Sukkot and the Health of the Earth
Top of the Crop
This past Shabbat we observed the High Holy Day of Yom Kippur. Many of us spent the holiday fasting and thinking of ways in which we could make changes in ourselves to do “tshuvah” or “return” to make a stronger connection with God, and living a Jewish life focused on the protection of God’s Creation. (Check out last week’s To Till and To Tend blog:”Seeking Forgiveness for Our Transgressions” on the topic of Yom Kippur.) Now, with the harvest holiday of Sukkot arriving, we find another opportunity to return and reconnect with Creation, and the blessings our land and water provide. Sukkot and its relationship to the natural world and water have been discussed for centuries. Recently, Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Shalom Center spoke of Sukkot on this topic saying, “The festival [Sukkot] is focused on the health of the earth, the interplay of all life which brings the harvest that feeds us all. In the ancient Temple, there was a ceremony of offering water on the first day – pouring it into a sacred spout right next to the Altar. Rabbi Akiba taught that our pouring water was intended to remind God to pour water – that is, to send the rain so crucial to the arid Middle East.” So Sukkot is a powerful moment to affirm healing and protection of the earth. Take one of the seven days to write your local newspaper about the need to preserve the power of the EPA to limit CO2 emissions — despite efforts by Big Coal and Big Oil to cripple the EPA.”
The Slick
The Blown-out BP well Pronounced Dead on Yom Kippur
While the holiday of Yom Kippur was being observed by Jews around the globe this past Saturday, the cement injected into the bottom of BP’s blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico was being pressure tested. U.S. officials formally declared an end to the worst oil spill in U.S. history Sunday, a milestone that followed nearly five months of dashed hopes and blistering criticism of BP leadership and many others involved. The disaster began April 20, when an explosion killed 11 workers, and sank the drilling rig leading to the oil spill, and environmental and economic devastation. (CNN)
The Oil Spill’s Money Squeeze on Environmental Science
Despite the potential significance of studying the long-term effects of the oil and dispersant spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, research money has either run out or become tied up in red tape. The discovery of oil droplets in larval fish and evidence of stress and even genetic damage in plankton exposed to the spill have caused great concern for industry and biologists alike. Many scientists across the Gulf Coast are racing to analyze the BP oil spill’s effects, but there are few places to turn for funding help. “Independent research is being squeezed by federal agencies on one side and BP on the other,” said Dr. Harriet M. Perry, the director of the fisheries program at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, whose only offer of help has come from BP (she declined). “It’s difficult for the fishing community and the environmentalists to understand why we are not receiving the money that we need.” The only federal agency to distribute any significant grant money for oil spill research, the National Science Foundation, is out of money until the next fiscal year begins Oct. 1st, and BP’s $500 mil in funds have become mired in a political fight over control. (NY Times)
Community News and Views
Upcoming Webinar on “The Story of Noah and its Relationship to Climate Change”
October 7th at 10:30 AM EST
By focusing on the Torah portion and story of Noah as a parable, we will seek to reach out to Jews about how we can be active as a community in responding to climate change by having an engaging discussion on the issues with experts on climate policy and science, as well as Jewish life. This webinar is part of a broader series of events leading up to the Jewish reading of the Torah portion of Noah on October 9th and the secular www.350.org global day of action on October 10th. Speakers for the webinar are as follows: Dina Kruger, Director of EPA’s Climate Change Division, Rabbi Saul J. Berman, Stern College Professor and Orthodox rabbi, and Ken Mankoff, scientist and public speaker formally of Columbia University NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and the Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. This webinar is one of numerous programs being conducted by diverse Jewish groups with different types of audiences in mind during the same time period. The webinar will be open to the general public but focused on the Jewish communities and their leadership.
Check out the Shabbat Noach Resource Guide from the Green Chevre
COEJL has compiled a resource guide around Shabbat Noach with information from a network of leading Jewish environmental organizations including: Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Canfei Nesharim, Hazon, the Shalom Center, and the JRF and the Reconstructionist Movement. Visit the resource page here. Learn more and share it with your community.
Join COEJL and Hazon in a day of action!
Help as we team up with StopOil! and 350.org on 10/10/10 to paint schools roofs in Harlem. White rooftops reflect more sunlight than black rooftops do, reducing roof temperatures by 60 degrees and indoor temperatures by 10 to 20 degrees. This saves the need for energy-wasting AC. Mayor Bloomberg jump-started the “NYC Cool Roofs” program in 2009, in order to help NYC achieve a PlanNYC goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030. Come be a part of this day of climate change action, education, and community building. Please RSVP to climate@hazon.org if you are interested. More details to follow.
Green Israel Summit 4: Green Renewal Shabbat!
(Green Zionism)
When: Shabbat Noach, Oct. 8 — 10, 2010
Where: Eden Village Camp, just north of New York City
Who: Young Jewish environmentalists, ages 18-40
As we read about the Biblical flood and the renewal of the earth on Shabbat Noach, we will learn how to renew ourselves and the environment. Celebrate Shabbat Noach with stories, lectures and discussions in a welcoming, pluralistic setting. Explore the Jewish back-to-the-land movement and what Zionism means today. Learn about energy conservation, population growth, suburban sprawl, Negev preservation, and environmentalism during a time of war. Meet other young Jewish environmentalists from across North America. Green Israel Summit (GIS) 4 is run by the Green Zionist Alliance and co-sponsored by COEJL, the American Zionist Movement and Hazon.
Arava Institute for Environmental Studies “With Earth and Each Other: A Virtual Rally for a Better Middle East,”
On November 14th, the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies based at Kibbutz Ketura (www.arava.org) is hosting “With Earth and Each Other: A Virtual Rally for a Better Middle East,” with top speakers and performers, celebrating AIES’s groundbreaking work and its larger commitment to both ecological and communal coexistence. Visit www.withearthandeachother.org for more information.
Boston COEJL Works with the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts to “Pledge to Green”
In conjunction with the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts, Boston COEJL has been conducting a “Pledge to Green” drive among state synagogues. Thus far, 29 synagogues have pledged with more expected. Those who have not yet pledged will be contacted after the holidays as the council is seeking 100% participation. Some of the tips recommended to the synagogues have been simple money saving green efforts such as the “three basics”: recycling, changing light bulbs to CFLs, and using power strips that you can plug everything into and shut off when leaving (these last two steps are guaranteed to cut your electric bill by half within the first month!). For more tips, please check out Boston COEJL’s Green Guide at http://bostoncoejl.org/rich_text_2.html.
