White House briefs Reform rabbis on oil spill

A White House official briefed Reform rabbis on the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Wednesday’s conference call is held annually by the Central Conference of America Rabbis before the High Holidays to provide rabbis with information about current events for their sermons. Last year’s call centered on health care reform.

According to a White House official, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner spoke about the Obama administration’s response to the spill. She said that the “static kill” method of closing the well seemed to be working, and that most of the oil in the water had been cleaned up. She also talked about how to hold the polluters accountable.

Browner also said the Obama administration would help the people in the Gulf region for however long it takes them to recover. She told the rabbis how they and their congregations can get involved in relief efforts.