A Jewish Response to the Environmental Crisis

Issued by the Consultation on the Environment and Jewish Life, Washington, DC March 10, 1992

We, American Jews of every denomination, from diverse organizations and differing political perspectives, are united in deep concern that the quality of human life and the earth we inhabit are in danger, afflicted by rapidly increasing ecological threats. Among the most pressing of these threats are: depletion of the ozone layer, global warming, massive deforestation, the extinction of species and loss of biodiversity, poisonous deposits of toxic chemical and nuclear wastes, and exponential population growth. We here affirm our responsibility to address this planetary crisis in our personal and communal lives.

For Jews, the environmental crisis is a religious challenge. As heirs to a tradition of stewardship that goes back to Genesis and that teaches us to be partners in the ongoing work of Creation, we cannot accept the escalating destruction of our environment and its effect on human health and livelihood. Where we are despoiling our air, land and water, it is our sacred duty as Jews to acknowledge our God-given responsibility and take action to alleviate environmental degradation and the pain and suffering that it causes. We must reaffirm and bequeath the tradition we have inherited which calls upon us to safeguard humanity's home.

We have convened this unprecedented consultation in Washington, DC, to inaugurate a unified Jewish response to the environmental crisis. We pledge to carry to our homes, communities, congregations, organizations, and workplaces the urgent message that air, land, water, and living creatures are endangered. We will draw our people's attention to the timeless texts that speak to us of God's gifts and expectations. This Consultation represents a major step towards:

• mobilizing our community toward energy efficiency, the reduction and recycling of wastes, and other practices which promote environmental sustainability;
• initiating environmental education programs in settings where Jews gather to learn, particularly among young people;
• pressing for appropriate environmental legislation at every level of government and in international forums;
• convening business and labor leaders to explore specific opportunities for exercising environmental leadership;
• working closely in these endeavors with scientists, educators, representatives of environmental groups, Israelis and leaders from other religious communities.

Our agenda is already overflowing. Israel's safety, the resettlement of Soviet Jewry, anti-semitism, the welfare of our people in many nations, the continuing problems of poverty, unemployment, hunger, health care, and education, as well as assimilation and intermarriage -- all these and more have engaged us and engage us still.

But the ecological crisis hovers over all Jewish concerns, for the threat is global, advancing, and ultimately jeopardizes ecological balance and the quality of life. It is imperative, then, that environmental issues also become an immediate, ongoing, and pressing concern for our community.