NEW YORK – On the eve of COP26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference set to begin in Glasgow, Scotland, on Oct. 31, 2021, World Jewish Congress Executive Vice President Maram Stern said:
“Respect for and preservation of our natural surroundings has always been a mainstay of Jewish tradition and teachings. The Bible outlaws destroying fruit trees in warfare; rainfall and dew are central elements of our Jewish liturgy; and we are mandated to allow the earth to regenerate itself every seventh year. The State of Israel, since before its inception, has been a world leader in reforestation, reinforced by Tu B’Shvat, the millennia-old Jewish New Year for Trees.
“We are conscious of the grim reality, as cogently expressed by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the WJC’s Australian affiliate, that the threat to all human life, through the increasing frequency and magnitude of such extreme weather events as bushfires, drought, water shortages, floods and record temperatures, must be a priority for the entire international community.
“Accordingly, the World Jewish Congress commends the participants in COP26 who will seek to find solutions to the potentially calamitous consequences of ignoring the clear climate emergency confronting our world.
“The WJC is proud that numerous Jewish organizations and bodies, including our affiliates, the Commonwealth Jewish Council and the Board of Deputies of British Jews, have undertaken initiatives to counter a host of ecological crises, and that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who will represent the State of Israel at COP26, has declared the tackling of climate change to constitute a national security interest of Israel.
“It is critical that all civil society and faith and cultural communities join with governments and local authorities in taking responsible action on climate change and demonstrating environmental responsibility.”
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