Judaism
OVERVIEW
Founded nearly 4,000 years ago in the Middle East, Judaism is the oldest of the Western monotheistic religions. Jews believe in one God who revealed Himself through ancient prophets. They believe God has a special relationship – the covenant – with the Jewish people. The Jewish sacred text is called the Tanakh or the 'Hebrew Bible', and includes the Torah (the first five books of the Tanakh) which outlines laws for Jews to follow. ​
Today, Jews make up around 0.2% of the global population, and mostly live in Israel, which became an independent Jewish nation state in 1948, and the the United States.
'But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?'
– Book of Job, 12: 6-10, the Tanakh
COMMON GROUND
Jewish beliefs & values share much common ground with conservation.
Love: The Jewish attitude to nature is based on the belief that the universe is the work of the Creator. Love of God includes love of all His creations: the inanimate, plants, animals and humans. God created nature in all its beauty, and Maimonides writes that appreciating the glory of creation is a way of connecting to the Creator.
Mercy: The Bible informs us that the earth is given to man ‘to use and protect’. But the ‘dominion’ mentioned in the Bible is not the dominion of a tyrant. God’s mercy extends to all He has created, as is written, ‘the earth is founded upon mercy’.
Ban on destruction: Jewish teachings prohibit the destruction of anything from which humans may benefit. This applies to animals, plants, and even inanimate objects. Even in times of war, the Bible forbids the destruction of fruit-bearing trees. Jewish sages compared the death of a tree to the departure of a person's soul from his body:
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​‘When people cut down the wood of a tree that yields fruit, its cry goes from one end of the world to the other, and the sound is inaudible… When the soul departs from the body, the cry goes forth from one end of the world to the other, and the sound is inaudible’ (Pirkei de’Rabbi Eliezer 34)
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NB this page is still under construction
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STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Find partners
Groups working on Jewish beliefs and conservation
Adamah (formerly Hazon) – The largest faith-based environmental organisation in the US
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The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life – stewardship and protection of the Earth through outreach, activism, and Jewish learning
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Shomrei Adamah – The first national Jewish environmental organisation
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Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD) – founded in 2010 to identify the connection between religion and ecology and mobilise faith communities to act.
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Jewish Eco Seminars (JES), a branch of ICSD, engages and educates the Jewish community by revealing the powerful connection between modern Israel, ecological innovation, and Jewish values.
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Jewish Ecological Coalition (JECO) – Based in Australia, JECO creates resources, organises forums and promotes networking on sustainable living and climate change
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The Shalom Center – Equipping activists and spiritual leaders with awareness and skills needed to lead in shaping a transformed and transformative Judaism
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American Jewish World Service – Promoting civil and political rights including land, water and climate justice
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Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action – building a movement to confront the climate crisis, rooted in Jewish values, experience, and spirit
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Jewish Climate Action Network – Mobilising communities to take leadership in bold climate campaigns
Get started
Key guidance documents
Interested in getting a collaboration or a project going with a faith community but not sure where to start? Check out these key guidance documents.
