The Leading Edge of the Jewish Environmental Movement

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NOTE: This is a guest blog post from Evonne Marzouk, Executive Director of Canfei Nesharim: Sustainable Living Inspired by Torah, and team leader of the Jewcology project.

Today’s environmental challenge is one of the most significant issues facing the world, and many Jews are working to address this concern. In fact, at least fifteen established Jewish environmental organizations are running campaigns across the United States, and many other local initiatives exist in other countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, South Africa, Hungary, Australia, and Israel.

This Jewish environmental movement has great potential to inspire Jewish communities and others to embrace environmental values. To strengthen this burgeoning movement, a new project called Jewcology is developing leadership trainings, core teachings, and collaborative social media tools. Launched in November 2010 with the support of the ROI Community, Jewcology.com is uniting the global Jewish environmental community in making true environmental change, with social media engagement tools for Jewish environmental activists, and a shared library of Jewish environmental content for educators, lay-leaders and rabbis. Jewcology is a project of Canfei Nesharim, a registered non-profit organization.

Jewcology was originally created by nineteen young Jewish environmentalists from all around the world, who met through the ROI Community of Young Jewish Innovators, a global network created by Jewish philanthropist Lynn Schusterman. They were able to realize this vision thanks to a $50,000 grant from the ROI Innovation Fund in 2010.

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Photo by Evonne Marzouk.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Jesse R.

11:38AM PST on Dec 16, 2011

As an observant Jew and a strong environmentalist, I am so happy Jewcology exists as a support system for those of us trying to make a positive impact on our community and on the world. Evonne, thank you for all that you do to repair the world. Kol Hakavoed!

send a green star

Ilana G.

12:14PM PST on Dec 13, 2011

As co-founder of the Jewish environmental organization EcoJews of the Bay, I am so pleased to see the work that Evonne Marzouk has done with Jewcology and Jewish environmental leadership trainings. Jewcology helps us to grow and be strengthened as leaders by connecting to our peers doing similar work across the country and the globe.

John D.

7:32AM PST on Dec 12, 2011

And Vlasta M.

Do not call black Ethiopian Jews "Falashas".

7:30AM PST on Dec 12, 2011

Vlasta M

You say:--

"Try moving to ANY Muslim country and tell that their prophet is an illiterate pedophile [polygamist (who married Aisha, one of his 12 wives when she was 6 and he was 51) and a murderer"

Why should I say any of these untrue things? However, it may have escaped your attention (not that there is much of it) that I live in a Muslim country. Here I openly profess my atheism and have not yet had my head chopped off!

7:22AM PST on Dec 12, 2011

Cont'd

Another reason cited for the increased concentration on the production of Jaffa oranges was the relative lack of European control over the cultivation of this crop, as compared to the cultivation of cotton; while the latter had been the primary commodity crop of Palestine, it was soon outpaced by the Jaffa orange.[8]

Exports grew from 200,000 oranges in 1845 to 38 million oranges by 1870.[7] The citrus plantations of this time were primarily owned by wealthy Arab merchants and notables, rather than small farmers, as the fruits required large capital investments with no yield for several years.[4][9] An 1872 account of Jaffa by a European traveller notes that, "Surrounding Jaffa are the orange gardens for which it is justly extolled, and which are a considerable source of wealth to the owners. The annual value of fruits grown in Jaffa was said to be 10,000 pounds."[9]

The prosperity of the orange industry brought increased European interest and involvement in the development of Jaffa. In 1902, a study of the growth of the orange industry by Zionist officials outlined the different Arab owners and their primary export markets as England, Turkey, Egypt and Austria-Hungary. While Arab cultivation methods were considered "primitive," an in-depth study of the financial expenditure involved reveals that they were ultimately more cost-efficient than the Zionist-European enterprises that followed them some two decades later.[9]

7:21AM PST on Dec 12, 2011

Vlasta M.

You are clearly relying on the debunked book by Joan Peters for your information. Here is the truth. I can produce further proof about other agricultural produce, of course. You should know by now that I, unlike you, do not make wild allegations, nor do I distort history - and I don't lie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaffa_orange

The Jaffa orange was a new variety developed by Arab farmers after emerging in mid-19th century Palestine as a mutation on a tree of the Baladi variety near Jaffa.[1][2] While the sour orange (C. Aurantium) was brought westward from China and India by Arab traders, who probably introduced it to Sicily and Spain, the Jaffa orange was developed from the sweet orange (C. sinensis) which was brought from China to the Mediterranean region by Vasco de Gama, the Portuguese explorer, in 1498.[2]

After the Crimean War (1853–56), the most important innovation in Palestinian agriculture was the rapid expansion in citrus cultivation.[4] Foremost among the varieties cultivated was the Jaffa orange, and mention of it being exported to Europe first appears in British consular reports in the 1850s.[1][4] One factor cited in the growth of the export market was the development of steam ships in the first half of the 19th century. Their arrival in the Port of Jaffa enabled the export of oranges to the European markets in days rather than wee

Vlasta M.

7:08AM PST on Dec 12, 2011

Jew come in all races and colors (black, yellow, white and brown) and all nationalities, where they lived before Holocaust! You are defaming Jews and making false claims against Israel. You are doing it at your own peril, since those whom you are defending would hive no problems cutting your head off, if you spoke against them.

Since Jews do not believe in violence and beheading, or apartheid, you can get aways with these lies, and since Christians are supposed to love defamers, you can make this nasty false claims.

Try moving to ANY Muslim country and tell that their prophet is an illiterate pedophile [polygamist (who married Aisha, one of his 12 wives when she was 6 and he was 51) and a murderer, responsible for a gruesome murder (by beheading) of 900 Jews from Medina who did not accept him as their prophet. this IS TRUTH, but you would be tried for blasphemy. See how long your head will stay on your shoulders if you make even truthful claims about Islam Sharia would take you to executioner and separate your head from your body for BLASPHEMY!

6:58AM PST on Dec 12, 2011

Sorry, I used a worn term for Arab Muslim poor landless peasants who came to Israel after Jews moved in and made land livable again. Yes, Falashas are black Ethiopian Jews. who had gound home in Israel and for most part live well and are integrated in life of Israel society. the only apartheid in Israel is practiced by the Muslims administrators in the Temple Mount, where non-Muslims are not allowed, unlike in other non-Muslims holly places EVERYTBODY can go. The apartheid is prescribed against "people of the book" (Jews and Chsristians0 in Koranic verses, and dhimmitude laws of special taxation and wearing clothers to diffferentiate them from non-Muslims.

You and your other whitewasheers of Islam and terrorists are defaming Israel and Zionistrs who had worked their butts off to make Israel livable again. Israelo is thriving modern democratic nation that protects human rithrs of ALL its people (including 20% of population who are Araabs). You may be sued for spreading false defamatory speech and damaging Jews and Israel!

For punishment you will be compelled to read Koran from cover to cover and see how this supremacist Nazi-like ideology of hate of non-Muslims, of misogyny and apartheid is incompatible with the US Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which most Muslims countries refuse to sign, since Islam does not believe in the rights of individuals but DEMANDS SUBMISSION! By defaming Zionists you are defaming US Constitution and huma

7:21PM PST on Dec 11, 2011

Vlasta M

You say:--

"and now those Falashas, who have been prevented from settling in Arab lands left there by the Jews who had to flee Arab countries, by their Arab "brothers" "

Firstly, Falasha is a derogatory term, so please don't use it for Ethiopian Jews.

Secondly, are you seriously claming that Ethiopians are Arabs? If so, you are more ignorant than I thought.

Thirdly, the Ethiopian Jews who were tricked into leaving for the Zionist Entity are experiencing unemployment, discrimination and hardship. They were even told they had to be ritually cleansed and reconverted to Judaism upon arrival. Here's a sample of what they have to put up with, from an impeccable Zionist source:--

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3633163,00.html

Settlers to Ethiopian troops: Niggers don't expel Jews

Border Guard officers of Ethiopian descent report rising number of racially motivated verbal attacks from Hebron youths; Druze officers also suffer racist remarks

Danny Adino Ababa Published: 12.04.08, 11:39 / Israel News

Not only do they serve long and tiring hours in the reserve forces, and not only are they forced to deal with violent clashes with settlers, but now, Border Guard officers of Ethiopian descent are also faced with rising racism.

"Niggers don't expel Jews! This isn't what we brought you to Israel for!" are just some of the