FORESTS

Jewish Position on Protecting Forests

In Genesis we learn that "God put the human being in the Garden of Eden l’ovdah (to serve/till) u’l’shomrah (and to guard/tend it).” Genesis 2:15.  Judaism calls on us to serve as protectors and defenders of God's magnificent creations. In a brief moment in the life of our planet, we have destroyed all but a remnant of the ancient forests. It is our duty to safeguard and weave together this patchwork of remnants as best we can as our legacy for generations to come. 

In order to fulfill this obligation, the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), a coalition of 29 national Jewish organizations spanning the spectrum of American Jewish religious and communal life, advocates that public lands should be managed to preserve and restore biological diversity, and that government should not subsidize logging, mining, or grazing on public lands. Furthermore, such activities should be immediately suspended in all old-growth forests and other threatened habitats on public lands. The protection of roadless areas is a necessary step in achieving these objectives.

• Policy Platform of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA)
• Resolution of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR)
• Statement of Mark X. Jacobs, COEJL Executive Director
• Testimony of COEJL Representatives at U.S. Forest Service Hearings

STATEMENT OF MARK X. JACOBS, COEJL FOUNDING DIRECTOR
In a brief moment in the life of our planet, we have destroyed all but a remnant of the ancient forests that once graced the American landscape... For thousands of years, Jewish tradition has taught that the earth does not belong to humans, but to God... COEJL believes that protecting remaining roadless areas in National Forests is a vital strategy in preserving, and eventually restoring, biodiversity in North America…On behalf of the organized American Jewish community, COEJL urges the Forest Service to fulfill the President's vision by protecting all roadless areas in National Forests from logging, mining, or grazing and other destructive activities on public lands. Further, the Forest Service should permanently protect the Tongass National Forest, our nation's largest national forest, and largest remaining temperate rain forest on the planet... If implemented in a comprehensive manner, the roadless forest initiative represents an extraordinary opportunity for us to fulfill our obligation as tenants in God's world, preventing destruction of the last remaining wild forests and creating a legacy of fully protected forest ecosystems. -- New York, NY June 22, 2000.
Click here for the full statement.

POLICY PLATFORM OF THE JEWISH COUNCIL FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS (JCPA)
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs supports the establishment of a system of interconnected, strictly protected biological preserves on land, in fresh water, and in the sea; the management of both public and private lands to preserve and restore biological diversity; and a strengthened Endangered Species Act... In October 1999, President Clinton instructed the Forest Service to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement concerning the preservation of roadless areas in National Forests across the nation. The initiative may protect as many as 60 million of the 192 million acres in the national forest system from logging and other commercial development. The Administration is expected to issue a final policy before the end of 2000. The Alaskan Congressional delegation is likely to put tremendous pressure on the Administration to exclude from the policy the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, the largest and one of the most pristine national forests. The organized Jewish community will be called upon to join coalition partners to ensure that the final policy not only covers all national forests but that it maximizes the acreage of old growth forest habitats off limits to all damaging activities, including logging, mining, oil drilling, and road-building. -- "JCPA Agenda for Public Affairs 2000-2001."

RESOLUTION OF THE CENTRAL CONFERENCE OF AMERICAN RABBIS (CCAR)
Judaism teaches that we have a sacred obligation to the Creator, to Creation, and to future generations to safeguard and protect Earth's ecosystems. Before the Flood, Noah and his family protected at least two of every animal species, enabling all creatures to make safe passage from one era of human history to the next. After the Flood, God said to Noah: "Behold, I establish My covenant with you, and with your seed after you, and with every living creature that is with you, of the birds, of the cattle, and of every wild animal of the earth with you" (Genesis 9:9).... Our heritage calls on us to serve as protectors and defenders of God's magnificent creations, ensuring safe passage of all creatures from one era to the next by protecting their habitats. It is our duty--as people of faith, and citizens of our nation, our world, and our biosphere--to safeguard and weave together the patchwork of remnant forests as best we can…..Therefore, the Central Conference of American Rabbis calls upon the federal government to... protect roadless areas in National Forests in a manner that protects all roadless areas over 1,000 acres, including those in Alaska, from all logging, mining, and other commercial use;...and end all subsidies for logging and mining on public lands and immediately suspend all such activities in all old-growth forests and other threatened habitats on public lands. -- "Protecting Ancient Forest Ecosystems," March 2000.
Click here for the full statement.

TESTIMONY OF COEJL REPRESENTATIVES AT U.S. FOREST SERVICE HEARINGS
"The Jewish religion values continuity. Our traditions have been passed down from generation to generation for the last 35 centuries... We should be passing unspoiled wilderness and viable populations of every single species to future generations." - Dr. Daniel Ziskin, Jews of the Earth, Golden, CO, June 20, 2000.

For myself and other members of the religious community involved in forest and environmental protection, the fate of our forests is a religious, moral, and spiritual concern. It is about our responsibility to the Creator, to future generations, and to other species...As it says in Midrash Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13 "The Holy Blessed One took the first human, and passing before all the trees of the Garden of Eden, said, 'See my works, how fine and excellent they are! All that I created, I created for you. Reflect on this, and do not corrupt or desolate my world; for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you.'" - Ari Gilbert, COEJL/Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Arlington, VA, June 26, 2000.

Whether you believe in God, the Creator, the Great Spirit, the Universe: we have responsibilities as human beings to steward the land. God created the earth in 6 days. Humans were created on the 6th day. You can look at this as a superior situation, but the birds, animals, oceans and skies came first. As human beings we are obligated to maintain the health and viability of this world. - Gail Abend, Las Vegas COEJL-Ruach Mojave. Las Vegas, NV, June 29, 2000.

Now is the time to stop further development of roads, logging, and mining in our National Forests in order to safeguard and protect these national lands for our future generations... We must make the decision on a moral basis out of our own Judeo-Christian traditions... As the Psalmist teaches us, 'The Earth is the Eternal's.' We are tenants in God's world. We have a responsibility to our common Creator to protect the earth. And we have a responsibility to leave a living world to future generations. - William Drabkin, COEJL of Southern Arizona. Tucson, AZ, June 26, 2000

Jewish tradition has for thousands of years concerned itself with God's Earth and God's Forests. According to our Holy Torah, God instructed the Israelites 'This land is mine, and you are but my tenants.' The Jewish community cares about preserving the forests for future generations. As the Psalmist wrote, "Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy before the Lord." - Bob Neuville, Social Action Committee - Temple Beth Israel. Phoenix, AZ, June 21, 2000.

How does one describe the pain of a dying species, like the wild salmon that once filled our streams like stars in a night sky, but now cannot find where to spawn? How will we tell our children that we had an extraordinary opportunity to save the last remnants of our great natural heritage, and instead we gave away the store? How do we tell our children that we broke the Covenant that the Eternal One made with Noah, his descendants, and all the creatures that dwell on his beautiful earth? - Dr. Barak Gale, Bay COEJL. Sacramento, CA, June 28, 2000.

This is a moral issue for me and my community….How can we permit money to be made to feed the greed of people in our generation while ignoring the children who will live after us?... Let's start now the process of stopping the criminal abuse of our environment. Let's start by having comprehensive protections of the roadless areas remaining in our national forests... Jewish tradition teaches that we have a responsibility to protect the earth for future generations. "Choose life that you and your children might live" (Deuteronomy 30:19). - Rabbi Leah Sudran, Congregation B'nai Israel / Bay COEJL. Sacramento, CA, June 28, 2000

The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) is a coalition of 28 national Jewish organizations spanning the broad spectrum of American Jewish life, including Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, and Reform congregational and rabbinical bodies.