When Israelis go to the polls on Jan. 28, they will still find a Kishon River so polluted that it caused several deaths and the debilitation of hundreds of Navy divers in the last few years. They will still find Haifa chemical plants ready to leak toxic ammonia and other poisons, at a moment’s notice. They will still find underground water polluted with toxic chemicals, air pollution levels that are growing intolerable, solid waste management problems, Red Sea coral reefs dying, no serious recycling to speak of, and little public awareness or concern for the problems.
And that’s why it is so sad that there are only two, almost nonexistent, political parties running for the Knesset that show any real concern for the situation. They are Aleh Yarok (the Green Leaf party), whose main planks are the legalization of marijuana and prostitution, and which has slight chance of getting two seats, and the Yarokim (the Greens), with virtually no chance of making it in, according to all the polls.
None of the larger parties — Labor, Meretz, Shinui or Likud — has a serious pro-environmental message or candidate likely to win a seat in the Knesset.
Likud, the National Religious Party, Moledet/National Union, Herut, Shas, United Torah Judaism and the others don’t sufficiently stress environmental policies. It’s a shame the nationalist parties don’t seem to care enough about the land of Israel and the religious parties forget the mitzvah of health concerns. The situation should be very different; they should be leading the nation in environmental concern. But first a little history, some written, some yet to be.
A main purpose of the Zionist enterprise was to reconnect the Jew to his homeland. For millennia, Jews loved the land of Israel from afar. Rabbinic writings were full of mystical connections to that far off place, Eretz Yisrael. Chassidic stories about the Ba’al Shem Tov’s desire to go to Eretz Yisrael abound.
Many rabbis and Zionist thinkers worked ceaselessly in the late 19th and early 20th century to awaken that interest among Jews. With the early waves of immigration, Jews returned to Israel, built towns and villages, planted the land and tended the trees and vines. In 1948, when the state of Israel was declared, the gates of mass immigration were flung wide open. Jews poured into Israel from all over the world. New towns were built. Swamps were drained. Factories to provide employment were developed. If the pre-state period was the engagement, independence was the marriage between the Jewish people and the land of Israel.
In 1967, with victory in battle, more of the ancient homeland was returned to its owners. Many Jews wanted to re-establish towns and villages in the territories of Judea and Samaria, and they did. Almost 150 towns were established, with schools, stores and factories. Hundreds of thousands moved there to live. They loved their beloved land, Eretz Yisrael.
But with time, something happened. The love affair between the Jewish people and the land of Israel cooled off. It was a marriage having difficulties. Some of the Jews wanted a divorce. They were willing to share the land with strangers. Others continued to farm the land but overused pesticides and poisoned it.
Factories, shopping centers and highways kept popping up. The Jewish people worked and got wealthier. They bought cars, lots of them, and drove around, instead of using buses and trains like in the past. They used things and threw them out in the garbage when finished. Sometimes they just threw things on the ground. They didn’t worry about it afterward. Either it became an air pollution problem or a solid waste problem. The marriage was on the rocks. There was little love left.
Even the Jews who rushed to Judea and Samaria, who at first, like a chattan (groom), loved the land with burning enthusiasm, began to settle down to daily life. Despite their claims to the contrary, their love for the land started to cool. Recycling was nowhere to be seen there. Pesticides, water and air pollution, and garbage were becoming problems. But these Jews weren’t in favor of a separation. They weren’t prepared to give the land away to strangers. They would fight for their beloved land.
Some tried to solve the problems. Among them were Green Tech — www.greentech.co.il — the environmental division of the Mofet B’Yehuda Technological and Business Incubator in Kiryat Arba. Green Tech was established to answer the growing global demand for new ecological and environmental technologies. Many hoped that they could find ways to reawaken the burning love of Eretz Yisrael from their youth.
Others remembered Tu B’Shevat, and how they used to love to plant trees. Now they had to worry about the air and water pollution’s effect on the forests they had planted. Some suggested turning Tu B’Shevat into a “Green Day.” It was suggested that schools teach about ecology and environmental protection. Maybe the marriage could be saved. Maybe the Jewish people’s burning love for Eretz Yisrael could be re-ignited. Now, imagine for a moment…
Youth groups began teaching the true love of the land of Israel in all its aspects. They, in turn, influenced their elders, who had become complacent in the relationship.
The rabbis began to teach the Torah of the land of Israel, as it says in Beresheet Rabbah: “There is no Torah like the Torah of the land of Israel, and there is no wisdom like the wisdom of the land of Israel.” The Torah of the land began to spread out and enflame the Jewish people again.
Recycling centers began springing up. Factory owners installed new equipment to clean the effluents from their smokestacks and stopped their toxic dumping. Kibbutzim became concerned about pesticides and increasingly grew organic fruits and vegetables. The electric company proposed integrating solar and wind power into the electric generating system, so that they could cut down on fossil fuel usage. People started demanding better public transportation and using it. The little children came home from school talking about the three R’s (Renew, Reuse, Recycle) and about true love for the land of Israel.
The love between the Jewish people and Eretz Yisrael had been re-established, only this time on a firmer footing of mutual respect. The marriage was saved. The children and grandchildren, and all future generations of Jews could rest comfortably in the knowledge that the land would be taken care of. The Jewish people had achieved sustainable development. True love for the land of Israel had returned!