Aytzim

Aytzim
Formation 2001
20-3460771
Legal status 501(c)(3) nonprofit NGO
Purpose Jewish environmentalism, Green Zionism
Headquarters New York City
Methods Education, Advocacy and Public-Policy Formation
Fields Sustainability, Nature, Conservation, Water, Energy, Biodiversity, Ecology, Climate Change, Judaism and Israel
Slogan Ecological Judaism
Website aytzim.org

Aytzim (meaning "trees" in Hebrew), formerly Green Zionist Alliance, is a New York-based secular, progressive and pluralistic Jewish environmental organization that is a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity. A grassroots all-volunteer organization,[1] Aytzim is active in the United States, Canada and Israel. The organization is a member of the American Zionist Movement,[2] and has worked in partnership with Ameinu, the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), Hazon, Interfaith Moral Action on Climate, Interfaith Oceans, the Jewish National Fund, GreenFaith, Mercaz/Masorti (Conservative Judaism), and the National Religious Coalition on Creation Care.[3]

Projects

Aytzim has three projects:[4][5]

The Green Zionist Alliance works to protect and educate about the environment of Israel and the Middle East.

With more than 1000 blog posts,[6] pedagogical materials, a job board, and an interactive map of Jewish-environmental initiatives, Jewcology.org is a large online resource for information on Jewish environmentalism.

An environmental-advocacy group that Aytzim runs in partnership with GreenFaith, Shomrei Breishit includes more than 100 Jewish clergy, including chief rabbis.[7]

Aytzim also runs an internship program;[8] hosts an English-language compilation of educational materials, research papers, academic papers, news articles, videos and books about Israel's environment;[9] and has student chapters, including "Yovel: Aytzim at NYU."[10]

History

The Green Zionist Alliance (GZA) was founded in 2001 by Alon Tal, Eilon Schwartz and Rabbi Michael Cohen,[11] with a large team of other volunteers, including Adam Werbach,[12][13] Devra Davis and current Aytzim leadership.[13] In 2002 it became the first environmental party at the World Zionist Congress,[14] where it has had elected representation since. Through this process, the organization succeeded in the appointment of environmental leaders, including Tal and Schwartz, to the board of the Keren Kayemet L'Yisrael (KKL / Jewish National Fund in Israel).[15] Today, Aytzim representation includes Tal and Orr Karassin.[11]

In 2006 the GZA incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

In late Sept. 2014, the GZA acquired Jewcology.org from fellow Jewish-environmental group Canfei Nesharim and, in partnership with GreenFaith, launched a Jewish-clergical environmental advocacy group called Shomrei Breishit: Rabbis and Cantors for the Earth.[16] To better reflect the scope of the organization's work, the GZA rebranded itself as Aytzim, keeping the Green Zionist Alliance name both legally and for its Israel-focused work.[4]

Aytzim has had many prominent Jewish leaders serve on its Green Zionist Alliance slates for the World Zionist Congress, including Rabbi Ellen Bernstein,[17] Mirele Goldsmith,[17] Susannah Heschel,[18][19] Nigel Savage,[19] Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb,[17] Richard H. Schwartz,[20] Rabbi Marc Soloway,[21] Rabbi Lawrence Troster,[17] Rabbi Arthur Waskow,[18][19] and Laurie Zoloth.[17]

The Aytzim advisory board includes former Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Naomi Tsur and Daniel Orenstein, a faculty member at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies.[22]

Accomplishments

Since its founding as the Green Zionist Alliance, Aytzim has been a key factor in the greening of Israeli policy, both internally and in its interactions with other countries. Aytzim's accomplishments include:

Activist and Educational Campaigns

Aytzim has been engaged in many campaigns to both protect and educate about the environment, including:

Criticism

The organization has been criticized for its stance against hydrofracking,[26] with the New York Post labeling the GZA as "running against the tide of technology."[25] The organization also has been criticized merely for associating with Israel and Zionism,[47][48][49][50][51][52] and for its participation in a process that largely favors Israel's political status quo.[53] Politically centrist individuals have criticized the GZA for its promotion of community gardens, charging that making community gardens more widely available is patronizing to the public. Others see Zionism's mission as finished with the establishment of the modern state of Israel and they question the relevance of the entire system of legacy Zionist organizations formed by the World Zionist Organization and its constituent agencies.[54]

References

  1. ↑ "Code of Ethics". Aytzim.
  2. ↑ "The Member Organizations of the American Zionist Movement". American Zionist Movement.
  3. ↑ "GZA Partner Organizations". Aytzim.
  4. 1 2 3 Krantz, David (Sep 17, 2014). "Introducing Aytzim: Ecological Judaism". Aytzim.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Udasin, Sharon (23 October 2015). "Zionist Congress passes two green resolutions". The Jerusalem Post.
  6. ↑ ""Dig Into Jewcology" (Jewcology stats)". Jewcology.
  7. ↑ "Members of Shomrei Breishit: Rabbis and Cantors for the Earth". Aytzim.
  8. ↑ "Internships". Aytzim.
  9. ↑ "Resources". Aytzim.
  10. ↑ "Yovel: The Green Zionist Alliance @ NYU". New York University.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Berger, Paul (16 June 2010). "Enter the Green Zionists". The Forward.
  12. ↑ Samber, Sharon (Jan 11, 2002). "Environmental Slate Tries to Prove It’s Easy to Be Both Green and Zionist". Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
  13. 1 2 "GZA Co-Founders". Aytzim.
  14. ↑ Winer, Stuart (Jun 19, 2002). "Greens represented at Zionist Congress". Jerusalem Post.
  15. ↑ "MERCAZ-GZA Partnership Provide Strong Environmental Voice on KKL Board". Mercaz USA. Summer 2007.
  16. ↑ Troster, Lawrence (Sep 17, 2014). "Climate crisis insists we pray with our feet". New Jersey Jewish News.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 "World Zionist Congress Slates". Aytzim.
  18. 1 2 Kessler, E.J. (Nov 25, 2005). "Zionist Election Has High Stakes, Strange Pairings". The Forward.
  19. 1 2 3 Sieradski, Daniel (Jan 14, 2006). "Elect Your Reps for the 35th World Zionist Congress". JewSchool.
  20. ↑ Wilensky, David A.M. (June 22, 2010). "Good green news from the World Zionist Congress". JewSchool.
  21. ↑ Soloway, Marc (Jan 19, 2015). "Vote for a Green Israel in the Parliament of the Jewish People". Boulder Jewish News.
  22. ↑ "Advisory Board". Aytzim.
  23. ↑ Krantz, David (5 Feb 2012). "Bittersweet Victory: Most of Samar Saved". Jewcology.
  24. ↑ Krantz, David (1 May 2011). "Israel: The New Saudi Arabia?". Jewcology.
  25. 1 2 Herman, Arthur (27 Jan 2013). "Fracking means a new Middle East: Fracking to upend oil game". New York Post.
  26. 1 2 Herman, Arthur (1 March 2014). "Will Israel Be the Next Energy Superpower?". Commentary.
  27. ↑ Laylin, Tafline (5 March 2013). "Saudi Turns to Solar, Israel Stuck on Shale". Green Prophet.
  28. ↑ Krantz, David (4 Feb 2011). "Power to the People? Energy Battle in Israel Pits Firms vs. Public Interest". Jewcology.
  29. ↑ Bronner, Ethan (30 March 2011). "Israel: Doubling Tax on Energy". The New York Times.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Zion Waldoks, Ehud (18 June 2010). "WZO to boost environmental practices". The Jerusalem Post.
  31. ↑ "Jewish Energy Guide". Aytzim.
  32. ↑ Krantz, David (19 Dec 2012). "Tikkun HaYam: Saving the Sea". Aytzim.
  33. ↑ "BRIEF OF FAITH GROUPS AS AMICI CURIAE IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS-APPELLANTS SEEKING REVERSAL" (PDF). U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. 12 Nov 2013.
  34. ↑ Krantz, David (11 Feb 2011). "Topsy-Turvy World: Environmental Campaign Relaunched". Jewcology.
  35. ↑ Krantz, David (6 Dec 2010). "After the fire: It's time to help — and heal". Jewcology.
  36. ↑ "Shmita Network". Hazon.
  37. ↑ Krantz, David (17 March 2011). "Trees without Bulldozers: Environmental Justice for the Bedouin". Jewcology.
  38. ↑ "#ForwardOnClimate Rally Partner Organizations". Sierra Club.
  39. ↑ Seidenberg, David (21 Feb 2013). "Battling Climate Change, the Jewish Way". The Forward.
  40. ↑ "Members". New Yorkers Against Fracking.
  41. ↑ "Partners". People's Climate March.
  42. ↑ Nemes, Hody (21 Feb 2013). "Over 100 Jewish Groups Join People’s Climate March in New York". The Forward.
  43. ↑ "Partners". Sacred Earth.
  44. ↑ Oster, Marcy (19 April 2012). "Coalition of U.S. Jewish environmental groups gets major funding". Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
  45. ↑ Seidenberg, David; Sanchez, Sybil (4 April 2013). "Jews should back clean energy, not dirty future". Jewish News of Greater Phoenix.
  46. ↑ Krantz, David (15 Nov 2010). "Turning the General Assembly into a Green Assembly". Jewcology.
  47. ↑ Aguilar, Terrina (6 March 2014). "how is directing settlement sewage runoff into Palestinian villages 'green'?". Twitter.
  48. ↑ paiute023 (6 March 2014). "Monsters don't care bout land!". Twitter.
  49. ↑ Alfifi, Fahmi (6 March 2014). "Will I get to see the thousands of olive trees planted by Palestinian farmers that Zionist occupation have destroyed?". Twitter.
  50. ↑ Safadi, Rami (6 March 2014). "How is Zionism green when Israel has uprooted over 2.5 million olive trees since 1967?". Twitter.
  51. ↑ Stigset, Petter (7 March 2014). "The 'green' part refers to US dollars.". Twitter.
  52. ↑ Fischer, Dan (30 August 2014). "Palestine, a Climate Justice Issue". Rising Tide North America.
  53. ↑ Levi9909 (5 June 2006). "Not seeing the wood for the trees". Jews sans frontieres: An Anti-Zionist blog.
  54. ↑ Hasson, Nir (16 June 2010). "Head to Head / Hagai Merom, has the time come for the World Zionist Organization to end its historic role?". Haaretz.

External links

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