Silver Spring, Md. — Is it halachicly permissible for observant Jews to own stock in a company that is one of the largest contributors of global warming pollution and fights any attempts to solve the problem?
As we sit around the Tu B’Shevat seder table, we should talk about this issue because of its immense impact on our environment (one of the prime focuses of the holiday).
Jewish tradition seems pretty clear on this issue — business must be conducted in a way that conforms to Torah standards of morality. Companies like ExxonMobil do not conduct business in a way that meets these standards.
For example, ExxonMobil spends millions of dollars promoting doubt about global warming, even though the overwhelming majority of established scientists tell us that industrialized nations must drastically cut carbon dioxide emissions (the gas that causes global warming) in order to fight the problem.
If ExxonMobil has its way and governments do nothing about global warming, our children and grandchildren will suffer severe economic, health and environmental consequences. Halacha (Jewish law) does not permit us to do things to harm our children or grandchildren.
So, the question of whether observant Jews are permitted to own stock or work for a company like ExxonMobil has a clear answer — no. What’s not so clear is why Orthodox rabbis and other Orthodox authorities don’t say anything to the public about this.
It’s not that the Orthodox authorities are shy, or reluctant to inject themselves into the public arena. When it comes to kashrut, Shabbat, Israel or daily prayer, they have a lot to say.
It’s not that Jewish tradition is silent on subjects like the environment, health, human rights and business ethics. Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative and a notable few Orthodox rabbis find plenty of material on these subjects. So why the silence from mainstream Orthodoxy? Why the strict rules and regulations concerning what people eat, but no rules and regulations about what type of car people buy?
Surely, buying the wrong type of car (i.e., a gas-guzzling SUV) does more harm to the community welfare than eating a cheeseburger does. The latter harms the person who does it, but the former harms innocent future generations in addition to the person who does the action.
Why the silence? The answer is more likely to be found in the social and cultural realm, rather than the halchic realm. The primary focus of the laws that Orthodox Jews emphasize are to build a wall between the community and the outside, non-Orthodox world. Kashrut and Shabbat serve that purpose, but care for our planet, human rights and business ethics do not. It’s time for a change.
Orthodox rabbis are in a uniquely strong position to guide the moral behavior of their congregants. By definition, Orthodox Jews believe in binding halacha. If an Orthodox rabbi makes a pronouncement on a particular issue, the rabbi’s congregants are supposed to follow it.
There’s no excuse for inaction. The Orthodox Union should immediately appoint a committee to research the stock market and decide which stocks qualify for a “kosher” label and which do not.
Companies like ExxonMobil, MacDonalds, Monsanto, Dow Chemicals and others would likely be deemed un-kosher — not fit for financial support from observant Jews. How would this translate into action?
Observant Jews would not be permitted to buy their stock, shop at their stores, buy their products or work for these types of companies. Observant Jewish lawyers would not be permitted to take these companies as clients. Of course, this would also mean that observant Jews would not be allowed to purchase gas-guzzling SUVs.
Once deemed “non-kosher,” a company has the power to change its designation. For example ExxonMobil can stop funding “pseudo-scientists,” attacking environmental initiatives, abusing workers outside the United States, propping up anti-democratic regimes, and invest heavily in technologies that will help, not hurt people (i.e., solar and wind power).
Observant Jews will not change the world by changing their behavior, but they will change their corner of it, and that’s a good start. The Orthodox community cannot bury its collective head in a sand of kashrut, Shabbat and Israel, pretending other issues don’t count. We only have one planet to live on. It was a gift from G-d, and we have no right to destroy it for the sake of the “almighty” dollar.
Gary Skulnick is a member of the Orthodox Kemp Mill Synagogue in Maryland who works for Greenpeace. You can reach him at gary.skulnik@wdc.greenpeace.org.
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