Ellen Bernstein
R' Ellen Bernstein began pursuing studies in both environment and religion in high school and graduated from one of the first programs in environmental studies at U.C. Berkeley in 1975. A pioneer in the field of religion and ecology, she founded the first national Jewish environmental organization, Shomrei Adamah, Keepers of the Earth, in 1988. In 1988, Ellen also began to develop and promote Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish New Year of the trees as an environmental holiday, and now this earthy festival-...See more
R' Ellen Bernstein began pursuing studies in both environment and religion in high school and graduated from one of the first programs in environmental studies at U.C. Berkeley in 1975. A pioneer in the field of religion and ecology, she founded the first national Jewish environmental organization, Shomrei Adamah, Keepers of the Earth, in 1988. In 1988, Ellen also began to develop and promote Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish New Year of the trees as an environmental holiday, and now this earthy festival--once considered a minor Jewish holiday--is widely celebrated in communities across the U.S. She has written numerous books and articles on Judaism, Bible and ecology including most recently, The Promise of the Land: A Passover Haggadah ( Behrman House, 2020 ) . Ellen's work on Bible and Ecology has appeared in the Green Bible (Harper One, 2008) and will be featured in a new Oxford University Press Handbook on Bible and Ecology (2022). She continues to teach widely on Bible and ecology, and is an advisor to the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, a board member of the Shalom Center, an advisor to the Green Sabbath project, and a steering committee member for the Third Act/faith. See less