TRIBE – Bedikat HaMayim Beach Cleanup

Long Ago, the Sea Saved Our Ancestors…Isn’t it Time We Return the Favor?

Pesach is the time when we clean our homes and remove chametz, the last remaining bits of leavened products in our homes before the holiday. But our home isn’t just our house. Our home is the Earth. And 70% of it is water.

We search the shorelines, rivers, lakes, and harbors for a different kind of chametz: plastic snack bags and bottles that once held chametz, plastic cutlery that served chametz, and plastic bags that carried chametz — now lingering in our water long after the holiday has passed. We call this practice Bedikat HaMayim — the searching of the water.

The global participation in our annual Reverse Tashlich cleanup has been inspiring and continues to grow. But awareness alone is not enough. Once a year is not enough. That’s why Repair the Sea created a second global cleanup: Bedikat HaMayim® — to keep the challenges facing our water and marine life present in our collective consciousness, and to offer ongoing opportunities for meaningful action.

By weaving Bedikat HaMayim into Jewish life, we align our spiritual values with environmental responsibility. We become part of a global movement rooted in care, connection, repair and restoration. Join us in caring for our shared water, strengthening our global Jewish community, and helping turn intention into action. Pesach asks us to clean our homes. Bedikat HaMayim asks us to clean our world.

The TRIBE will be joining forces with Tikkun Hayam and Keep Pinellas Beautiful (KPB) to take part in the INTERNATIONAL Bedikat HaMayim Beach Cleanup event on Sunday, March 22nd from 9:00am-12:00pm.

All participants MUST complete the online waiver form prior to the event. A second waiver for KPB will need to be filled out at the event itself. Registering in advance is important so we know how many sets of cleanup gear to provide.

Our cleanup will take place at Gandy North Beach on the north side of the Gandy Causeway. You can simply type “Gandy North Beach” into your GPS app to navigate to the location. Look for the pop-up canopy and table with the KPB tablecloth. Please arrive by 9:00am for instructions and safety briefing.

We will provide all cleanup gear (gloves, garbage bags, pickers, sunscreen, bug spray, hand sanitizer, etc.). Participants must wear close-toed shoes, bring a reusable water bottle, and wear weather appropriate clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. We will have a 5-gallon Igloo to refill your reusable water bottle.