Newsletter Issue 13 November 2000
Cheshvan 5761 In This Edition Shabbat Noach - The Full Story
(The original newsletter contains a number of extracts from various sermons given on Shabbat Noach which we are unfortunately not able to bring you on this site). GM - Flawed tests postpone hearing
A Wake-up call for the planet ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS SHABBAT
- NOAH MAKES WAVES - The planet took centre stage on 3rd/4th November when synagogues throughout Anglo-Jewry joined us for the UK's
first Environmental Awareness Shabbat. Countless
synagogues, Rabbis and communal leaders in the Masorti, Liberal, Reform and United Synagogue movements held themed Shabbats with special sermons. We produced and distributed 12,000 leaflets, together with sermon material and had articles
published in many synagogue magazines, as well as features in both the Jewish Chronicle and The London Jewish News. Amongst the many highlights of the day were Chief Rabbi Harris of South Africa who spoke at Hampstead Synagogue, and environmentalist Aubrey Rose OBE who spoke at North
Western Reform Synagogue. What the result will be
remains to be seem, but the day has put environmental issues firmly back at the top of the Jewish agenda. If your Rabbi gave a sermon on the environment, please let us know. GM - FLAWED TESTS POSTPONE SEED HEARING In October, Noah Project representative Leon Pein appeared at the Government's long awaited
hearing on GM seeds, aimed at deciding whether the GM maize seed, Challon LL, should be allowed onto the national seed register.
Our main concern is that the GM endeavour is being conducted without a proper reverence for G-d. "Those who perform biotechnology
" we stated, "need to bear in mind that G-d is the creator of life, the author of its genetic code, and the institutor of the cross-breeding barriers that tightly regulate what varieties of genes can appear
within a particular species." Soon after Leon
presented our case, the hearing was adjourned - perhaps indefinitely. The Ministry of Agriculture inspectors have discovered that the original tests carried out on the seed in France were flawed. Rest assured, The Noah
Project will continue to campaign against GM seed developments, for the sake of the planet. (For the full text of our submission to the enquiry, please contact us.) A wake-up call for the planet - a personal view by John Schlackman Did you like our publicity stunt - arranging for floods to coincide with Shabbat Noach
, (Environmental Awareness Shabbat) ?
Alas, we can't take the credit for this ourselves. We are all responsible for it - resulting as it probably does, from global warming. The science is
simply - as the earth warms up more water evaporates, more clouds form, so more rain falls producing more floods - and that's without the added effect of rising sea levels due to the melting polar ice caps. It would be easy to despair. But as people of faith, we might think see that the
timing of these floods - coming just weeks before the recent International summit on climate change in The Hague- is due to our Creator giving us a timely reminder of our responsibilities. It is not too late - but we
have to act quickly. International summits should carry
a health warning against putting too much faith in governments and politicians. It can be all too easy to sit back and believe that they will do what is needed and we will just follow their decisions. But our history
has shown us the importance of both
personal and collective responsibility. As individuals we need to take the lead and take action by example. We cannot wait for politicians to act. We need to reduce our fuel usage - be it in our cars or in our homes - and show our neighbours that individuals really can make a difference.
The danger of relying on politicians alone was perhaps
best illustrated by the recent fuel protests. In the end, the government failed to get across the message that higher fuel charges do actually reduce car usage, short term. It is a collective responsibility message that
needed to be said more clearly. We must though, not let this debate take us away from the bigger picture. Fuel prices are only a short-term fix. Substantial long term climate-saving changes may need a substantial
change in the whole way society operates. Life-styles will have to change. This does not mean that we should be 'luddites' and go back to being self-sufficient farmers, but it does mean we should look at how we can
use current and future technology to enable such a change to take place, rather that to fund greater personal wealth at the expense of the planet. But for a change of this level to take place there will need a brave stand to be taken by
governments, with visionary politicians who can sell the idea to the people. Jewish teaching have a lot to say about visionaries - from Abraham to Moses and even Noah himself. Perhaps our roles as Jews is to spread the
message of visionary leadership to the world, and show by example what it can achieve. ---------------------------- - When the Noah
Project started, nearly 4 years ago, we never thought a day would come when the entire community would join together to spread the message of Jewish Environmentalism on one day. On 3rd/4th November - Shabbat Noach- that
day came. To make it happen has required visionaries from across the spectrum of anglo-Jewry. To those people we say a huge thank you.
The cat is out of the bag. The message is out there that we, as Jews, have a rich environmental heritage which we must nurture and use to
heal the planet. To quote Noah's own Education co-ordinator Vivienne Cato: "Jewish teachings provide an environmental manifesto of which Friends of the Earth would be proud". It is a message we must continue to get out into our community. We need to lead by
example, showing both personal and collective responsibility. Maybe the world can learn this message too, so that when the next environmental summit comes along in 2002 we will be able to look more optimistically at
what collective responsibility can achieve.
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