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Dear Friends,
"My heart is in the east, and I in the uttermost west", so wrote the great medieval Jewish poet Yehudah HaLevi about his longings for Zion. I am spending this year in the States with my family, and although having a wonderful time, the High Holidays and now Sukkot bring out our first true longings for home. Still, having grown up in the Northeastern United States, when I think of Sukkot my earliest memories are linked to Fall in New England, with the spectacular show of leaves changing colors, and I anticipated seeing the pageant once again after almost twenty five years of being in Israel. Yet as I look out my office window in Providence, Rhode Island, the leaves are still green, and some fear that they will remain that way until they drop to the ground in the coming weeks. Like almost every other phenomena for which global warming can be an explanation, here too, it will be virtually impossible to prove that climate change is the cause. On the news this morning, still another Category Five hurricane is forming down near Florida, headed for land, and possibly the Northeast. And portions of New England are flooded after ten days of constant rains, with town evacuations taking place in numerous locations. But it is the fall foliage that I'm thinking about. No one will be killed by it (although environmental economists will show us how much revenue will be lost to the tourist industry). But the potential loss of Fall Foliage to New England is more insidious, something that damages our soul. If it were, God forbid, ever to disappear from this landscape, children will only know by collective memory what was once here. The world will be a less magical place and life less majestic. Meanwhile, back home, I hear, the yoreh - the first winter rains - fell on sukkot throughout the country, and while perhaps spoilng the ability to sit outside and have festive meals, began the agricultural and botanical cycle once again. Millions of Israelis crowded parks and hiking trails during this holiday season, celebrating the wonders of nature. The great outdoors are still very much part of the fabric of people's lives. But with mounting demands for rapid development, our work at the Heschel Center is more relevant and more urgent than ever. This is an exciting year for us, and the newsletter highlights some of the more prominent events. As always, we depend on your moral and financial support to continue forging the path to a more sustainable, more compassionate Israel. To make a tax-exempt contribution to the Heschel Center now, please click here May the new year bring renewed energies, passions and commitment to the protection of the health of our families, our communities, and our land - the places and people that make up home. |
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Dr. Eilon Schwartz
Executive Director |
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