Beyond Copenhagen: Varied Jewish approaches to unscorching Earth
By Rabbi Arthur Waskow | 12/20/2009
Global Scorching
Jewish Renewal
I am writing from the midst of a great winter storm. It is at moments like this that it is hard to convince our kishkes, our innards, that global “warming” is dangerous. That’s one of the reasons i insist on talking about “global scorching” — more honest to the geological reality and more evocative of the emotional reality.
Copenhagen is over: at the official ...
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The AVATAR film & Tu B'Shvat: the ReBirthDay of trees & The Tree
By Rabbi Arthur Waskow | 1/11/2010
Shemot
Bo
Festivals, Life-cycle, & Climate crisis
Global Scorching
Tu B'Shvat
World Empire
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Dear fellow-seekers for peace and healing of the earth,
[Bottom line for this letter: I urge that multireligious groups together see the new film Avatar this month; learn with me by teleconference ...
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Stop the Senate from Choking EPA & Earth to Death
Climate policy
Action Description:
RIGHT NOW, WRITE YOUR SENATORS to stop the most destructive single action the US Senate could take toward the people of the United States: forbidding the Environmental Protection Agency from regulatingCO2 emissions.
Background Information:
Some Senators, to protect Big Oil and Big Coal from regulation that will save our children’s lives, are planning to choke the life out of EPA and thereby also choke our country and our planet in scorching ...
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Cash for Carbon: New Climate-Crisis Bill
By Rabbi Arthur Waskow | 2/3/2010
Climate policy
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On February 1, 2010, I invested a very useful hour of my time in a national telephone conference call learning the Torah of a new bill to prevent climate disaster that has been nicknamed “cap-and-dividend” — a bill introduced by Senators Maria Cantwell (Dem, WA) and Susan Collins (Rep, Maine) that is very different from the present “cap-and0-trade” bills. .
The ...
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Oil & Obama: "Chill, Baby, Chill!" -- NOT "Drill, baby, drill."
By Rabbi Arthur Waskow | 4/2/2010
Climate policy
NOT "Drill, baby, drill."
That was some other politician's mantra. And there is a double meaning here: more oil drilling will scorch and burn the planet more, when what we need is cooling it down.
What's with Obama?
The President has run true to form in his announcement of ending the moratorium on off-shore drilling in part of the Atlantic Coast.
Some reports suggest he did this ...
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US Climate Policy: Support for CLEAR Cantwell-Collins bill: "Cap & dividend"
By Rabbi Arthur Waskow | 4/22/2010
Climate policy
The Shalom Center has joined in the letter below to US Senators from a number of faith-based organizations, supporting the Cantwell-Collins CLEAR bill (nicknamed “cap-and-dividend”). The bill itself and our reasons for supporting it are explained in the letter.
Marked with asterisks below is a passage added to the letter at the specific urging of The Shalom Center.
A number of non-faith...
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GOD’S EARTH IS NOT FOR BURNING
By Rabbi Arthur Waskow | 5/4/2010
Global Scorching
Tisha B'Av
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The oil-well disaster on the Gulf Coast of the United States may seem utterly the product of modern technology. But there are many teachings in Torah about precisely the spiritual failings that give rise to such disasters. The Jewish community could now take those teachings far more seriously and act far more vigorously to prevent such disasters than it has so ...
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Grief, Hope, Action: Tisha B'Av for the Earth
By Rabbi Arthur Waskow | 6/9/2010
Climate policy
Festivals, Life-cycle, & Climate crisis
Tisha B'Av
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"It's an infusion of oil and gas unlike anything else that has ever been seen anywhere, certainly in human history," said Samantha Joye of the University of Georgia, the expedition leader. [NY Times June 9, 2010.]
For two brief video teachings that move ...
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אתר טבע עברי מציע לכם שפע של פעילויות, דפי לימוד ומערכי שיעור לכבוד ט"ו בשבט
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Materials developed by Noam Dolgin and the Teva Learning Center
All content is subject to the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. (Ie. Tell other where you got it from and don't sell it)
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Objective: To practice political and personal expression;
To support campaigns that will help mitigate climate change.
Duration: 30 minutes
Materials: Used cardboard, Posterboard, Paper, Pens, Markers, Computers, if available
Background:
This is a program to help students implement a comprehensive greening strategy in your synagogue. It should not be completed until after students have learned about climate change and chosen a greening project to implement.
Procedure
1. Divide the students into four advocacy groups, with at least one student ...
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Goal: To empower students to chose one project that they can take on as a class to be part of the “green synagogue” initiative
Duration: 15 - 40 minutes
Materials: Flip Chart, Dry Erase Board, Markers
In advance of this project, consult with the synagogue greening committee and find a project or selection of projects for theses students. Projects should be synagogue specific. Good easily achievable projects include:
Changing all light bulbs to low energy compact fluorescent
Arranging a carpool board or list serve for the ...
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Goals: To explore the meaning and history of the bitchot haschar (blessing of the dawn)
To wake up our body, mind and spirit.
Audience: All ages
Duration: 5 - 15 minutes
Materials: Suddurim (prayer books) -
Birchot hashachar can be found in every siddur (Artscroll p19, Sim Shalom p10)
Background:
These Blessing were once said at home immediately upon arising (see Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Prayer), but were integrated into the regular morning prayer service out of concern that they were not being said at home.
The blessings move ...
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By Dr. Akiva Wolff
View a Printable Version | View a Source Sheet
One of the best-recognized descriptions of the land of Israel is “a land flowing with milk and honey."[1] This ...
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By Dr. Akiva Wolff
View a Printable Version | View a Source Sheet
Our Torah portion begins with the following words:
Behold I set before you today a blessing and a curse; a blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your G-d, which I command you this day, and a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your G-d, but turn ...
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Goals:
To teach the students about the interconnectedness and interdependency of all nature including humans
To explore breath and the oxygen cycle as a basis for this interconnectedness
To explore the breath of life as expressed in Jewish prayer
Duration: 25 minutes
Materials: String or Yarn; Index cards or construction paper; Markers or colored pencils
Background:
The Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide exchange made by plants and animals is just one of many interactions that tie all creation together. In this activity, we will explore how parts of ...
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Use this worksheet to discuss how each of us can work to protect water in our regions and globally.
Procedure:
1. Distribute one worksheet to each participant.
2. Read the opening paragraphs aloud. Allow students to discuss or ask questions of each paragraph if appropriate.
3. Explain the concept of Brit, covenant or contract, like Abraham made with God.
4. Read the Brit aloud (if time permits)
5. Direct students to choose one item from each list and to commit to these actions for at least the next month.
Materials developed by ...
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Attached is a series of source sheets on water and rain in Jewish thought, ritual and prayer.
The topic has been divided into 3 main themes:
1. Water in torah and prayer
2. Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and water libations
3. Jewish values of pollution prevention
Materials developed by Noam Dolgin, www.noamdolgin.com.
All content is subject to the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. (Ie. Tell other where you got it from and don't sell it)
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Attached is an extensive source and discussion sheet for the question of whether jewish values support or oppose the genetic engineering of foods.
The topic has been divided into 6 Jewish themes, in my view each theme seems to give it's own opinion on how Judiasm views this topic, and the overall picture is complicated. But that is how it is with good Jewish debate.
Themes for Discussion:
1. Whose world is it? Do we have the right to manipulate Creation?
2. Importance of individual species in Jewish texts / Halacha (Laws) of Kilayim
3. ...
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