Written by Elaine Coburn, Director of the Centre for Feminist Research, 91亚色

Biography

is an Assistant Professor at the School of Environment at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on religion and environment, faith-based environmentalism, faith-based environmental ethics, and religious legal approaches to environmental protection. He is particularly interested in the themes of wastefulness, consumption, and simplicity. Dr. Yoreh is currently researching environmental engagement in faith communities in Canada, the United States, and Israel. He is the author of Waste Not: A Jewish Environmental Ethic (2019). You can find his talk .

At the Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies, Dr. Tanhum Yoreh (PhD Humanities, 91亚色) spoke about 鈥淔aith Based Environmental Action: The Jewish Experience鈥�. In his talk, he considered possibilities and tensions around religiously rooted environmentalism, turning first to the words of the philosopher Roger S. Gottleib: 鈥淔or as long as human beings have practiced them, the complex and multifaceted beliefs, rituals and moral teaching known as religion have told us how to think about and relate to everything on earth that we did not make ourselves.鈥�

This observation is helpful, Dr. Yoreh argues, in part because it does not presume the usefulness of religion for understanding environmental questions. Rather, Gottlieb leaves open the possibilities that theology may be helpful or harmful to our interactions with the natural world.

Certainly, many religious people who are active in the environmental movement understand themselves as having a responsibility, even a moral imperative, to respond to the environmental crisis. If religion is life-giving and the ecological crisis is life-destroying, being a responsible part of the Created World demands action to protect life.

Practically, being able to mobilize religious communities around environmental causes, including their ability to organize and their financial and their political clout, makes them at least potentially powerful actors. The United Church, for instance, is actively divesting from fossil fuels. Diverse faith communities are present at events like COP-26 at Glasgow in 2021, asking that we make difficult decisions to reduce ecologically destructive practices and support life in the natural world.

At the same time, Dr. Yoreh observes, religious communities may have entrenched habits that make new engagement with environmental questions difficult or environmental questions may seem irrelevant to the central spiritual mission. In some cases, religious communities may hold ideas antithetical to ecological activism, for instance, theologically rooted fatalisms make action meaningless, since the Book of Life is already written. Some monotheistic communities may understand environmentalists as spiritually wrong-headed, even dangerous, associating 鈥渢ree hugging鈥� with idol worship.

Prevailing Orthodox understandings of Jewish law, the halakhah, view environmental commitment as morally good but as extra-legal, praiseworthy but not legally necessary. Yet, other aspects of Jewish law may support environmental activism. For instance, if environmental damage is viewed as a form of self-harm, the live-privileging halakhah would be activated in full force to protect human life.

Ecclesiastes Rabbah, a commentary on the book of Ecclesiastes, includes a passage in which God reviews 鈥渆ach and every tree鈥� in the Garden of Eden and warns Adam:

 鈥淏ehold my creations how pleasant and praiseworthy they are. All that I created, I created for you. Pay heed that you do not ruin and destroy My world. For if you ruin it, there is no one after you who will fix it.鈥� (7:13)

Such passages speak powerfully to many contemporary Jewish environmental activists, enjoining all of humanity to take care of the natural world, understood as God鈥檚 Creation.

In contrast to those who understand Judaism as demanding stewardship for God鈥檚 Creation, Reform and Orthodox communities may rely on very different vocabularies, for instance, evoking the need for cleanliness to urge an end to littering and pollution. Varying approaches and vocabularies within a diverse Jewish faith community speaks to the need, within the environmental movement, to mobilize a range of language that resonates with different religious actors.

In short, these are matters of different worldviews, different motivations that bring people of faith to the environmental struggle.

What is clear is that faith-based actors are important to environmental struggles. Scientists can measure risks, but they cannot answer the moral and spiritual questions that the contemporary ecological crisis poses. For the faithful, theological imperatives and religious responsibility provide an impetus to act that they find nowhere else.

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This year's event will explore the theme of "The Lives and Afterlives of Yiddish" with talks from two prominent speakers.

In 鈥淓choes of Yiddish in American English,鈥� well-known linguist Sarah Benor (Hebrew Union College 鈥� Jewish Institute of Religion, LA Campus) will discuss how Yiddish continues to shape the distinct ways that North American Jews speak today, even if they don't realize it.

Historian Eddy Portnoy (YIVO Institute for Jewish Research), author of the acclaimed Bad Rabbi: And Other Strange but True Stories from the Yiddish Press, will explore 20th century Jews鈥� penchant for fisticuffs as a means of communal conflict resolution in 鈥淏ringing the Ruckus to Yiddishland: Yiddish and its Vocabulary of Violence.鈥�

To join the event on Zoom, register using this .

 is Canada鈥檚 first interdisciplinary research centre in Jewish Studies, bringing together a vibrant community of scholars and teachers to promote cutting-edge research in the field.

Courtesy of YFile.

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Horvat Tsalit flourished during the turbulent years from King Herod to the violent Bar Kochba War (circa 30 BCE to 135 CE). According to ancient historian Flavius Josephus, it provided sanctuary to Judean militias fleeing inland after attacking聽coastal Ascalon (now Ashkelon)聽and being repulsed by the Roman garrison there in the winter of 66 to 67 CE. That is the only reference in Josephus鈥檚 writing to the village.

When you鈥檙e digging up shards聽strewn around stone foundations scoured by desert sands for almost two millennia, this kind of information can bring a site to life. That鈥檚 why two archeologists at Ben-Gurion University in Beer Sheva invited 91亚色聽Professor Steve Mason to be the excavation historian.

Right: Steve Mason at Masada

Mason holds the in Greco-Roman Cultural Interaction at 91亚色. He is an expert on Flavius Josephus, chronicler of turbulent first-century Jewish history, including the Judean-Roman War that featured the guerrilla attack on Ascalon and led to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE.

鈥淚 will try to construct the big picture鈥� for Israeli and 91亚色 students participating in the dig, says Mason, one of whose聽current聽projects neatly dovetails with the dig. He is nearing completion of a book about the聽Judean-Roman War of 66 to 74聽CE聽for Cambridge University Press.

Archeologists and , experts in the Roman-Byzantine era, will lead daily excavations and offer lectures and workshops on field methods. Mason will lecture on the ancient context of the site.

Horvat Tsalit was an unwalled settlement of perhaps 1,000 to 2,000 inhabitants situated in the hills of ancient Judea. In the 1980s, archeologists excavated the watchtower that stood sentinel over the village through three Judean-Roman wars. 鈥淭he site has the potential of turning up valuable evidence of these wars,鈥� says Mason, who will do a little digging himself. 鈥淵ou never know what will turn up. It鈥檚 fascinating.鈥�

Above: The site of Horvat Tsalit, the ancient village where聽excavations begin this summer

The excavation at Horvat Tsalit will run for three seasons, beginning this summer from July 10 to Aug. 6. As many as 20 Israeli and up to 20 Canadian students could be wielding trowels on daily digs. Daytime temperatures typically spike at 33 degrees C at this time of year but canopies will shade the diggers from the intense sun.

91亚色 is co-sponsoring the dig with Ben-Gurion University. Funding for Mason鈥檚 Canada Research Chair聽and from 91亚色鈥檚 Israel & Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies are supporting聽the project.

91亚色 undergraduates seeking credit and graduate students seeking adventure are welcome to apply. will offer transferable half-course credits for a fee to 91亚色 students who complete the four-week season. Non-credit volunteers who cannot stay for the entire four weeks must commit to the first or last half of the dig.

For US$1,600, Canadian students receive accommodation in Beer Sheva, two meals (breakfast and lunch) and transportation to and from the Horvat Tsalit site daily for the entire four weeks. The fee does not include airfare.

Application forms are available by e-mailing tsalitexped@gmail.com. General queries can be e-mailed to Steve Mason at smason@yorku.ca.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

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McMurtry, former attorney general of Ontario, will open with remarks on social justice in Canada. Each panelist will speak about a different aspect of the theme, followed by a question and answer period. Robert Latham, director of 91亚色鈥檚 Centre for International & Security Studies, will talk about rights to mobility and citizenship; sociologist Lesley Wood, about social movement, globalization and policing; and Sara Horowitz, director of 91亚色鈥檚 Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies, about gender, genocide and Jewish memory.

The two-hour event starts at 1pm in 280N 91亚色 Lanes.

Research Matters is an annual lecture series showcasing 91亚色 research and sponsored by the associate dean of research in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS). Dean Martin Singer and Barbara Crow, associate dean of research, will introduce the Jan. 12 panel discussion.

Previous panels have discussed issues such as scholarship and policy development, internationalization and global health, the north, China, knowledge mobilization, pandemic planning and interdisciplinary research. To view videos of the panel discussions, visit the聽LA&PS website.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

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The talk, presented by the Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies at 91亚色, will take place Sunday, Nov. 21 at 3:30pm in W136 Executive Learning Centre, Seymour Schulich Building, Keele campus. The lecture is free of charge.

Right: Xu Xin

Xin, director of the Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies at Nanjing University, is the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and the only professor of Jewish studies in China.

The Centre for Jewish Studies at 91亚色 is Canada's first interdisciplinary research centre in Jewish studies, bringing together a vibrant community of scholars and teachers to promote cutting-edge research in the field.聽Jewish studies encompasses the study of the texts, histories and cultures of the Jewish people, which developed alongside and within Western and non-Western civilizations.

The event is being co-sponsored by the 91亚色 Centre for Asian Research and the Department of Humanities.

For more information, visit the Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies website or call 416-736-5823.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

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Above: The 91亚色 Research Tower, which opened in September 2009, features聽some 84,000 square feet of space and houses 12 research centres and two research project teams

鈥�91亚色 is a leading university in social sciences and humanities research, and nothing proves that more than a peer-review process,鈥� said Mamdouh Shoukri, 91亚色's president聽& vice-chancellor, referencing the recent successes of 91亚色 researchers in securing a Killam Prize, two out of four of the Social Sciences聽& Humanities Research Council of Canada鈥檚 (SSHRC) Major Collaborative Research Initiative awards, and a SSHRC Community-University Research Award.

鈥淏ut having excellent researchers puts another level of responsibility on the University, which is to make absolutely sure that we have the environment and the support they need to reach their potential,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his building represents 91亚色鈥檚 commitment to building a research culture for success.鈥�

The 10-storey building, which recently received聽, opened in September 2009 and聽features approximately 84,000 square feet (net) with wireless Internet access. It currently houses 12 research centres and two research project teams, and also provides office space for the and (ABEL) group, which provide support services for researchers. The Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation, Office of Research Ethics and Office of Research Services occupy the fifth floor, along with extensive conference and meeting facilities (full occupant list).

鈥淚 think this is the best facility for social science and humanities research in the country, and our researchers deserve it,鈥� said Stan Shapson (left), vice-president research聽& innovation. 鈥淚n addition to many new technologies, it鈥檚 built on the Greek agora model of community that allows researchers to come together and collaborate, both with researchers across the University and with external groups. Some of the issues they鈥檙e studying can鈥檛 be solved in isolation. No one has all the knowledge or the strategy to do it all聽鈥� we have to collaborate, which is also why we want the YRT to be a meeting place for the community to work with us.鈥�

Chad Gaffield (left), , was also present for the event as part of a daylong visit to 91亚色鈥檚 Keele campus. 鈥淲e use e-communications to deepen and enrich relationships that are, at least periodically, complemented by physical contact,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he genius of the YRT is its confirmation of the importance of creating face-to-face contact and then complementing those interactions through information communications technology. It鈥檚 a new model of engaged scholarship and research.鈥�

Professor (below, right), director of the Centre for Refugee Studies on the research tower鈥檚 eighth floor, spoke about the importance of creating neighbourhoods for researchers. Since moving into the building, McGrath has formed new research connections with peers in the 91亚色 Centre for Asian Research, the Centre for Research on Latin America & the Caribbean, and , all of which are her neighbours on the聽eighth floor.

鈥淗aving neighbourliness, good meeting space and research resources under one roof is great,鈥� said McGrath. 鈥淚 hosted colleagues from all around the world here for a three-day session in the bright and spacious Conference Centre. With help from ABEL, we streamed parts of our meeting online, allowing those who weren鈥檛 able to travel here opportunities to participate. The facilities are fostering our sense of research culture and allowing us to work more collaboratively than I think we would have without it.鈥�

Graduate students have also benefited from new space on floors six, seven and eight that was designed for them as researchers. 鈥淲hen you walk around the building, you see graduate students everywhere,鈥� said Susan Henders, director of the 91亚色聽Centre for Asian Research. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e working on projects, relaxing in the lounges and interacting with their peers. It鈥檚 quality space that brings them into the centres and fosters their work and professional development, complementing their graduate program training.鈥�

Watch videos from the Research Tower opening, with remarks from President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri, Vice-President Research & Innovation Stan Shapson, SSHRC President Chad Gaffield, Professor Susan Henders and Professor Susan McGrath.

鈥淥ne student told me that having study space made him feel valued as a researcher and professional in the making,鈥� Henders continued. 鈥淚 want to commend the University for its foresight in recognizing the critical role graduate students play in organized research units and research on the campus.鈥�

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer. Photos courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Golda Koschitzky, 91亚色 benefactor and honorary degree recipient, has died. She was 102.

On Nov. 5, 1999, 91亚色 presented the philanthropist and Jewish education innovator with an honorary doctor of laws. Over 90 years old at the time, she had supported the establishment of a聽professorship then a Chair in Jewish Teacher Education at 91亚色 through the Israel Koschitzky Family Charitable Foundation, named for her husband. The Chair was the first of its kind in North America at a public university and was created to respond to聽a growing demand for teachers of Hebrew and Jewish studies in Canada and beyond.

Right: Golda Koschitzky received an honorary doctor of laws in 1999. Photo courtesy of Clara Thomas Archives & Special聽Collections, ASC06177.

In 2008, 91亚色鈥檚 Centre for Jewish Studies was renamed the Israel聽& Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies. The dedication followed another generous gift from the Koschitzky family in honour of the 100th birthday of the Koschitzky family matriarch and the 50th anniversary of 91亚色 in 2009. The centre conducts cutting-edge research in a range of Jewish studies and offers one of the largest university-level programs in Jewish studies outside Israel.

"91亚色 has lost a great friend with Golda Koschitzky's passing," said President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri.聽"Her vision and generosity have helped put 91亚色 at the forefront of Jewish studies, and her legacy will endure through the Israel & Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies at 91亚色."

Professor Michael Brown, director of 91亚色's Centre for Jewish Studies in 1999 when Golda Koschitzky received her honorary degree, said聽she and her聽family聽have provided leadership and support for local, national and international organizations, including the United Jewish Appeal/Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto.

"Having endured physical hardship in Nazi-occupied Europe, the Koschitzky family arrived in Canada at the end of the Second World War penniless, but determined to succeed and help others around them,鈥� Brown said at the time. "Through their devotion to family and traditional Judaism, through their commitment to education, and through their participation in the commercial and cultural life of Canada, they became role models for members of the Jewish community as well as for newcomers to Canada of all backgrounds.鈥�

Right: Golda Koschitzky, seated, with, from left, Saul, Mira, Julia and Henry Koschitzky

Golda Koschitzky leaves聽sons Saul and Henry, daughters-in-law Mira and Julia, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Shiva will be observed at the home of Saul and Mira Koschitzky, 4 Coreydale Court, North 91亚色, through Sunday morning.

Republished courtesy of YFile 鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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