Duties of the Heart
In his classic text Duties of the Heart, the 11^th century Jewish philosopher, Bakhya ibn Pekuda, wrote that Jews should engage in "meditation upon creation in order to sense God's majesty." In the wake of last week's disappointing U.S. Senate vote on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, how do we take that sense of majesty, that wonder which the natural world inspires, and use it to motivate ourselves and our Jewish community toward renewed action?

COEJL strives to help Jews see that being good stewards of the earth, that working to protect God's creation, and that passing on the gifts of nature to future generations, is a part of being Jewish. In our current political climate, it is not enough to meditate upon creation; we must act to protect it.

Our Jewish environmental message resonates with clarity and passion. There are thousands of committed COEJL activists around the country, and together these voices do make a difference. But we need more activists, and we need them in more places.

Please forward this email to your friends and family ask them to join the COEJL community to receive our e-Bulletin and Action Alerts. Try to reach as many states as you can. The more people, the more power. By forwarding this email and enlarging our base of support, you will help keep our air clean, our water pure and our planet healthy. Thank you.

Human Efforts Can Deliver Us from Threatened Destruction
Purim is a festival that commemorates an occasion when Jews were threatened with destruction but were saved and this salvation was perceived as a miracle brought about by God. As the Al Ha-Nissim prayer says in the Purim liturgy, "You [God] in great mercy, thwarted his [Haman's] designs, frustrated his plot and visited upon him the evil he planned to bring on others." In the book of Esther, God is never mentioned and the victory over Haman is brought about by the human efforts of Mordechai and Esther. However, Biblical scholars and Jewish tradition agree that God is nonetheless behind the scenes helping to bring about the salvation of the Jewish people. Click here for more about deliverance from threatened destruction.

Healthy Hamentashen
As Purim approaches and we all get ready to nosh some hamentashen, we may ask ourselves, "what goes into these tasty treats?" Will my pastry be filled with wholesome, nutritious fruits, or will they be tainted with nasty pesticides (a reminder of the damaging effects of Haman himself)? While many of us would like to buy organic fruits and vegetables all the time, the higher costs can lead to tough choices. One approach is to buy organic varieties of foods that would otherwise have high levels of chemicals. Such fruits include peaches, strawberries, apples, nectarines, and pears; and such vegetables as celery, spinach, summer squash and sweet bell peppers. (Note that all of these have edible skins!)

Interpreting Jewish Environmental Texts
When we study the Bible, we sometimes come upon texts which initially may seem at odds with Jewish environmental values. At these moments, we should remember that most of us read the Bible in translation and every translation is an interpretation, and not all Biblical texts have a simple meaning. The original meaning or context may have been lost and neither traditional nor modern commentary is able to come up with a definitive solution. Secondly, we may be reacting to something which was quite normal when the text was written but which offends our modern sensibility. When this happens, we should remember that the Bible is not a single book with a single point of view but rather literature written over a long period of time from many different perspectives. Click here for more about Interpreting Jewish Environmental Texts.

Internship Opportunities with Israel's Leading Environmental Organizations
Interested in working to protect Israel's environment? The Jewish Global Environmental Network (JGEN), of which COEJL is a founding partner, can match college students, recent graduates, and young professionals (ages 18-35) with professional internship positions in many of Israel's environmental organizations. The internship program runs throughout the year and placements can be made at any time that is mutually convenient for the intern and the employer. In the past, interns have worked with Friends of the Earth Middle East, Green Course, the Israeli Union for Environmental Defense, and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.

Click here to learn more or email Danielle Luttenberg, COEJL's JGEN coordinator.

An Early Bloome in D.C.
COEJL's Mark & Sharon Bloome Jewish Environmental Leadership Institute (Feb. 27-March 1) opened with an impassioned speech by Rabbi Michael Feshbach of Temple Sinai, Chevy Chase, MD, on the moral obligation to be stewards of the planet. Rabbi Feshbach said God's presence could be felt in the massive relief efforts that followed the recent tsunamis in South Asia. Later, Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain spoke to joint sessions of COEJL, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and Hillel. We presented Congressman Henry Waxman with COEJL's first Steward of the Earth award. Deb Callahan, president of the League of Conservation Voters, and Rabbi David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, also inspired our audience. These national leaders, Jewish scholars, and environmental professionals motivated Institute participants to continue our work to protect creation. Another highlight of the three-day conference was our visit to two "green" synagogues: Temple Emanuel in Kensington, MD and Adat Shalom in Bethesda, MD. A snowstorm -- a reminder of the beauty and wonder of nature -- enhanced our experience. Together we sang, learned about green building materials, efficient lighting and energy options, and how to create a solar ner tamid. The rabbis and lay leaders encouraged us to think about ways to integrate greening ideas into our synagogues and communities.

Click here for more on the Bloome Institute 2005.