates with funders and partners across the country in order to impact over 30,000 annual participants and over 500 organizational partners through immersive experiences, Jewish environmental education, leadership development, and climate action. Jakir lives just up the road from Pearlstone with his family, coaches youth sports, and loves building campfires and making music with friends.