Judaism and the Environmentby Paul Pickett At its 1998 shareholders meeting, the officers and board of the Maxxam Corporation were faced by a fervent band of environmental protesters. In 1986 Maxxam had completed a hostile take-over of the Pacific Lumber Company, and in the ensuing years environmentalists had fought to protect the Headwaters Forest -- an area of pristine old-growth redwoods on Pacific Lumber land that is home to endangered owls, murrelets, and salmon. As reported in Sierra magazine, environmental speakers spoke at the Maxxam shareholders meeting to call for corporate responsibility and protection of the Headwaters Forest. One of the speakers was Rabbi Lester Scharnberg, who challenged Maxxam's board to consider the moral implications of its operations, and to base its decisions on ethics as well as profits. For Rabbi Sharnberg, protecting the environment using the moral foundations of Judaism was not new. He led protests over the previous three years that included letters to Maxxam CEO Charles Hurwitz challenging him to evaluate his company's actions in light of religious belief, and direct actions in the redwoods with tree planting and Jewish prayers. And for Rabbi Sharnberg and other Jews, protecting the environment continues a tradition thousands of years old. In the Bible, numerous references point to an ethic of environmental responsibility. In the Jewish tradition, these have been organized into several main themes. One theme is the respect and compassion for all life, especially animals. The Ten Commandments sets aside the Sabbath as a day of rest for animals as well as humans. The commentator Nachmanides over 700 years ago interpreted a passage from Deuteronomy as a call for the protection of all species. Another theme is a prohibition against being destructive or wasteful. Biblical guidelines call for the conservation of soil and trees. The principle of the sabbatical year was one of the earliest examples of letting fields go fallow, which science has proven to be a valuable component of sustainable agriculture. A verse in Deuteronomy prohibits the cutting of fruit trees during a siege, which has been extrapolated to a general respect for trees. In fact, the Jewish holiday "Tu B'shvat" is celebrated each winter as the "New Year's of the Trees" with a special meal of fruits and nuts. A third theme is protection of the human body, which traditionally included health and dietary laws. Prohibitions against disease and poisons are easily transferred to toxics and food additives. In fact, over the last few decades a movement termed "Eco-kosher" has arisen, which calls for the expansion of Jewish dietary laws to include environmental and social justice issues. Keeping "eco-kosher" means caring about how food is grown, both in terms of organic farming and providing fair pay to farm workers. Food should be pure, without additives and artificial chemicals, and it's important to follow a healthy, balanced diet. Food animals should be treated humanely, but vegetarianism may be a preferred ethical position. Several Jewish organizations have put the environmental side of Judaism into action. The Coalition on Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) is a national umbrella group of Jewish organizations that is part of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment. Projects include developing policy updates, developing educational materials, and providing training. COEJL has provided support for the Headwaters protest and has called for ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on global climate change. Shomrei Adamah or "Keepers of the Earth" is another national organization supporting protection of the environment through the Jewish religious tradition. Shomrei Adamah operates the Teva Learning Center in upstate New York, publishes educational materials and provides training in environmental education for a Jewish perspective. For more information:
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