This article appeared in the April 28, 2006 Jewish Advocate.

Synagogue landscaping reflects commitment to community, green values

By Susie Davidson

It’s that time of year when the delightful smells of cut grass and peat moss fill the senses (or sinuses), and those first green shoots poke through newly-thawed ground. At area synagogues, grounds committees are also getting in gear.

According to Samuel Gruber of the New York Landmarks Conservancy, who is a Visiting Lecturer at Syracuse University and teaches courses on the American Synagogue and Jewish Art and Architecture, “a synagogue requires only an enclosed space to allow a congregation to assemble for prayer and to hear the Torah (Five Books Of Moses) read.” But by beautifying and maintaining surroundings, synagogues can not only provide a sensory as well as a spiritual, but also a conscientious experience for congregants.

“Sustainability was a crucial value in our construction process,” said Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, who notes that the parking lot gravel symbolizes the journey through the desert, and the cedars those that Solomon used to build his temple. A passage over water represents crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land, or the ritual cleaning that preceded entering the Temple in Jerusalem.

While local synagogues may not have the amenities of, say, Beth Emeth Congregation of Sun City West, Arizona, whose Gertrude and Joseph Burdoo Biblical Garden holds specimens of plant material mentioned in the Bible, each marked with a quotation referring to the plant; or of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, where worship is held amid Red Rock mesas; or of Berkeley’s Congregation Beth El, where Cordonices Creek flows through the property, some have worked wonders in the often-harsh, always changeable New England landscape.

Etz Chaim in Franklin is located within a densely-wooded area. “I just sent out an email calling all congregants to join us for a spring cleaning,” said Administrative Assistant Ellen Bernstein. “That is how we take care of our setting.” Large glass doors in her office face the woods. “I enjoy the occasional flock of wild turkeys strolling by, or the red-tailed hawk perched on one of our peaks.” In the early evening, deer will quite often stand right in the driveway circle. At Etz Chaim, weeding is discouraged. “The trees are welcome to grow and spread and fall as they wish,” said Bernstein. The site, which the shul purchased in 1999, was originally a single family home, and the group had to fill in the pool, but not much else was done. "Our unique grounds come from working very hard to keep the natural look and feel of the environment by letting nature rule," said Vice President Carl Citron.

Sometimes, you go with what you have. Spiritual Leader Barbara Cohen of Congregation Ahavath Sholom in Great Barrington cited minimal landscaping needs. “We have a very small, very simple old synagogue,” she said. “Our landscaping is big buckets of flowers in the front, and we plan to put in little beds of gardens.” Members do the maintenance.

“Our small Shul, the Congregation Beth Israel of Onset,” said President Burt Parker, “is located on the corner of two streets on a very small plot, with no grass and only bushes on the front.” Yet, members attempt to beautify the small area around the building.

For those with more to work with, "it is imperative that the Jewish people be good stewards of our natural environment and begin the task of tikkun olam - repairing the Earth,” said Barbara Lerman-Golomb, Acting Executive Director, Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), which is based in New York and has a Boston chapter headed by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen.

COEJL, in conjunction with several other Jewish groups, recently encouraged the community to make Earth Day, April 22, an Environmental Shabbat.

"The Earth is threatened as perhaps never before from global warming, extreme climate change, rapid loss of biodiversity and other environmental devastation that jeopardizes the health and survival of all of Creation,” said Lerman-Golomb. “It is essential that the Jewish community, guided by our teachings of stewardship and tikkun olam, be moral and ethical witnesses to these threats and not stand idly by.” She cites Pirke Avot: “It is not your duty to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it.” One immediate way to take action, she says, is by greening synagogues and homes.

Founded in 1993 following the 1992 U.N. Conference on Environment and Development (“Earth Summit”) in Rio de Janeiro, COEJL represents 29 national Jewish organizations and speaks for the organized Jewish community on environmental issues in Washington and across the nation. Allen cited COEJL materials: “The choices that synagogues make about landscaping carry many serious implications.” If there are budgetary concerns, she suggested using native plants, which need less water and maintenance, and topography/drainage management to save on water bills, basement repairs and other expenses. Chemicals should be minimized, especially if children are playing in the area.

Allen said that pockets of native habitat can be created on synagogue grounds, and mini-gardens can be wonderful sites for teaching about Jewish agricultural traditions. Composting is a good life-cycle lesson in which congregants can participate. Recycling bins can be installed. Allen stressed that synagogue behavior toward grounds can set an example for members’ homes, offices, schools, and lives. Human land impact can also be reduced by encouraging carpooling and other alternatives to driving to shul,

Lawn mowers and other gas-powered landscapers, says COEJL, are one of the biggest contributors to pollution. The group encourages the use of electric or rechargeable equipment if possible.

On Tu B’Shevat, “Jewish Earth Day,“ congregants can be encouraged to begin planning all of these programs.

The synagogue environmental movement has local roots; its beginning is attributed to Rabbi Everett Gendler of Temple Emanuel in Lowell, who climbed onto the ice-covered roof in November 1978 to install solar panels to fuel the ner tamid, or eternal light, in the sanctuary.

The word “synagogue” derives from the Greek synagein, which means "to bring together,” and the value of pitching in can’t be discounted. At Congregation Beth Elohim of Acton, it’s a joint effort. “We typically organize a few work days where congregants, both adults and children, work together to beautify the grounds,” said Bob Ferrara, who shares the position of Vice President, Operations, with his wife Deena (John Murphy is Building and Grounds Chair). “It gives everyone a sense of ownership and pride in the appearance of their synagogue.” Typical tasks include mulching, planting flowers, weeding, and sweeping. The shul also recently planted 11 flowering trees, each one purchased by a congregant in their Adopt-a-Tree campaign.

Beth Elohim typifies the following of biblical passages such as “When you come into the land, plant all manner of trees…” (Leviticus 19:23) and “The Holy Blessed One said to the people of Israel: ‘Even though you will find the land bountiful, do not decide to sit and not sow. Rather, be very diligent in planting. Just as you found planting done by others when you arrived, so, too, you are to plant for future generations.’” (Midrash Tanchuma, Kedoshim 8).

“Jewish tradition informs us in many ways of our connection to the Earth,” said Allen. “We, like everything on our planet, and our planet itself, are all part of God's creation. Yet, we are different.” It is our job to care for the planet,” she said “Only we are capable of paving over prairies, polluting the waters, and replacing forests with shopping malls.” It is in our synagogues, more than any other place, she says, where our responsibility to care for the Earth should be expressed. “We can plant native species, which do not require watering. We can refrain from using pesticides and herbicides, which can damage the land. We can compost our debris, and recycle it into the Earth. Any of these steps is a good place to start in helping to be more caring for the land upon which we walk.”

A Midrash in Ecclesiastes Rabbah (7:13) relates G-d first showing human beings around the Garden of Eden, and warning: “Take care not to corrupt and destroy my world, for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you.”