A fascinating journey through the Torah and Israel featuring four well known Israeli Environmentalists representing a broad spectrum of the Israeli political and religious landscape –Dr.Jeremy Benstein,  Leiba Chaya David, Rabbi Shaul Judelman, and Einat Kramer. These experts make insightful and thought provoking observations about the way that the Torah, from the stories of Creation, the Flood, and the Tower of Babel, to name just a few, encourages and commands caring for and preserving the environment.


Tree of Life: Reflections on Torah and Environment

Doc 28 min, 2012

Written & Directed by: Monique Schwarz
Produced by: Monique Schwarz & Benzion Tidhar, Amber Films
Language: English & Hebrew, with English subtitles

DVD - For Home Use Only :
$29.90

Synopsis


 A fascinating journey through the Torah and Israel featuring four well known Israeli Environmentalists representing a broad spectrum of the Israeli political and religious landscape –Dr.Jeremy Benstein,  Leiba Chaya David, Rabbi Shaul Judelman, and Einat Kramer. These experts make insightful and thought provoking observations about the way that the Torah, from the stories of Creation, the Flood, and the Tower of Babel, to name just a few, encourages and commands caring for and preserving the environment.


Festivals

  • (screening) Temple Sinai Auckland, USA, 2016
  • Classic Cinema, Melbourne, Australia, 2012
  • The Jerusalem Cinematheque, Israel, 2012

Additional info

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Press & Links:

  • The Judaic tradition’s attitude toward the environment is investigated in Monique Schwarz’s short documentary, which uses imagery of the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden to reflect on what the Torah says not only about the dominion over the earth granted to man, but also about his responsibility to safeguard the gift. Schwarz interweaves footage of present-day life in Israel with commentary from four activists—Dr. Jeremy Benstein of the Heschel Center for Sustainability, Rabbi Shaul Judelman of the Jewish Volunteers for the Environment, Einat Kramer of Teva Ivri, and environmentalist Leiba Chaya David—who argue that the Mosaic books enjoin Jews to be both productive and committed stewards of the planet’s resources. For the entire review, check:

    http://www.videolibrarian.com/othervideo.html#Anchor-33234

Festivals

  • (screening) Temple Sinai Auckland, USA, 2016
  • Classic Cinema, Melbourne, Australia, 2012
  • The Jerusalem Cinematheque, Israel, 2012

Educational

  • Hebrew University
  • Baltimore Center for Jewish Education
  • Library of Congress
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Arizona State University
  • Harvard University