Jerusalem Opens Up to Faith and Ecology Through Spoken Word and Song
Caroline Stern – Last week in Jerusalem, men and women from diverse backgrounds came together at the Second Annual Interfaith Eco Poetry Slam to share their hearts and minds on how faith relates to the global ecological crisis.
Creating A “Shared Society”: What Might that Mean for the Holy Land?
Marilena Bekierz – Last week I attended the Givat Haviva Conference on Shared Society, with fascinating presentations and discussions.
What does Passover have to do with the Earth?
David Miron-Wapner – Passover and Earth Day coincide this year. The juxtaposition of these ancient and modern days can help augment our awareness of the pharaoh-like power humanity collectively wields so abusively in relation to our Mother – the Earth. We humans – in Hebrew B’nei Adam -are 100% earth elements – in Hebrew Adama – imbued with consciousness and perhaps a conscience.
Partnering in Good Faith, for the Rehabilitation of the Jordan River
Andrew Deutsch – A very special interfaith ecology tour, “Partnering in Good Faith, Towards the Rehabilitation of the Jordan River,” took place on January 28th, 2016. EcoPeace led the tour, and Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD) organized an interfaith group of participants to attend, from its Women’s Faith and Ecology Project. Similar tours are taking place with Jordanians and Palestinians, with the intention to enable Jews, Christians, and Muslims to learn about, and discuss the relationship between faith traditions, ecology and the Jordan River.
Women’s Faith and Ecology Project in Jerusalem Spurs Dialogue and Action
Manya Kagan – The Women’s Faith and Ecology Project in Jerusalem continues to engage Christian, Muslim, and Jewish women in the Jerusalem area for inspiring seminars on faith and ecology.
On Sisterhood and Sustainability in Jerusalem
Manya Kagan – Fourteen Muslim, Christian, and Jewish women participated in a Women’s Faith Ecology Seminar in Jerusalem, along with panelists of the three faiths. The participants were quite diverse within each religion, and geographically– Bedouin women, women from East Jerusalem and Arab villages near Jerusalem, Protestants and Catholics, and Orthodox, liberal, and secular Jews.
Dr. James Hansen – The Climate Problem Will Not Go Away Until We Put a Price on Carbon
Nick Breeze – At the United Nations climate conference in Paris, one of the world’s leading climate scientists and former director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies spoke critically of the current attempt to solve the climate crisis with a non-binding agreement and goals that are not realistic within the current political framework.
A Jewish Response to Climate Change
Andrew Deutsch – In late December 2015, a leading theologian, a Member of the Israeli parliament, the CEO of a leading solar energy company, and others revealed insights into “A Jewish Response to Climate Change.” The event was organized by and held at Jerusalem’s Kol HaNeshama synagogue, and its Rabbi, R’ Levi Weiman-Kelman opened the event.
Trees and Humans in the Holy Land
Chelsea Revell and Rabbi Yonatan Neril – Conflict, climate change, consumer society, and quickness of travel. These are the driving forces that put human society at loggerheads with the trees on which it depends. In the past decade, war, arson, climate change, and expansion of roads, cities and industry have reversed some of the gains of the 20th century tree planting in Israel.