Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld

Judaism and Environment

The interaction of Judaism with environmental issues is multi-faceted. It includes many religious, philosophical, sociological, political, economic and cultural aspects. What we now call "environmental" themes abound in classical Jewish sources. Many core elements of contemporary environmental concern were already expressed in the wisdom of the Torah and its legal and narrative texts. The Talmud, the Midrash literature and the rabbinical responsa contain many tens of thousands of environmental references.

The interrelation between Judaism and environmental issues is, as yet, poorly understood, however. The development of the emerging discipline of Jewish Environmental Studies can contribute to much more than scientific progress alone. It can stimulate and enrich environmental activism and discourse in Israel and amongst world Jewry. It will also enable Judaism to participate as a more articulate partner in the developing inter-faith discussion.

Books

Echut ha Sviva ba Masoret ha Yehudit: Olam Bar Kayma
(The Environment in the Jewish Tradition: A Sustainable World)
(Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, Center for Environmental Policy, 2002)



















Judaism, Environmentalism and the Environment
(Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies and Rubin Mass, 1998)



















Papers on Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) Web Site

  1. The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and the Environment
    (Tevet 5762, January 2002)
  2. Jewish Environmental Studies: A New Field
    (April 2001)
  3. The Ultra-Orthodox Community and Environmental Issues
    co-authored with Avraham Wyler
    (Tishrei 5760, October 1999)
  4. Neo-Paganism in the Public Square and Its Relevance to Judaism
    (From the Jewish Political Studies Review, Volume 11:3-4 Fall 1999)
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
Beit Milken, 13 Tel Hai St., Jerusalem 92107, Israel
Tel. 972-2-5619281; Fax. 972-2-5619112
http://www.jcpa.org
jcenter@jcpa.org

Other papers

  1. Was uns Noah zu sagen hat
    Die Welt (German, Nov 16, 2000)
  2. "And You Shall Subdue the Earth" - Is Judaism Environmentally Friendly
    Also in PDF format
    JCT Perspective 2002 (Spring 2002)
  3. Zionism and the Environment,
    Also in PDF format
    Midstream (December 2001)
  4. Development of Environmental Halakha
    Seminar on Contemporary Environmental Problems Through a Jewish Lens
    Also in PDF format
    Machon Lev, The Center for Judaism and the Environment (January 8, 2001)
  5. The Source Code of Creation - Technology and Jewish Life
    With Avraham Wyler, Based on a lecture given at the Seventh Conference on Torah and Science,
    Also in PDF format
    Held at Bar Ilan University (April 2000)
  6. Judaism and the Environment
    Also in PDF format
    Hans Bachrach Memorial Oration (February 20, 2000)


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Aug 8, 2002 (was May 6, 2002)