Sign up here: Joint Deputy hustings 13th August

Sign up here: Joint Equality and diversity coordinator hustings

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All candidate statements are here.

Please note that not all candidates responded and we don’t know whether that was by their choice or if the email we sent wasn’t received.

We are also in the process of organising a joint hustings for the Equality and Diversity Officer with Muslim Greens and Humanist Greens so, if that’s something you’d like to attend, please wait before voting. The hustings will take place on August 6th and you can sign up here.

Links to the answers to our questionnaires for the Leadership & GPEx Elections:

• Leaders
• Deputy Leaders
• Chair
• Policy Development Roles
• International Coordinator
• External Communications Coordinator
• Equality and Diversity Coordinator
• Campaigns Coordinator

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Eco-Judaism, also known as environmental Judaism, is a movement within Judaism that emphasises the Jewish religious imperative to protect the environment and be stewards of the earth. Eco-Judaism is based on the Jewish principle of bal tashchit, which prohibits wastefulness and urges Jews to be respectful of and responsible for God’s creation. Bal tashchit, in the Torah means ‘do not destroy’, “When you lay siege to a city…do not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them (Deuteronomy 20:19) refers especially to fruit trees, the fruits of which are essential to maintain health. This principle in turn is derived from Genesis 2:15 which commands humanity to “till and tend” the earth. The Eco-Judaism movement began in the 1970s in response to the growing environmental crisis. Since then, Eco-Judaism has evolved to encompass a wide range of issues, including energy conservation, sustainable agriculture and climate change. Eco-Judaism is committed to Jewish tradition and teachings, while also working to address the critical environmental issues of our time. By combining ancient wisdom with modern knowledge, Eco-Judaism offers a unique and powerful approach to protecting the earth and its inhabitants. 

Judaism teaches that human population must take environmental responsibility for the world given to them by God. This idea of taking care of the world and everything in it for the generations to come after us is known as stewardship. There are Mitzvot (commandments/instructions) about taking care of the word. 

The Jewish year is comprised of 12 months which are 29 or 30 days long, following the cycles of the moon. Since the 12 lunar months fall significantly short of a solar year, in some years a 13th month, a second month of Adar is added. The two Adars that year are distinguished as Adar I and Adar II. This system ensures that the Jewish festivals, many of them tied to specific seasons (Sukkot in autumn celebrating the harvest, Pesach or Passover in spring) do not migrate around the solar year. The Jewish calendar operates on a 19-year cycle during which there are always seven leap years, devised by Hillel II. (Purim is on 14th Adar, but in a leap year, it is in Adar II). The antecedents for all Jewish festivals are agricultural in nature. They are rooted in Biblical Israel where peoples’ lives were dependent upon the change of the seasons and the fruits, grains and vegetables the land yielded. One of the oldest examples of Hebrew writings was discovered in the Gezer calendar which gives specific instructions of when to harvest, when to plant and what it is that should be gathered, key components of the lives of the Israelites. It was important that the spring grain (barley) harvested after Pesach could dry out to be safely stored. The wheat harvest was finished in late spring at Shavuot (early June). Grain provided at least 50% of the calories of the people of ancient Israel. A wet period grain harvesting period meant hunger and even starvation. Pesach was all about praying that the rains would cease so that there could be a successful grain harvest. The harvest festival of Sukkot in autumn is probably based on booths/sheds built by farmers camping out in their fields to protect the ripe produce before it was harvested. 

According to the Babylonian Talmud, Tu Bishvat is the Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot, (New Year of Trees). Tu Bishvat is literally translated as “15th of Shevat.” This date indicates the beginning of the agricultural cycle for the purpose of Biblical tithes. It distinguishes between the fruits of last year and the fruits of a new year. Date palm, fig, olive, and pomegranate are mentioned in the Tanakh and the Qoran. Biblical times in the Middle East witnessed an abundance of wild carob trees resisting the harsh climate and used for food. Prior to the construction of the First Temple, people would donate Acacia branches, the most durable wood, to the priests in order to maintain the Mishkan (the portable temple) as a solid structure.

Also important to the Jewish agricultural agricultural cycle, is Shmita, the “year of release,” which is more widely known as the sabbatical year. The next Shmita falls in the Jewish year 5789, which begins in late September 2028.It is based on the same concept of Jews having a day of rest devoted to God, so the land is rested on the seventh year. After 7 cycles of 7, the 50th is known as the Jubilee year (Yovel). In the Shmita year, debts are to be forgiven, agricultural lands to lie fallow, private land holdings to become open to everyone and staples such as food in storage and perennial harvests to be freely redistributed and accessible to all.

Tu Bishvat is deeply rooted in the Hebrew concept of Tikkkun Olam, which refers to our obligations to behave according to ways that can benefit the society and repair the world by honouring God’s creations, namely all animals, plants & trees, pollinating insects (bees, butterflies, etc). Besides the fact that this holiday marks the cycle of giving, monitoring the growth of trees, one of the ways it is celebrated is considered a direct contribution to the battle against Climate Change. Despite it being a religious holiday, the celebration of Tu Bishvat is important not only to Jews but to the world as a whole given the positive environmental impact it generates. An important custom is plant trees and perennial bushes locally in hospices and parks. Through JNF-UK, my synagogue gives tree donations to provide trees to be planted the towns of the Negev Desert in Israel’s south to provide urban shade in hot weather. My synagogue also donates to Tree Aid, which works in the drylands of Africa’s Sahel, where over 300 million people’s lives are affected by a drastic reduction in fertile land and the climate crisis in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Senegal. 

Susan then went on to discuss the Environmental Audit – “As custodians of the Planet, we have a primary responsibility to care for it and leave it to future generations in a state of health and wholeness. From that concept, the Eco Synagogue project was introduced to improve the environmental credentials of all synagogues across the denominational spectrum (Liberal, Reform, Masorti and Orthodox) to register for, and participate in the Environmental Audit, which looks at five categories, namely Administration, Prayer & Teaching, Lifestyle, Consumables, Community Engagement”

1. Administration – synagogue council commitment to improving the environmental credentials of the synagogue.

2. Prayer and Teaching. The synagogue promotes environmental activities as an expression of our concern for the planet, with follow-up actions such as Tu B’Shevat Seders to remind us of the importance of trees; Mitzvah Day activities. This category also includes communication mechanisms which are done mainly through email, which promote concerned for the natural environment.

3. Lifestyle (communication, consumption, home, investment, transport). The synagogue invests its funds ethically. In Consumption the synagogue has certainly reduced its paper usage. Category also includes Vegan and vegetarian options at chavurot and catered events. There is a vegetarian kitchen.

4. Consumables, Land, Buildings – the building is insulated; it has LED lighting; it has a water meter; it has a an energy-efficient boiler. Also latest UV-c technology, an air sanitiser, was installed in the COVID-19 lockdown period to allow air to be purified and made safe by constant disinfection.

Make use of whatever land is available by planting bulbs, perennial bushes, trees. 

5. Community Engagement (within the synagogue, locally, nationally, internationally). The synagogue supports several environmental charities through tree planting done locally in hospices & parks; Internationally through JNF – UK in the Negev and Tree Aid to keep desertification at bay in five sub-Sahel African countries. The synagogue also organises events around the Festivals, eg Succot (the harvest festival)

The post Jewish and Muslim Perspectives on Environmental Stewardship and Climate Action appeared first on Jewish Greens.

We remember not just these lives taken, but also those whose lives were torn apart by what unfolded one year ago today.

We mourn their deaths and condemn all acts of violence. We stand with the families of the victims of this horrific violence and continue to support organisations working to break the cycle of violence and achieve peace in the region.

May their memory be a blessing.

(Agreed by a majority of JG officers)

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Interestingly, the Sky news report on the conference decided to feature almost exclusively Green party members: https://news.sky.com/video/how-worried-should-labour-be-about-the-green-party-13211671

Joint session on faith and the environment with Muslim Greens.

Joint session on tackling the rise of the far right with Jewish Greens Policy Officer Joshua Alston, External communications Green party executive member Molly Scott Cato, Mothin Ali Councillor for Gipton and Harehills ward, Tom Scott Campaigns Coordinator for the Green Party of England and Wales.

The talk given by Susan Fox*, for the joint Jewish and Muslims Fringe meeting at Autumn Conference 2024. 

Eco-Judaism, also known as environmental Judaism, is a movement within Judaism that emphasises the Jewish religious imperative to protect the environment and be stewards of the earth. Eco-Judaism is based on the Jewish principle of bal tashchit, which prohibits wastefulness and urges Jews to be respectful of and responsible for God’s creation. Bal tashchit, in the Torah means ‘do not destroy’, “When you lay siege to a city…do not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them (Deuteronomy 20:19) refers especially to fruit trees, the fruits of which are essential to maintain health. This principle in turn is derived from Genesis 2:15 which commands humanity to “till and tend” the earth. The Eco-Judaism movement began in the 1970s in response to the growing environmental crisis. Since then, Eco-Judaism has evolved to encompass a wide range of issues, including energy conservation, sustainable agriculture and climate change. Eco-Judaism is committed to Jewish tradition and teachings, while also working to address the critical environmental issues of our time. By combining ancient wisdom with modern knowledge, Eco-Judaism offers a unique and powerful approach to protecting the earth and its inhabitants. 

Judaism teaches that human population must take environmental responsibility for the world given to them by God. This idea of taking care of the world and everything in it for the generations to come after us is known as stewardship. There are Mitzvot (commandments/instructions) about taking care of the word. 

The Jewish year is comprised of 12 months which are 29 or 30 days long, following the cycles of the moon. Since the 12 lunar months fall significantly short of a solar year, in some years a 13th month, a second month of Adar is added. The two Adars that year are distinguished as Adar I and Adar II. This system ensures that the Jewish festivals, many of them tied to specific seasons (Sukkot in autumn celebrating the harvest, Pesach or Passover in spring) do not migrate around the solar year. The Jewish calendar operates on a 19-year cycle during which there are always seven leap years, devised by Hillel II. (Purim is on 14th Adar, but in a leap year, it is in Adar 11). The antecedents for all Jewish festivals are agricultural in nature. They are rooted in Biblical Israel where peoples’ lives were dependent upon the change of the seasons and the fruits, grains and vegetables the land yielded. One of the oldest examples of Hebrew writings was discovered in the Gezer calendar which gives specific instructions of when to harvest, when to plant and what it is that should be gathered, key components of the lives of the Israelites. It was important that the spring grain (barley) harvested after Pesach could dry out to be safely stored. The wheat harvest was finished in late spring at Shavuot (early June). Grain provided at least 50% of the calories of the people of ancient Israel. A wet period grain harvesting period meant hunger and even starvation. Pesach was all about praying that the rains would cease so that there could be a successful grain harvest. The harvest festival of Sukkot in autumn is probably based on booths/sheds built by farmers camping out in their fields to protect the ripe produce before it was harvested. 

According to the Babylonian Talmud, Tu Bishvat is the Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot, (New Year of Trees). Tu Bishvat is literally translated as “15th of Shevat.” This date indicates the beginning of the agricultural cycle for the purpose of Biblical tithes. It distinguishes between the fruits of last year and the fruits of a new year. Date palm, fig, olive, and pomegranate are mentioned in the Tanakh and the Qoran. Biblical times in the Middle East witnessed an abundance of wild carob trees resisting the harsh climate and used for food. Prior to the construction of the First Temple, people would donate Acacia branches, the most durable wood, to the priests in order to maintain the Mishkan (the portable temple) as a solid structure.

Also important to the Jewish agricultural agricultural cycle, is Shmita, the “year of release,” which is more widely known as the sabbatical year. The next Shmita falls in the Jewish year 5789, which begins in late September 2028.It is based on the same concept of Jews having a day of rest devoted to God, so the land is rested on the seventh year. After 7 cycles of 7, the 50th is known as the Jubilee year (Yovel). In the Shmita year, debts are to be forgiven, agricultural lands to lie fallow, private land holdings to become open to everyone and staples such as food in storage and perennial harvests to be freely redistributed and accessible to all.

Tu Bishvat is deeply rooted in the Hebrew concept of Tikkkun Olam, which refers to our obligations to behave according to ways that can benefit the society and repair the world by honouring God’s creations, namely all animals, plants & trees, pollinating insects (bees, butterflies, etc). Besides the fact that this holiday marks the cycle of giving, monitoring the growth of trees, one of the ways it is celebrated is considered a direct contribution to the battle against Climate Change. Despite it being a religious holiday, the celebration of Tu Bishvat is important not only to Jews but to the world as a whole given the positive environmental impact it generates. An important custom is plant trees and perennial bushes locally in hospices and parks. Through JNF-UK, my synagogue gives tree donations to provide trees to be planted the towns of the Negev Desert in Israel’s south to provide urban shade in hot weather. My synagogue also donates to Tree Aid, which works in the drylands of Africa’s Sahel, where over 300 million people’s lives are affected by a drastic reduction in fertile land and the climate crisis in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Senegal”. 

She then went on to discuss the Environmental Audit – “As custodians of the Planet, we have a primary responsibility to care for it and leave it to future generations in a state of health and wholeness. From that concept, the Eco Synagogue project was introduced to improve the environmental credentials of all synagogues across the denominational spectrum (Liberal, Reform, Masorti and Orthodox) to register for, and participate in the Environmental Audit, which looks at five categories, namely Administration, Prayer & Teaching, Lifestyle, Consumables, Community Engagement”

Administration – synagogue council commitment to improving the environmental credentials of the synagogue.

2. Prayer and Teaching. The synagogue promotes environmental activities as an expression of our concern for the planet, with follow-up actions such as Tu B’Shevat Seders to remind us of the importance of trees; Mitzvah Day activities. This category also includes communication mechanisms which are done mainly through email, which promote concerned for the natural environment.

3. Lifestyle (communication, consumption, home, investment, transport). The synagogue invests its funds ethically. In Consumption the synagogue has certainly reduced its paper usage. Category also includes Vegan and vegetarian options at chavurot and catered events. There is a vegetarian kitchen.

4. Consumables, Land, Buildings – the building is insulated; it has LED lighting; it has a water meter; it has a an energy-efficient boiler. Also latest UV-c technology, an air sanitiser, was installed in the COVID-19 lockdown period to allow air to be purified and made safe by constant disinfection.

Make use of whatever land is available by planting bulbs, perennial bushes, trees. 

5. Community Engagement (within the synagogue, locally, nationally, internationally). The synagogue supports several environmental charities through tree planting done locally in hospices & parks; Internationally through JNF – UK in the Negev and Tree Aid to keep desertification at bay in five sub-Sahel African countries. The synagogue also organises events around the Festivals, eg Succot (the harvest festival)

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The Green party has issued a statement following discussion with Lord Mann.
“Lord Mann and the leadership team at The Green Party of England and Wales met last week to discuss the important issue of antisemitism. Both parties have committed to continued dialogue and working together to ensure that antisemitism, like all racism, has no place in Green politics and to better educate Green representatives about anti-Jewish racism. The Green Party has taken a series of proactive steps towards these goals but understands that this will take consistent work going forward.”

This can also be found on the Green party website

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