Environmental Issues Garnering Advanced Place on Jewish Agenda

The tree, a recurring symbol in Jewish life, gets special attention on Tu B’Shevat, the New Year’s Day of the Trees.

Traditional activities for the holiday, which falls on Jan. 27 this year, include planting trees in Israel.

However, Tu B’Shevat “is not merely the Jewish Arbor Day,” said Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, in New York.

“If the Earth is the Lord’s, as the Torah tells us it is, it is then highly appropriate that we set aside a day to celebrate that fact,” said Schorsch.

But concern for the Earth is not limited to a single holiday.

A broad-based interfaith effort, the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, is playing an active role in addressing environmental issues and concerns that confront society.

“Ancient faith communities are hereby resolving to integrate a new world historical challenge throughout all dimensions of religious life,” leaders of the partnership said in a statement.

This new challenge not only contributes to global justice and sustenance but is “an affirmation of what it must mean from now on to be truly and fully religious,” the partnership leaders said.

Jewish groups are active in the partnership through the Consultation on the Environment and Jewish Life, which began its work two years ago when more than 100 leaders from the four religious streams of Judaism met to initiate a unified Jewish response to the environmental crisis.

The Jewish groups most involved with this project are the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; the Jewish Theological Seminary, which is the spiritual center of Conservative Judaism in America; and the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council, the umbrella organization of local Jewish community relations councils.

These groups, along with the National Council of Churches, the U.S. Catholic Conference and the Evangelical Environmental Network, comprise the broad coalition of religious groups that represent more then 100 million Americans.

Some 53,000 congregations of major faiths are involved in a $4.5 million program to make people aware of environmental problems and of ways to incorporate environmental concerns into religious life.

“Our hope over the duration of the program of three years is to raise the environmental consciousness,” said Annette Lawrence of NJCRAC, the project coordinator.

Several projects are being organized to inform and train people on dealing with environmental issues.

The Religious Action Center will be distributing more than 5,000 education kits “to introduce the community to the scientific and Jewish standpoint and the Jewish connection to environmental issues,” said Leland Malkus of the center.

A leadership training program for clergy and lay leadership will follow, including an environmental curriculum for every Jewish seminary.

Legislative updates and the creation this spring of a “1-800-Green Congregation Hotline” will advise people about environmental activities.

Lawrence of NJCRAC said involvement in environmental issues was prompted when a group of “eminent scientists approached religious communities.”

“Scientist understand what is going on,” said Lawrence, but the group of prominent scientists said that “it is necessary for you people in the religious community” to speak out.

Although the Jewish agenda is crowded with demands, such as preserving the community, aiding Jews from the former Soviet Union and supporting Israel, the environment cannot be ignored.

“The environmental issue is also an important Jewish issue,” said Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center.

“The quality of the physical well-being of the Earth will affect our lives and the lives of our children,” he said.

Paul Gorman, executive director of the partnership, said: “Individual faith groups will craft their own respective contributions to this common effort. Progress will be gradual and cumulative.

“But how people of faith engage the environmental crisis will have much to do with the future well-being of the planet,” he said, “and in all likelihood, with the future of religious life as well.”