Judaism And Environmentalism
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Judaism and environmentalism intersect on many levels. The natural world plays a central role in
Jewish law ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments ('' mit ...
,
literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
,
liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...
, and other practices. Within the arena of Jewish thought, beliefs vary widely about the human relationship to the environment. Movements such as Eco-Kashrut and celebrations like
Tu BiShvat Tu BiShvat () is a Jewish holiday occurring on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. It is also called ''Rosh HaShanah La'Ilanot'' (), literally " New Year to the Trees". In contemporary Israel, the day is celebrated as an ecological awa ...
reflect environmental values, and modern Jewish environmentalism has grown, especially in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
.


Jewish law and the environment

In Jewish law (''
halakhah ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments ('' mit ...
''), ecological concerns are reflected in several instances. These include, the
Biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...
protection for
fruit tree A fruit tree is a tree which bears fruit that is consumed or used by animals and humans. All trees that are flowering plants produce fruit, which are the ripened ovaries of flowers containing one or more seeds. In horticultural usage, the te ...
s, rules in the
Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; , from the verb ''šānā'', "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Torah. Having been collected in the 3rd century CE, it is ...
against harming the
public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...
,
Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
ic debate over noise and smoke
damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognized at ...
, and contemporary
responsa ''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...
on
agricultural pollution Agricultural pollution refers to biotic and abiotic byproducts of farming practices that result in contamination or degradation of the environment and surrounding ecosystems, and/or cause injury to humans and their economic interests. The po ...
. The rule of Tza'ar ba'alei chayim is a restriction on cruelty to animals. Since the 1970s,
Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, also known as Masorti Judaism, is a Jewish religious movements, Jewish religious movement that regards the authority of Jewish law and tradition as emanating primarily from the assent of the people through the generations ...
, has adopted Eco-Kashrut ideas. Jewish activists have also recruited principles of ''halakhah'' for environmental purposes, such as the injunction against unnecessary destruction, known as '' bal tashkhit''. Some prophetic traditions speak of societal moral decadence causing an environmental disaster.


Other Jewish beliefs about the environment

In
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
,
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
instructs humanity to hold dominion over nature, and this is interpreted in terms of
stewardship Stewardship is a practice committed to ethical value that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources. The concepts of stewardship can be applied to the environment and nature, economics, health, places, property, information ...
. The Bible and
rabbinic tradition Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, is the entire corpus of works authored by rabbis throughout Jewish history. The term typically refers to literature from the Talmudic era (70–640 CE), as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic w ...
touches on both
anthropocentric Anthropocentrism ( ) is the belief that human beings are the central or most important entity on the planet. The term can be used interchangeably with humanocentrism, and some refer to the concept as human supremacy or human exceptionalism. From a ...
and creation-centered, eco-centric perspectives. Many theologians regard the land as a primary partner of Jewish covenant, and Judaism, especially the practices described in the
Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
, may be regarded as the expression of a fully indigenous, earth-centered tradition. Eco-centric discussions of Judaism can be found in the work of modern scholars and rabbis, including
Arthur Green Arthur Green (, born March 21, 1941) is an American scholar of Jewish mysticism and Neo-Hasidic theologian. He was a founding dean of the non-denominational rabbinical program at Hebrew College in Boston. He describes himself as an American Jew ...
, Arthur Waskow, Eilon Schwartz, Lynn Gottlieb, Mike Comins, Ellen Bernstein, and David Mevorach Seidenberg. According to David Vogel, Judaism does not support unchecked human domination of nature. It imposes numerous restrictions on the use of the natural environment, often reflecting eco-centric or biocentric values rather than purely anthropocentric ones. In the
weekly Torah portion The weekly Torah portion refers to a lectionary custom in Judaism in which a portion of the Torah (or Pentateuch) is read during Jewish prayer services on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. The full name, ''Parashat HaShavua'' (), is popularly abbre ...
of
Vayishlach Vayishlach (—Hebrew language, Hebrew for "and he sent," the incipit, first word of the parashah) is the eighth weekly Torah portion (, ) in the annual Judaism, Jewish cycle of Torah reading. In the parashah, Jacob reconciles with Esau after wre ...
, before the story of
Jacob wrestling with the angel Jacob wrestling with the angel is described in the Book of Genesis (Genesis 32, chapter 32:22–32; also referenced in the Book of Hosea, Hosea 12, chapter 12:3–5). The "Angels in Judaism, angel" in question is referred to as "man" (: ''Ish'') a ...
occurred,
Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...
had been going back across a river to fetch a few tiny jugs that were left behind. Highlighting Bal tashchit, the
Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
directive to not waste, this principle serves as a guide for the organization's promotion of sustainable living practices. The leader of
Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...
, the Lubavitcher
Rebbe A Rebbe () or Admor () is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spirituality (Audio)''. UCTV, 20 Oct 2011. web. ...
,
Menachem Mendel Schneerson Menachem Mendel Schneerson ( – June 12, 1994; Anno Mundi, AM 11 Nissan 5662 – 3 Tammuz 5754), known to adherents of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or simply the Rebbe, was an American Orthodox rabbi and the most rec ...
, taught that the sun’s energy was created for humanity’s benefit and should be used constructively. In a statement made in 1981 during a gathering for the
Birkat Hachama ''Birkat Hachama'' (, "Blessing of the Sun") refers to a rare Jewish blessing that is recited to the Creator, thanking God for creating the sun. The blessing is recited when the Sun completes its cycle every 28 years on a Tuesday at sundown. Jewi ...
, the Rebbe declared solar power as the way into the future to harness renewable energy. In a 2019 article for J. The Jewish News of Northern California, journalist Philip Wexler discussed how the Rebbe's teachings are cited in contemporary Jewish approaches to climate change and environmental sustainability.


Jewish practices and liturgy

In contemporary Jewish liturgy, ecological concerns have especially been promoted by adapting the
kabbalistic Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal (). Jewi ...
ritual A ritual is a repeated, structured sequence of actions or behaviors that alters the internal or external state of an individual, group, or environment, regardless of conscious understanding, emotional context, or symbolic meaning. Traditionally ...
of conducting a seder for the New Year of the trees
Tu Bishvat Tu BiShvat () is a Jewish holiday occurring on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. It is also called ''Rosh HaShanah La'Ilanot'' (), literally " New Year to the Trees". In contemporary Israel, the day is celebrated as an ecological awa ...
. Biblical and rabbinic texts have also been enlisted for prayers about the environment in all the liberal movements, especially in
Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish religious movements, Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its Jewish ethics, ethical aspects to its ceremo ...
and Jewish Renewal movements. One primary Jewish environmental event is the Tu BiSh'vat seder, often labeled as 'Jewish Earth Day' and sometimes humorously called 'Tree B'Earthday.' Falling in early spring, two full moons before Passover, Tu BiSh'vat ("the 15th of the month of Sh'vat") generally coincides with the first sap rising in the fruit trees in Israel. Since this day was labeled the "New Year for the Tree" in rabbinic Judaism, 17th-century mystics created a ritual meal or seder of fruit and nuts for the day that celebrated the "Tree of Life" that sustains the universe. The Jewish National Fund (JNF) applied these motifs in the 1950s to champion Tu BiSh'vat as a day for planting trees in Israel. The history of the seder also sheds light on the development of the Jewish environmental movement. One of the early moments of awakening to environmental issues in the Jewish community was when rabbis and Jewish activists drew on the symbolism of the Jewish National Fund campaigns to create the "Trees for Vietnam" reforestation campaign in 1971 in response to the use of
Agent Orange Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the tactical uses of Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1971. T ...
by the US. In 1976, Jonathan Wolf in New York City created and led one of the first modern environmental seders, incorporating liturgy from the Kabbalists with information from Israeli environmental groups like Neot Kedumim ("Ancient Fields," a conservancy group devoted to Biblical species), and
Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (, ''HaHevra LeHaganat HaTeva''), or SPNI, is an Israeli non-profit environmental organization working to preserve plants, animals, and natural environments that represent bio-diversity, by protectin ...
. By the late 1970s, Jewish groups were innovating rituals for Tu BiSh'vat that connected Biblical and rabbinic teachings with material from the Kibbutz movement or JNF and with current environmental concerns. In the 1980s, dozens of homemade Tu BiSh'vat liturgical books or haggadot, modeled after the Passover seder, were being used around the country to celebrate trees and to talk about local and national environmental issues, the earth, and ecology.


Jewish environmentalism by country


United States


1970s and 1980s

In North America, the movement was in many ways motivated by the revival of back-to-the-land values in the 1960s and 70s. Together with the influence of Zionist idealism, which emphasized returning to the land. After the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, which generated a huge outpouring of sympathy and identification with Israel among unaffiliated Jews, the motif of return to the land became a bridge that connected progressive Jewish activists with the Jewish community from which they were often estranged. In Israel, various initiatives, movements, and thinkers, like the JNF, the
kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...
movement, and
Ahad Ha'am Asher Zvi Hirsch Ginsberg (18 August 1856 – 2 January 1927), primarily known by his Hebrew name and pen name Ahad Ha'am (, lit. 'one of the people', ), was a Hebrew journalist and essayist, and one of the foremost pre-state Zionist thinkers. ...
, were forerunners of Jewish environmentalism. These trends, however, were not always in line with an explicitly Jewish environmentalist understanding. The pioneers of environmentalism in the North American Jewish community were often deeply committed to
vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...
. (This ideal can still be found in newer organizations like the Shamayim Va'aretz Institute and Farm Forward.) Notable among the early innovators of Jewish vegetarianism is Richard Schwartz, publisher of ''Judaism and Vegetarianism'' in 1982, followed by ''Judaism and Global Survival'' in 1984. A large part of Jewish environmental work has also consisted of investing Jewish practice with ecological meaning through sermons, teachings, and books. Early writers, Eric Freudenstein and Rabbi Everett Gendler, influenced many activists and teachers through their teachings and farming. Rabbi Arthur Waskow is also one of the leaders in this area of exploration, starting with his 1982 work, ''The Seasons of Our Joy: A Modern Guide to the Jewish Holidays'', which follows the liturgical calendar through the changes in the earth. (Waskow's work was part of a trend now called Jewish Renewal, which involved uniting values associated with 1960s or New Age spiritual countercultures with Jewish practice.) In the same year, David Ehrenfeld and Rabbi Gerry Serotta at Rutgers University organized the first-ever Jewish Environmental Conference. In 1983, Waskow founded the Shalom Center, which over time turned its energy from nuclear weapons to the environment. The Shalom Center is now one of the primary organizations in North America and the world that promulgates an activist ecological understanding of Judaism. In 1988, Shomrei Adamah ("Guardians of the Earth") was formed as the first national Jewish organization devoted to environmental issues. Founded by Ellen Bernstein in Philadelphia, the group produced guides to Judaism and the environment, such as ''Let the Earth Teach You Torah'' (1992), which was one of the works that initiated the field of Jewish environmental education. Shomrei Adamah captured the imaginations of environmentally concerned Jews around North America and quickly supplanted groups such as L'OLAM in New York City on the national level. Even as regional groups like Shomrei Adamah of Greater Washington, DC (founded in 1990) sprung up to do grassroots organizing, however, the national organization pulled away from involvement with regional groups.


1990s

Later, other regional groups like the Northwest Jewish Environmental Project in Seattle (NWJEP or NJEP), founded in 1997, took a different approach. While Jewish identification with the earth and Jewish environmental activism had gone hand-in-hand up until then, these new groups focused on making nature a source of Jewish identity and explicitly de-emphasized political activism. The roots of this approach can be traced back to Jewish hiking groups and to the national network of groups, such as Mosaic Outdoor Clubs of America (founded in 1988). In 1993, The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) was formed to bring the Jewish environmental movement into the mainstream. COEJL filled the vacuum left by Shomrei Adamah, working with other religion-based groups, under the umbrella of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment (NRPE). COEJL was founded by three institutions: The Jewish Theological Seminary of America , the
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism The Religious Action Center (RAC) is the political and legislative outreach arm of Reform Judaism in the United States. The Religious Action Center is operated under the auspices of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, a joint instrum ...
, and the
Jewish Council for Public Affairs The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) is an American Jewish progressive and advocacy group. JCPA was originally founded in 1944 by the Council of Jewish Federations as the umbrella organization for local Jewish advocacy arms known as ...
(previously the National Jewish Relations Advisory Council). Jewish environmentalists are drawn from all branches of religious life, ranging from Rabbi Waskow's organization and The Shalom Center to the Orthodox educational group Canfei Nesharim. The new generation of Jewish environmental organizations, including the farming and food movement, can be traced to the Teva Learning Alliance (formerly the Teva Learning Center), founded in 1994 by Amy Meltzer and Adam Berman at Camp Isabella Freedman in Connecticut to offer outdoor education experiences to Jewish day schools. Teva's initial curriculum drew on resources developed by Camp Tawonga, located in the California redwoods.


2000s

Hazon Hazon ( ) is an American nonprofit organization based in New York City that seeks to "create new vision" in the Jewish community through outdoor and environmental education. It was founded in 2000 by its British-born CEO Nigel Savage. The orga ...
was founded by Nigel Savage in 2000 with an inaugural bike ride across North America to raise money for Jewish environmental causes in North America and Israel. Since then, Hazon has expanded greatly. It has nurtured the Jewish food movement and the campaign to bring awareness of the Sabbatical year to the Jewish community throughout the world. The Adamah Farming Fellowship was also founded in 2003 at IF (now called the Isabella Freedman Retreat Center) by Shamu Sadeh, an alumnus educator of the Teva program. In the past few years, Jewish environmental consciousness has poured itself into the farming movement, sparked by Adamah and the food movement, and focalized by Hazon. Other efforts include Neohasid, founded by Rabbi David Seidenberg in 2005, Wilderness Torah, founded by Zelig Golden in 2009, and Eden Village Camp, first envisioned by Yoni and Vivian Stadlin in 2006 and opened in 2010. The Kayam Farm at Pearlstone, founded in 2006, also organized an annual conference on Jewish agricultural law. ReJews, a
501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...
nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
dedicated to promoting sustainability and social entrepreneurship, began as a 2012 grassroots recycling program founded by Henry Goodelman in an
Aish HaTorah Aish, formerly known as Aish HaTorah (Hebrew: אש התורה, lit. "Fire of the Torah"), is a Jewish educational organization. The focus of Aish is the spread of traditional Jewish religious teachings and culture to Jews around the globe, util ...
residence hall. The project gained early recognition when
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
Deputy Mayor Naomi Tsur publicly commended the student-led effort and encouraged other residents to follow suit. In 2013, Hazon, already the largest Jewish environmental organization in North America, merged with Isabella Freedman. Along with the proliferation of farming programs in North America, and a network of Jewish-community-based CSAs organized by Hazon, a movement has emerged to bring shechitah, kosher slaughter, back to the small farm, using humanely and sustainably-raised animals. Grow and Behold Foods (founded 2010) is the largest commercial purveyor of such meat. There is also wide interest in a kosher certification that would guarantee food is produced in an ethical manner. In 2015, ReJews was highlighted by the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
for its sustainably made, steam-punk designed
Hanukkah menorah A Hanukkah menorah, or hanukkiah, is a nine-branched candelabrum lit during the eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Eight of the nine branches hold lights (candles or oil lamps) that symbolize the eight nights of the holiday; on each night, ...
to highlight the balance between industry and environmentalism. In 2016, ReJews received a grant from the
UJA-Federation of New York UJA-Federation of New York ( United Jewish Appeal⁣ – ⁣ Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, Inc.) is the largest local philanthropy in the world. Headquartered in New York City, the organization raises and allocates funds annual ...
in support of its "
Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. It was an independe ...
Clean Up" event. The same year,
Mishpacha ''Mishpacha'' () - Jewish Family Weekly is a Haredi weekly magazine package produced by The Mishpacha Group in both English and Hebrew. History ''Mishpacha'' is one of the four major English-language newspapers and magazines serving the Hared ...
covered ReJews in their 10 Questions segment, and it was revealed that Blue Moon (beer),
Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...
, and
Walgreens Walgreens is an American pharmacy store chain. It is the second largest in the United States, behind CVS Pharmacy. As of March 2025, the company operated more than 8,700 stores in the U.S. Walgreens has been the subject of a number of lawsuit ...
have participated as sponsors and supporters for the "Chosen Organizations" program. Since 2024, ReJews has been a member of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Integrated Energy Data Resource (IEDR)
Environmental Justice Environmental justice is a social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has gene ...
Stakeholder Working Group, and contributes to state efforts to ensure that clean energy data access and related benefits are equitably extended to disadvantaged and frontline communities. Chosen to participate through NYSERDA's Disadvantaged Communities (DAC) Stakeholder Services Pool, ReJews supports the IEDR initiative's goal of improving the transparency and usability of New York's energy data by helping expand access and enhance functionality for data mapping related to eligibility determinations and the identification of applicable government subsidies.


Israel

In Israel the Heschel Center for Environmental Learning and Leadership, and the Reform movement's Kibbutz Lotan, both founded in 1983, have had a long and lasting impact. In 2001, the Green Zionist Alliance, now called
Aytzim Aytzim (meaning "trees" in Hebrew), formerly the Green Zionist Alliance (GZA), is a New York–based Jewish environmental organization that is a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity. A grassroots all- volunteer organizatio ...
, was founded as the first environmental organization to ever participate the World Zionist Organization and its constituent agencies. Aytzim works from North America to educate and mobilize Jews around the world for Israel's environment and to support Israel's environmental movement. From 2003 through 2008, Rabbi Carmi Wisemon, together with the Ramat Shlomo Community Council, the Israeli Ministry of the Environment, and the Municipality of Jerusalem, produced four journals named the Environment in Jewish Thought and Law, on the intersection between Halacha (Jewish law) and environmentalism written by Orthodox rabbinic scholars. Teva Ivri, founded in 2009 by Einat Kramer, has led the Shmita Yisraelit movement and project. Keren Hashviis, a group that supports Jewish farmers in Israel who obey
Shmita The sabbath year (''shmita''; , literally "release"), also called the sabbatical year or ''shǝvi'it'' (, literally "seventh"), or "Sabbath of The Land", is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah in the Lan ...
laws, was founded in 2013. The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, founded in Jerusalem in 2010 by Rabbi Yonatan Neril, works to promote environmental sustainability through faith-based education and interreligious cooperation. Shorashim/Roots, a peace group founded in 2014 in the West Bank by both Israelis and Palestinians has focused its working on finding common ground on land issues.


United Kingdom

Jewish environmentalism was active in the UK by the early 2000s, when the Noah Project was in operation. The project partnered with the
Board of Deputies of British Jews The Board of Deputies of British Jews, commonly referred to as the Board of Deputies, is the largest and second oldest Jewish communal organisation in the United Kingdom, after the Initiation Society which was founded in 1745. Established in 17 ...
in 2002. The Sadeh Farm in Kent is inspired by the work of Adamah. The ''EcoSynagogue'' initiative advises synagogues throughout the UK on environmental audits and surveys in places of worship.


Australia

There are several organizations promoting environmental work in Australia, including the non-profit ''Jewish Ecological Coalition'' (JECO) organization in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, founded in July 2003. The ''Jewish Sustainability Initiative'' in Sydney that aims to promote the sustainable use of Earth’s natural resources. Others include ''Mazon'' and ''Together for Humanity'' in
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
.


See also

* Christian views on environmentalism * Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life *
Derech HaTeva Derech Hateva (, lit. ''Path of Nature'') is an educational organization in Israel that integrates nature hikes and Jewish learning. History Derech Hateva was founded in 2002 by Yael Ukeles, a New York native and outdoor educator. The program wa ...
* Eden Village Camp *
Environmental issues Environmental issues are disruptions in the usual function of ecosystems. Further, these issues can be caused by humans (human impact on the environment) or they can be natural. These issues are considered serious when the ecosystem cannot recov ...
* Green Zionism * Islamic environmentalism * Jewish Veg *
Jewish vegetarianism Jewish vegetarianism is a commitment to vegetarianism that is connected to Judaism, Jewish ethics or Jewish identity. Jewish vegetarians often cite Jewish principles regarding animal welfare, environmental ethics, moral character, and health as ...
*
Spiritual ecology Spiritual ecology is an emerging field in religion, conservation, and academia that proposes that there is a spiritual facet to all issues related to conservation, environmentalism, and earth stewardship. Proponents of spiritual ecology assert ...
*
Stewardship (theology) Stewardship is a theological belief that humans are responsible for the world, humanity, and the gifts and resources that have been entrusted to us. Believers in stewardship are usually people who believe in one God who created the universe and ...
** Earth stewardship


References


Bibliography

*Alexander Barzel. ''Matsaʻ u-matsav: ʻiyunim bi-tefisat ha-ṭevaʻ ba-maḥashavah ha-Yehudit'' Sifriyat "Helal Ben-Ḥayim". Tel-Aviv: Ha-Ḳibuts Ha-Meʼuḥad, 2004. *Jeremy Benstein. ''The way into Judaism and the environment'' Woodstock, Vt.: Jewish Lights Pub., 2006. ; 978-1-58023-268-5. *Anita Bernstein. ''Formed by Thalidomide: Mass Torts as a False Cure For Toxic Exposure'' Columbia Law Review, November, 1997 *Ellen Bernstein. ''The splendor of creation: a biblical ecology.'' Cleveland: Pilgrim Press, 2005. . *Ellen Bernstein. ''Ecology & the Jewish spirit: where nature and the sacred meet'' Woodstock, Vt.: Jewish Lights Pub., 1998. . *Ellen Bernstein and Dan Fink. ''Let the earth teach you Torah : a guide to teaching Jewish ecological wisdom'' Wyncote, PA: Shomrei Adamah, 1992. . *Matt Biers-Ariel, Deborah Newbrun and Michal Fox Smart. ''Spirit in nature : teaching Judaism and ecology on the trail'' Springfield, NJ: Behrman House, 2000. . *J. J. Boersema. ''Thora en stoa over mens en natuur : een bijdrage aan het milieudebat over duurzaamheid en kwaliteit'' Baarn: Callenbach, 1997. . *Chaya M. Burstein. The kids' catalog of animals and the earth. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 2006. . *Jeremy Cohen. "Be Fertile and Increase, Fill the Earth and Master It": The Ancient and Medieval Career of a Biblical Text. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1989. *Mike Comins. A Wild Faith: Jewish Ways Into Wilderness, Wilderness Ways Into Judaism Woodstock VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2007. *Molly Cone and Roy Doty. ''Listen to the trees : Jews and the earth'' New York: UAHC Press, 1995. . *Irene Diamond and David Mevorach Seidenberg. "Sensuous Minds and the Possibility of a Jewish Ecofeminist Practice." Ethics and the Environment 4:2 (2000), 185-95; repr. as "Recovering the Sensuous through Jewish Ecofeminist Practice." In Arthur Waskow, ed. Torah of the Earth v.2, Woodstock VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2000, 245-260. * Ari Elon, Naomi M. Hyman and Arthur Ocean Waskow. Trees, earth, and Torah: a Tu b'Shvat anthology. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2000. . *Eric G.Freudenstein. "Ecology and the Jewish Tradition." Judaism 19:4 (1970), 406–14; repr. in Milton R. Konvitz, ed. Judaism and Human Rights. New York: W. W. Norton, 1972, 265-74; and Marc Swetlitz, ed. Judaism and Ecology. Philadelphia, PA: Shomrei Adamah, 1990, 29-33. *Manfred Gerstenfeld. ''Judaism, environmentalism, and the environment: mapping and analysis'' Jerusalem: Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies : Rubin Mass, 1998. *Robert Gordis. "Ecology in the Jewish Tradition" Midstream 28: Aug-Sep (1982), 202-21; repr. in Judaic Ethics for a Lawless World. New York: JTS, 1986; and Marc Swetlitz, ed. Judaism and Ecology. Philadelphia, PA: Shomrei Adamah, 1990, 47-52. *Arthur Green. Seek My Face, Speak My Name. New York: Jason Aronson, 1994. *Hadassah and Shomrei Adamah. ''Judaism and ecology: a Hadassah study guide in cooperation with Shomrei Adamah, Keepers of the Earth'' New York, NY: Dept. of Jewish Education, Hadassah, 1993. *Daniel Hillel. ''The natural history of the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
: an environmental exploration of the Hebrew scriptures'' New York: Columbia University Press, 2006. . *Aloys Hüttermann. ''The ecological message of the Torah : knowledge, concepts, and laws which made survival in a land of "milk and honey" possible'' South Florida studies in the history of Judaism. 199, Atlanta, Ga.: Scholars Press, 1999. . *Ronald H. Isaacs. ''The Jewish sourcebook on the environment and ecology'' Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1998. . *Eric Katz, "Faith, God, and Nature: Judaism and Deep Ecology" in Deep Ecology and World Religions: New Essays on Sacred Grounds, eds. David Landis Barnhill, Roger S. Gottlieb (Albany NY: SUNY Press, 2001), 155–61. *David Krantz. "Jewish Energy Guide". New York, NY: Green Zionist Alliance and Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, 2014. *Neal Loevinger, "Judaism, the Bible and Environmental Awareness" (York University, MA thesis, 1993), 36–7, 47–8. *Merkaz ha-Yerushalmi le-ʻinyene tsibur u-medinah and Center for Jewish Community Studies. ''Jewish environmental perspectives'.' Philadelphia, PA: Center for Jewish Community Studies, 2001. *Naḥum Raḳover. Environmental protection: a Jewish perspective. Policy study. 4, Jerusalem: Institute of the
World Jewish Congress The World Jewish Congress (WJC) is an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations, founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 1936. According to its mission statement, the World Jewish Congress's main purpose is to act as ...
, 1996. *Eduardo Rauch et al., eds. Special issues on ecology of The Melton Journal 24 and 25 (1991 & 1992). *Aubrey Rose. ''Judaism and ecology. World religions and ecology''. London, England ; New York, NY, USA: Cassell, 1992. . *Or N. Rose, Jo Ellen Green Kaiser and Margie Klein. ''Righteous indignation: a Jewish call for justice'' Woodstock, Vt.: Jewish Lights Pub., 2007. ; 1-58023-336-8. *Lillian Ross. ''The Judaic roots of ecology'' Miami, Fla. 4200 Biscayne Blvd., Miami 33137: Central Agency for Jewish Education, 1983. *Yiśraʼel Rozenson. Ṿe-Hineh ṭov Meʼod. ha-Sidrah ha-yeruḳah. 2, Yerushalayim: Yeshivat "Bet Orot", 2001. *Daṿid Salomon and Meʼir Zikhl. Ekhut ha-sevivah (eḳologyah) bi-meḳorot ha-Yahadut. Ramat-Gan: Proyeḳṭ ha-sh. u-t. be-Universiṭat Bar-Ilan, 1989. *Earl Schwartz, Barry D. Cytron. ''Who renews creation. (Meḥadesh be-khol yom tamid maʻaśeh ve-reshit)'' New York, N.Y.: National Youth Commission, United Synagogue of
Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, also known as Masorti Judaism, is a Jewish religious movements, Jewish religious movement that regards the authority of Jewish law and tradition as emanating primarily from the assent of the people through the generations ...
, 1993. *Eilon Schwartz. "Bal Tashchit: A Jewish Environmental Precept" in Environmental Ethics 18 (Winter 1997): 355–74 (repr. in Trees, Earth, and Torah, 83–106). *Eilon Schwartz. "Judaism and Nature: Theological and Moral Issues to Consider While Renegotiating a Jewish Relationship to the Natural World" in Judaism 44:4 (1985): 437–47, reprinted in Waskow, Torah of the Earth, vol.2 (see n.22) and Judaism and Environmental Ethics, ed.
Martin Yaffe Martin D. Yaffe (born 1942) is an American people, American philosopher and Professor of Philosophy and Religion Studies at the University of North Texas. He is known for his works on the Jewish thought and political philosophy. Books * ''Shylock ...
(Lanham MD: Lexington Books, 2001), 297–308. *
Richard H. Schwartz Richard H. Schwartz is a professor emeritus of mathematics at the College of Staten Island; president emeritus of the Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA); and co-founder and coordinator of the Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians ...

Judaism and Global Survival
', first published in 1984, 2nd edition by Lantern Books, New York, 2002. *David Mevorach Seidenberg.
Kabbalah and Ecology: God's Image in the More-Than-Human World
'. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015. *Tsevi Shinover and Yitsḥaḳ Goldberg. Ekhut ha-ḥayim ṿeha-sevivah bi-meḳorot ha-Yahadut. Neḥalim: Hotsaʼat "Mofet", 1993. * Nosson Slifkin. Seasons of life: the reflection of the Jewish year in the natural world. Torah universe. Southfield, MI; Nanuet, NY: Targum Press in conjunction with Mishnas Rishonim; Distributed by Feldheim, 1998. . * Ora R. Sheinson. ''Lessons from the Jewish Law of Property Rights for the Modern American Takings Debate''
Columbia Journal of Environmental Law The ''Columbia Journal of Environmental Law'' is a student-run law review published at Columbia University's School of Law. The journal primarily publishes articles, notes, and book reviews discussing environmental law and policy and related sub ...
, 2001 * Ruth Sonshine, Jonathan Reiss, Daniel Pollack, Karen R. Cavanaugh. "Liability For Environmental Damage : An American And Jewish Legal Perspective," ''Temple Environmental Law & Technology'', Fall, 2000 *David E. Stein
''A Garden of Choice Fruit: 200 Classic Jewish Quotes on Human Beings and the Environment''
Wyncote, Pa.: Shomrei Adamah, 1991. . (Link is to the first edition.) *Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, "Judaism", in The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Ecology, ed. Roger S. Gottlieb (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006). *Hava Tirosh-Samuelson. Judaism and ecology: created world and revealed word. Religions of the world and ecology. Cambridge, Mass: Center for the Study of World Religions,
Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the religious studies, academic study of religion or for leadership role ...
, 2002. ; 0-945454-36-8. * Albert Vorspan and David Saperstein. ''Jewish dimensions of social justice : tough moral choices of our time'' New York, NY: UAHC Press, 1998. . * Arthur Ocean Waskow. ''Torah of the earth: exploring 4,000 years of ecology in Jewish thought'' Two volumes. Woodstock, Vt.: Jewish Lights Pub., 2000. ; 1-58023-087-3. *Tony Watling. ''Ecological Imaginations in the World Religions: An Ethnographic Analysis'', London and New York: Continuum International Publishers, 2009. *Carmi Wisemon. "The Environment in Jewish Thought and Law, Volumes I-IV, Sviva Israel, Beit Shemesh 2004-2008 * Martin D. Yaffe. ''Judaism and environmental ethics: a reader'' Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2001. ; 0-7391-0118-8.


Curricula and teaching resources


Food for Thought: Hazon's Sourcebook on Jews, Food & Contemporary LifeDavid Seidenberg, neohasid.org. "The Rainbow Day Curriculum to Celebrate the Rainbow Covenant"The Hazon Shmita Sourcebook
*Noam Dolgin. ''Elijah's Covenant Between the Generations'' - Climate Change Curriculum for Grades 7 - 11, published by the Shalom Center. *Noam Dolgin. ''Whole School Environmental Curriculum'' - Varied environmental instant lessons for Grades 1 - 8, published by Torah Aura. * Nigel Savage & Anna Stevenson. ''Food for Thought: Hazon's Sourcebook on Jews, Food & Contemporary Life'' - Sourcebook on Jewish Food Ethics, published by Hazon.
Jewcology - a broad collection of resources and curricula from many contributors throughout the Jewish environmental movement


External links


A History of Jewish Environmentalism in North America - David Seidenberg, Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature (2005)Coalition On the Environmental and Jewish LifeHazonneohasid.orgAytzimSviva IsraelRadio Interview with Rabbi Daniel B. Fink: Judaism and the Environment
University of Toronto, November 2008.
Wilderness Torah
{{DEFAULTSORT:Judaism And Environmentalism