Emunah
Magazine
Fall, 2002
Judaism
and Global Survival
Richard H. Schwartz
Lantern Books, 256 pages, $20
Reviewed
by Faye Reichwald, Editor of Emunah Magazine
Dr. Schwartz, an advocate of vegetarianism, deals
in this fascinating
book with the direct link between the observance of
the Biblical
commandments and the condition of our ecosystems.
His book is a call to
address ourselves to the challenges that today's injustices
and dangers
present. Human activities, he says, inflict harsh
and often irreversible
damage on the environment and on critical resources,
and if not
checked, we risk a situation in which we will be unable
to sustain life as
we know it.
The Jewish community, he insists, must become more
actively involved;
it is a desecration of God's name to poison the air
and water, to slash
and burn forests, and to wantonly destroy the abundant
resources that
God has so generously provided. He cites statistics
on the increase in
heat waves, the earlier arrival of spring, the spread
of disease, and
the increase in droughts and forest fires. Dr. Schwartz
suggests ways
in which Jews should join forces through groups such
as the Coalition
on the Environment and Jewish life (COEJL).
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