Fifth Annual Reverse Tashlich
Sunday, September 6 @ 1:00 pm
Join us for our 5th annual OZ-led community waterway cleanup at Burlington’s Urban Reserve, near the Burlington Bike Path!
Take note: We are meeting at a new location this year!,
Reverse Tashlich 2026 is part of a global Jewish movement bringing communities together to care for our environment and help prevent trash from entering our waterways.
This event is appropriate for ages 10 and up and will include group cleanup activities, with support from community members involved with the Burlington Parks Commission.
Please wear sturdy shoes, long pants, and long sleeves. Bring bug spray, sun screen and work gloves if you have them; gloves will also be available.
Please arrive a few minutes before our 1:00 PM start time. Park in the lot near the A-Dog Skatepark and the Community Sailing Center. We’ll gather there to sign a Release of Liability form before heading together to our cleanup area.
We’ll begin with a brief centering ritual connecting our environmental work to the spirit of Reverse Tashlich, and then get to work caring for this special part of Burlington’s waterfront.
Come ready to lend a hand, connect with community, and help keep Burlington’s waterways clean!
What is Reverse Tashlich?
Reverse Tashlich is an innovative approach to Jewish environmental stewardship.
In the traditional ritual of Tashlich on Rosh Hashanah, we go to a body of water and symbolically cast our “sins” into it, beginning the New Year with a clean heart. Reverse Tashlich transforms that symbolism into action by removing human “sin” from the water.
It is an opportunity to come together in a hands-on effort to clean beaches, rivers, lakes and shorelines—removing plastic, trash, and other debris that threaten marine ecosystems and the health of our planet.
Why Reverse Tashlich?
Every year, millions of tons of plastic waste enter our waterways, suffocating marine life and polluting the Earth. We cannot sit idly by while this destruction continues.
Reverse Tashlich empowers individuals, families, and communities to take immediate, tangible action to help restore the health of our lake and waterfront.
This is our chance not only to reflect, but to act.
The Mitzvah of Bal Tashchit—the Jewish prohibition against needless waste and destruction—calls on us to protect the world around us. By removing the waste we have allowed to accumulate, we protect marine life and the ecosystems essential for life on Earth, while actively fulfilling a Mitzvah.
Reverse Tashlich is about more than cleaning up trash—
it’s about reclaiming our connection as Jews to the natural world,
to each other, and to our shared responsibility to protect the planet.
Together, we can make waves for change.
Get involved today—because we need the Sea.
לֹא עָלֶֽיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמוֹר, וְלֹא אַתָּה בֶן חוֹרִין לְהִבָּטֵל מִמֶּֽנָּה
It is not your duty to complete the work,
but neither are you free to neglect it.
Pirkei Avot 2:16
