Join us for our 5th OZ-led community waterway cleanup at Burlington’s Barge Canal. Reverse Tashlich 2026 invites you to join a global Jewish movement dedicated to repairing the sea and safeguarding the water that sustain life on Earth.

This event is appropriate for people ages 10 and up, and will include group clean up activities facilitated by community members who have been involved in the Barge Canal area management. Wear sturdy shoes and long pants and sleeves. Bring bug spray and work gloves if you have them, or we will provide them.

Please arrive a few minutes before start time and park in the parking lot at Dealer.com at 1 Howard Street. Walk across the street to the Barge Canal, look for the registration table and come over to sign the Release of Liability form.

At Repair the Sea®, we believe that caring for the Ocean is not just an environmental duty, but a spiritual responsibility—a Mitzvah.

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?​

The Ocean is in crisis. 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 oceans and waterways.

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.

Join us in 2026 as we take action, raise awareness, and Repair the Sea—
one cleanup at a time.

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