Repairing the World

Mobilizing Jews to Protect the Environment

This Hanukkah, in a season of rededication, let us dedicate ourselves to repairing the world through protecting our environment.

What’s Jewish about caring for the environment? This is a core question that we, as leaders of Jewish organizations, ask ourselves all the time. The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) was formed at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) in 1993 to face humanity’s looming environmental crisis and to mobilize the Jewish community to protect God’s creation. Inspired by the Jewish traditions of stewardship, respect for God’s creatures, injunctions not to be wasteful and traditions of social justice, our shared mission is to unite the Jewish community in environmental efforts.

For the past 10 years, we have focused more and more on climate change and energy security as part of our commitment to the notion of tikkun olam, repairing that which is broken in the world, a central value in modern Jewish life. As it says in a Jewish commentary on the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes:

“When God created the first human beings, God led them around the Garden of Eden and said: ‘Look at my works! See how beautiful they are – how excellent! For your sake, I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it.’” (Midrash Kohelet Rabbah, 1 on Ecclesiastes 7:13)

This inspires the urgent need to transform the world’s energy sources and to reduce fossil fuel consumption. As Jews, along with all Americans who care about these issues, we are constantly reminded of our responsibility to care for the most vulnerable and to be aware that those who have contributed the least to causing climate change often suffer the most from its impacts. We are also particularly aware that reducing dependence on oil from unfriendly and repressive regimes is an important national security goal.

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Looking for that perfect BPA-free or organic gift for the new baby?

David Greene, owner of Livegreene, a store in Palo Alto, has put together a list of products that are organic, recycled, repurposed, and, of course, BPA-free.

For eating and drinking at home and on the go:

BPA-free, recycled plastic baby bottles and sippy cups
Stainless steel snack containers and water bottles (with BPA-free plastic sippy cup tops)
BPA-free plastic toddler dishes, cutlery and cups made from recycled yogurt containers and milk jugs
Non-toxic ice packs with covers made from recycled soda bottles
Sandwich wraps made from reusable and recyclable plastic
Lunch bags made from organic cotton
Reusable bamboo utensils

For wearing:

Organic (never been treated with pesticides) cotton “onesies,” caps, mittens and booties
Child-size cashmere-like gloves made from mechanically manufactured bamboo (as opposed to chemically manufactured bamboo, which is rayon)

For playing:

Stroller and cuddle toys made from organic cotton
Toys made from repurposed industrial scaps of natural materials
Toys made from rubber wood, which does not splinter and is sustainably grown and harvested.
Toys made from recycled plastic
Toys made from recycled cardboard and soy-based inks
Toys made from bamboo

For creating:

Recycled crayons
Low volatile organic compound glue
Glue sticks made from almond (they smell like marzipan)
Biodegradable play clay scented with organic essential oils
All-natural botanical watercolor paints
Colored pencils made from recycled newspapers
100% recycled construction and drawing paper

Your Hanukkah Gifts Can Potentially Help Our Planet

Are you familiar with the Rainforest Site?

The Rainforest Site is proud to be partnered with two nonprofit land trust organizations that are making important strides in the protection of some of the most majestic and imperiled forests on the planet. Dedicated to identifying habitats in jeopardy and developing creative approaches to protecting them, these leaders in conservation benefit from your clicks at The Rainforest Site.

If you're planning on purchasing Hanukkah gifts this year, the Rainforst Site is partnered with The GreaterGood Network, a family of websites that provide simple, effective, feel-good ways to directly help people, animals, and the planet.

See how your gifts can help fight hunger, disease, illiteracy and can help the planet.

Ten Jewish Teachings on Judaism and Environmentalism

 By Rabbi Lawrence Troster

1. God created the universe.

This is the most fundamental concept of Judaism. Its implications are that only God has absolute ownership over Creation (Gen. 1-2, Psalm 24:1, I Chron. 29:10-16). Thus Judaism’s worldview is theocentric not anthropocentric. The environmental implications are that humans must realize that they do not have unrestricted freedom to misuse Creation, as it does not belong to them. Everything we own, everything we use ultimately belongs to God. Even our own selves belong to God. As a prayer in the High Holiday liturgy proclaims, “The soul is Yours and the body is your handiwork.” As we are “sojourners with You, mere transients like our ancestors; our days on earth are like a shadow…” (I Chronicles 29:15), we must always consider our use of Creation with a view to the larger good in both time (responsibility to future generations) and space (others on this world). We must also think beyond our own species to that of all Creation.

2. God’s Creation is good.

In Genesis 1: 31 when God found all of Creation as “very good” it means several things. First of all it means that Creation is sufficient, structured and ordered (the rabbis called it Seder Bereishit, the Order of Creation). It is also harmonious. It exists to serve God (Psalm 148). This order reflects God’s wisdom (Psalm 104:24), which is beyond human understanding (Psalm 92:6-7, Job 38-39). All of God’s creations are consequently part of the Order of Creation and all are subject to its nature (Psalm 148). Humans are also part of the Order, which can be said to be a community of worshipers.

3. Human beings are created in the image of God

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