Over the past two or three decades, Jewish scholars have reflected on the religious and ethical implications of environmental problems. They have revisited and reconsidered what the Bible and Judaism have had to say about humanity's place in nature and about nature as God's creation. They have pondered the contemporary relevance of traditional concepts such as the Sabbath, kashrut (dietary laws), and baal tashchit (forbidding wanton destruction). They have asked how these and other teachings should be applied to today's environmental questions, and how Jewish prayers, rituals, and holy days can evoke ecological awareness.

Among the events and projects that have brought scholars together to consider these matters have been:

• A three-day conference, Towards a Jewish Philosophy of the Natural World, co-sponsored by COEJL and Jewish Theological Seminary in May 1994 in Pawling, New York, which brought together leading Jewish scholars with eminent environmental scientists and scholars.
• A 1998 Harvard University Conference on Judaism and the Natural World, sponsored by the Center for the Study of World Religions and the Forum on Religion and Ecology and attended by scholars from the U.S., England and Israel. The proceedings were published as Judaism and Ecology: Created World and Revealed Word, edited by Hava Tirosh-Samuelson (Harvard University Press, 2002).

A multi-organizational campaign shares Orthodox Jewish perspectives on what Torah teaches about creation.

• COEJL's Jewish Environmental Scholarship Initiative has gathered a number of Jewish scholars to explore the relationship between God, creation and humanity, and environmental justice; how these ideas can be expressed in Jewish ethics, ritual and prayer; and how they can be applied to contemporary issues in environmental ethics and policy.

In grappling with questions of the relationships between human interests and the value and integrity of the natural world, between the scripture and creation, and between history and nature as fields of divine activity, Jewish scholars have drawn on diverse sources and given varied responses. Much work remains to be done, but it is clear that the intersection of Jewish faith and environmental concern is a fascinating and fruitful field for scholarly study.

For overviews of Jewish scholarship and the environment, see:

• Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, "Introduction" to Judaism and Ecology: Created World and Revealed Word.
• Lawrence Troster, "From Apologetics to New Spirituality: Trends in Jewish Environmental Theology." (PDF)

Visit the "Resources" section of the COEJL website for:

• General Essays on Judaism and the Environment,
• Topical Essays on Judaism and Biodiversity, Children's Environmental Health, and Israel's environment
• Bibliographies, and
• Speakers' list.