American Jewish Environmentalism

Since the 1970s, environmentalism has emerged as a recognizable sensibility in American Judaism. Although a few secular Jews — such as Robert Marshal (1901–1939), Murray Bookchin (1921–2006), and Barry Commoner (1917–2012) — greatly contributed to the rise of environmentalism in the United States, Jewish environmentalism as a movement came into existence only in the 1970s, largely in response to the provocative essay, “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis,” of Lynn White Jr. Contrary to White, who charged that the Bible and the Judeo-Christian tradition are responsible for the current environmental crisis, Judaica scholars, rabbis, and educators insist that the Bible offers profound wisdom capable of addressing our ecological crisis.

American Jewish environmentalism has evolved along several trajectories. First, the leadership of the main Jewish denominations — Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Orthodoxy — issued official statements and policy recommendations addressing many dimensions of the eco-crisis, including global warming, pollution of air and water, soil degradation, mineral extraction, hazardous waste management, destruction of natural habitats, loss of bio­diversity, consumerism, overdevelopment, population growth, energy production, environmental racism, and climate change. Second, Jewish theologians called for reinterpreting Judaism considering the ecological crisis, giving rise to Jewish eco-theologies or, as some have named it, eco-Judaism. Third, Jewish environmental activists founded organizations aimed at infusing contemporary Jewish life in America with an environmental sensibility, arguing that Judaism and environmentalism are fully compatible. Fourth, Judaic scholars examined Judaism’s engagement with the natural world, highlighting relevant biblical, rabbinic, philosophical, and kabbalistic texts; identifying conceptual issues and intellectual trends; and analyzing the views of modern and contemporary environmental thinkers. These efforts solidified the presence of Judaism within the academic field of religion and ecology.

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