President Trump's Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Lee Zeldin, has installed a mezuzah in his Washington office, the New York Times has reported.
Coming from a lineage of rabbis, with both his grandfather and great-grandfather serving in that role, Zeldin reached out to the media, expressing his desire to provide people with “a moment to take a break from their normal routine, and to reflect and think about some other spiritual aspects of their day and their life.”
While some Jewish community figures have praised the decision, others noted that he has weakened environmental protections since taking the position, which stands in contrast with the Jewish principle of tikkun olam, or repairing the world.
“His repealing dozens of environmental protections is an assault on Jewish values, and I would even say a desecration of Jewish values,” said Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, the founder of Dayenu, a Jewish nonprofit climate organization.
Judaism offers no singular perspective on environmental protection. However, like many other faith traditions, it emphasizes the responsibility of humanity to act as caretakers of God’s creation.
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, who leads the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, expressed admiration for Zeldin’s choice to place a mezuzah by his office door, describing it as a “beautiful thing.”
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However, he also voiced concerns about Zeldin’s decisions as the E.P.A. administrator. “The levers of government can either be pulled to protect the planet and to keep creatures healthy and thriving, or they can be pulled in a way that would preference either corporate interests or the accumulation of wealth at the expense of the planet,” Pesner stated.
An American attorney, politician and United States Army Reserve officer, Zeldin has been serving as the 17th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency since January 29. A Republican, he previously represented New York’s 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2015 to 2023. Before his time in Congress, Zeldin served as a New York State Senator for the 3rd Senate district from 2011 to 2014. He unsuccessfully ran for governor of New York before joining the Trump administration.