Ellen Sue Bernstein (July 22, 1953 – February 27, 2024) was an American rabbi, author, and educator. She has been called the "birthmother of Jewish environmentalism" and a prominent figure in the world of religion and ecology. Bernstein's work focused on how the Bible and Judaism provide a guide for connecting with and healing the Earth.

Early life and education

Bernstein was born in

Newburyport, Massachusetts Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes p ...

, to Etta (Feigenbaum) Bernstein and Fred Bernstein, and was raised in Haverhill alongside her sister and brother. She became interested in environmental science in high school. She attended the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, where she studied at one of the first environmental science programs in the country. Later in life, she also attended

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is ...

and earned two master's degrees: one in biology, from Southern Oregon State University, and one in Jewish education, from

Hebrew College Hebrew College is a private college of Jewish studies in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. Founded in 1921, the college conducts Jewish scholarship in a pluralistic, trans-denominational academic environment. Its president is Rabbi Sharon Cohen ...

Adult life and impact

Bernstein eschewed terms like "Jewish environmentalism" because she felt they implied Judaism was not inherently ecologically based. She also worked across religious denominations, writing that "religious and spiritual communities can be vitally important in organizing, inspiring, and sustaining individuals in the repair of the world." Bernstein emphasized that science alone would not inspire people to care for the world, but believed that people would save what they love. During the last twenty years of her life she worked on animating the ecological dimensions of the Bible. In 1988, Bernstein founded Shomrei Adamah, a Jewish environmentalist organization. She was ordained as a rabbi in 2012 by the Academy for Jewish Religion. She worked as advisor for identity and praxis at

Hampshire College Hampshire College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges ...

from 2016 to 2020. In 2023, she spoke at the United Nations General Assembly on the role of women in responding to climate change.

Writings

Bernstein's writings bring together themes in Judaism and ecology. Her two final books were ''The Promise of the Land: A Passover Haggadah'' (2020), which guides Seder attendees to feel more connected to the Earth and its well-being, and ''Toward a Holy Ecology: Reading the Song of Songs in the Age of Climate Crisis'' (2024), an ecological analysis of the

Song of Songs The Song of Songs (), also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon, is a Biblical poetry, biblical poem, one of the five ("scrolls") in the ('writings'), the last section of the Tanakh. Unlike other books in the Hebrew Bible, i ...

, with a foreword by

Bill McKibben William Ernest McKibben (born December 8, 1960)"Bill Ernest McKibben." ''Environmental Encyclopedia''. Edited by Deirdre S. Blanchfield. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, December 31, 2017. is a ...

Books

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Selected articles

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Personal life and death

In 2005, Bernstein married Steven Tenenbaum, and the couple moved to

Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. Amherst has a council–manager form of government, and is considered a city under Massachusetts state law. Amherst is one of several Massach ...

. Bernstein entered hospice care in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in February 2024 following a diagnosis of

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

. She died on February 27, at the age of 70. Per her wishes, she was given a green burial at Laurel Hill Cemetery West in

Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community and census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania and borders the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Route ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernstein, Ellen 1953 births 2024 deaths University of California, Berkeley alumni 21st-century American rabbis 21st-century American women writers American environmentalists American women environmentalists American women non-fiction writers American non-fiction environmental writers Ecotheology Deaths from colorectal cancer in Pennsylvania Hebrew College alumni Jewish American activists Jewish American non-fiction writers Jewish women writers People from Haverhill, Massachusetts Rabbis from Massachusetts Women rabbis Writers from Newburyport, Massachusetts