Shalom everyone,
This update/Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) Online Newsletter has the following items:
1. Respectfully Challenging Rabbis to Debate “Should Jews Be Vegetarians?”
2. My Interview Posted by EVANA (European Vegetarian and Animal NewsAlliance)
3. My Interview by IVU (International Vegetarian Union)
4. Item re A SACRED DUTY at PETA Blog
5. Cute Cartoon re Downer Cows and Hamburgers
6. Videos on the Internet on Jewish and Christian Teachings on Vegetarianism
7. Chabad (Lubavitch Chassidim) Web Site Features Vegan Recipes
8. Salem, Massachusetts Mayor Proclaims March as Great American Meatout Month
9. Update on Israeli Chief Rabbi’s Statement Re Shackling and Hoisting
10. Areyvut’s “Make a Difference Day” Approaching
11. Interreligious Proclamation Against Foie Gras Production
12. Recent Significant news Articles Re Global Warming, Vanishing Fish stocks, Papal Pronouncements . . .
13. Green Zionist Workshop on Israel Scheduled
14. Response by JVNA Activist Catherine Manna to Statement at Failed Messiah Blog
15. Update on ShalomVeg Web Site
Some material has been deferred to a later update/newsletter to keep this one from being even longer.
[Materials in brackets like this [ ] within an article or forwarded message are my editorial notes/comments.]
Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the JVNA, unless otherwise indicated, but may be presented to increase awareness and/or to encourage respectful dialogue. Also, material re conferences, retreats, forums, trips, and other events does not necessarily imply endorsement by JVNA or endorsement of the kashrut, Shabbat observances, or any other Jewish observances, but may be presented for informational purposes. Please use e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and web sites to get further information about any event that you are interested in. Also, JVNA does not necessarily agree with all positions of groups whose views are included or whose events are announced in this newsletter.
As always, your comments and suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks,
Richard
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1. Respectfully Challenging Rabbis to Debate “Should Jews Be Vegetarians?”
WHY NOT DEBATE “SHOULD JEWS BE VEGETARIANS?”
Richard H. Schwartz, Ph.D.
This is a very respectful invitation to rabbis and other Jewish leaders to engage in a public dialogue/debate via email on “Should Jews Be Vegetarians?” This is something that Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) has been trying to organize for many years.
We think such a debate is very important today because the mass production and widespread consumption of meat harms people, communities and the planet and is in conflict with Judaism in at least six important areas:
1. While Judaism mandates that people should be very careful about preserving their health and their lives, numerous scientific studies have linked animal-based diets directly to heart disease, stroke, many forms of cancer, and other chronic degenerative diseases. Efforts to cure these diseases has resulted in sharp increases in medical expenditures, contributing to huge deficits, making it difficult to fund social programs that many Jews and others depend on.
2. While Judaism forbids tsa'ar ba'alei chayim, inflicting unnecessary pain on animals, most farm animals -- including those raised for kosher consumers -- are raised on "factory farms" where they live in cramped, confined spaces, and are often drugged, mutilated, and denied fresh air, sunlight, exercise, and any enjoyment of life, before they are slaughtered and eaten. A few examples of practices that are sharply at variance to Jewish teachings are that over 250 million male chicks are killed annually in the US alone immediately after birth at egg laying hatcheries because they can’t lay eggs and they have not been genetically programmed to provide much meat; hens are kept in spaces so small that they can’t even stretch a wing, and they have their beaks cut off without anesthesia, so they won’t harm other hens by pecking in their very unnatural environment; dairy cows are artificially impregnated (raped) annually, so they will be able to continually be able to give milk, and forced to give birth to calves who are whisked away from them at birth, likely to become veal calves and live a short, tortured life; and the list could go on and on.
3. While Judaism teaches that "the earth is the Lord's" (Psalm 24:1) and that we are to be God's partners and co-workers in preserving the world, modern intensive livestock agriculture contributes substantially to global warming, soil erosion and depletion, air and water pollution, overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the destruction of tropical rain forests and other habitats and other environmental damage. A 2006 UN report indicated that “livestock' agriculture emits more greenhouse gases (18 percent in CO2 equivalents) than all the cars and other forms of transportation worldwide combined (13.5 percent), and that the number of farmed animals is projected to double in the next 50 years. If that happens, the increased greenhouse gas emissions from these animals will negate reductions in other areas, and make it extremely difficult to reach the greenhouse gas levels necessary to avoid the severest effects of global climate change.
4. While Judaism mandates bal tashchit, that we are not to waste or unnecessarily destroy anything of value, and that we are not to use more than is needed to accomplish a purpose, animal agriculture requires the wasteful use of grain, land, water, energy, and other resources. As one example, in an increasingly thirsty world, it takes up to 14 times as much water to produce a person’s animal-based diet than to produce his or her vegan diet.
5. While Judaism stresses that we are to assist the poor and share our bread with hungry people, over 70% of the grain grown in the United States is fed to animals destined for slaughter, while an estimated 20 million people worldwide die because of hunger and its effects each year.
The need to produce so much food for farmed animals raises the price of grain, and makes it difficult for poor people to afford the nourishment they need for the health and proper development.
6. While Judaism stresses that we must seek and pursue peace and that violence results from unjust conditions, animal-centered diets, by wasting valuable resources, help to perpetuate the widespread hunger and poverty that eventually lead to instability and war. Seeing that the Hebrew words for bread (lechem) and war (milchamah) come from the same root, the Jewish sages deduced that a lack of grain and other resources makes it more likely that nations will go to war.
In view of these important Jewish mandates to preserve human health, attend to the welfare of animals, protect the environment, conserve resources, help feed hungry people, and pursue peace, and since animal-centered diets violate and contradict each of these responsibilities, I and JVNA argue that committed Jews (and others) should sharply reduce or eliminate their consumption of animal products.
One could say "dayenu" (it would be enough) after any of the arguments above, because each one constitutes by itself a serious conflict between Jewish values and current practice that should impel Jews to seriously consider a plant-based diet. Combined, they make an urgently compelling case for the Jewish community to address these issues.
So, this is an open invitation for rabbis to engage in a respectful debate on the above issues. We are not arguing that Jews must be vegetarians; there should be a choice, but we believe that choice should be based on the realities of the production and consumption of meat and other animal products and how they impinge on the Jewish values mentioned above. We believe that engaging in such debates would be a Kiddush Hashem (a sanctification of God’s Name) as it would lead to an improvement in the health of Jews and others, reduce the current massive mistreatment of animals on factory farms, help move our imperiled planet to a sustainable path and enhance the commitment of Jews to Judaism, by showing the relevance of our eternal teachings to current issues.
So rabbis, please contact me at president@JewishVeg.com to arrange a debate. Or, perhaps choose one rabbi to represent your views. The debate would be via email, so there would be ample time for the proper research, consulting and presenation. On the other hand, if you believe that my arguments above and our other arguments (JewishVeg.com/Schwartz) are basically correct, please let me know, as that can help get the issues onto the Jewish agenda, for the physical and spiritual benefit of Jews and the reduction of current serious environmental threats.
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2. My Interview Posted by EVANA (European Vegetarian and Animal NewsAlliance)
February 2008
http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=31442&lang=en
Some weeks ago barbaric practices at South American slaughterhouses were revealed, shocking the world community. Since South America is the largest source of kosher beef imports into Israel, the method of ‘shackling and hoisting,’ by which a fully conscious cow is chained and suspended by one leg in mid-air before being killed, has now led the Israeli rabbinate to announce plans of phasing out a slaughter method which was already outlawed in the USA years ago.
We wanted to find out more about the situation and asked Professor Richard H. Schwartz, the President of Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA), about details of the present situation and his hopes for an increasingly vegetarian future.
QUESTION: Richard, we appreciate you telling our readers a bit more about the meat exports from South American to Israel. What percentage of kosher meat consumed in Israel is imported and from what countries? What changes exactly does the Israeli rabbinate envisage? Would more meat be imported from other countries with better standards in their abattoirs or will ways have be found for less cruel treatments of South America’s animals? Is there hope that improvements can be implemented rapidly?
ANSWER: Much of my response below is based on information from Nina Natelson, founder and director of “Concern for Helping Animals in Israel” (CHAI):
Around 30% of Israel's meat comes from South American countries, including Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. Recently, the European Union and Israel stopped importing Brazilian beef because of safety issues. Israel will probably continue to import from other South American countries while waiting for shackling and hoisting to be phased out.
The spokesperson for the Israeli Rabbinate told a reporter for the Jerusalem Post that the Rabbis will soon be meeting with heads of slaughterhouses to discuss a timetable for converting to a pen. The pen costs about $50,000 and more trained workers are required to use it, so eliminating shackling and hoisting is not something that can be implemented overnight, but CHAI will keep encouraging them to do it as quickly as possible.
Although an official, written decision has not yet been issued by the Rabbinate, likely waiting for this meeting to take place, the Rabbinate's spokesperson told the Jerusalem Post reporter that he could write, "on behalf of the Rabbis" that they are "moving in this direction," meaning it will happen.
The Orthodox Union said they are avoiding the South American problem by not currently bringing meat into the U.S. from South American slaughterhouses, as there is enough meat available in the U.S. However, negative publicity from the situation falls on them, also, and they have been pressing the Israeli Rabbinate to allow them to take over the supervision of the kosher slaughterhouses in South America, as they are better able to supervise the conditions at these facilities.
The Veterinary Services in Israel has only one inspector to supervise all the slaughterhouses throughout South America.
Credit for getting the Israeli rabbinate to decide to phase out shackling and hoisting also should go to Israeli rabbi Adam Frank who, at the request of CHAI and its Israeli sister charity Hakol Chai, wrote a challenging article that was published in the Jerusalem Post and appealed to the Israeli chief rabbis to ban shackling and hoisting. CHAI and Hakol Chai also contacted the Israeli media on this issue.
JVNA has argued that the horrible treatment of animals revealed by PETA’s undercover video at the South American slaughterhouse and the resultant publicity surrounding the decision of the Israeli rabbinate to phase out shackling and hoisting should be a wake-up call to the need for Jews (and others) to reassess their diets.
QUESTION: Killing a terrified animal that feels pain just like we do and has the same strong will to live represents an act of extreme violence even under the best possible conditions. Isn't there much in the Torah re animal sacrifices and the eating of meat?
ANSWER: Yes, and this is why I stated in the preface of my book, “Judaism and Vegetarianism,” that the work was a “leap of faith, an intuition that a religion that has such powerful teachings about compassion for animals, preserving health, feeding the hungry, helping the poor and conserving resources must be consistent with Judaism.”
The great Jewish philosopher Maimonides believed that God permitted sacrifices as a concession to the common mode of worship in Biblical times. It was felt that had Moses not instituted the sacrifices, his mission would have failed and Judaism might have disappeared. The Jewish philosopher Abarbanel reinforced Maimonides' position by citing a midrash (Rabbinic teaching) that indicates God tolerated the sacrifices because the Israelites had become accustomed to sacrifices in Egypt, but that He commanded they be offered only in one central sanctuary in order to wean the Jews from idolatrous practices. Judaism eliminated child sacrifices and cruel practices, so it was a step forward in religious practice. The biblical prophets stated that God prefers mercy and justice to animal sacrifices and that sacrifices are an abomination to God if carried on alongside acts of immorality and injustice.
Re the eating of meat, God’s initial dietary regimen (in the Garden of Eden until after the flood in the time of Noah) was strictly vegan (Genesis 1:29), as will be the dietary practice in the Messianic period, according to rabbi Abraham Issac Hakohen Kook, first Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel, based on the prophecy of Isaiah that the “wolf will dwell with the lamb … the lion will eat straw like the ox … and no one shall hurt nor destroy on all of God’s holy mountain (Isaiah 11:6-9). Hence the two ideal times in Judaism involved vegan diets. After the flood, permission to eat meat was given, but with many stipulations and restrictions, the kosher laws, designed to keep alive a sense of reverence for life and lead the Jewish people back to the original vegetarian diet.
QUESTION: In a press release, you portrayed the abuses in the South American slaughterhouses as a ‘wake up call.’ Is there really hope that such mind boggling brutality will stop people financing the profitable meat industry and go veg or at least consume less meat in the future?
ANSWER: One can only hope so and do everything possible to make this happen, and that is why I am devoting much time every day toward that goal. Vegetarianism is not only an important individual choice today – it is also a planetary imperative, necessary to help shift our imperiled planet to a sustainable world. In addition to considering the horrible treatment of billions of animals on modern intensive factory farms, we should consider how animal-based diets are causing heart disease, several forms of cancer and many other chronic degenerative diseases, and that animal-based agriculture is having devastating effects on the environment. A 2006 UN report indicated that “livestock' agriculture emits more greenhouse gases (18 percent in CO2 equivalents) than all the cars and other forms of transportation worldwide combined (13.5 percent), and that the number of farmed animals is projected to double in the next 50 years. If that happens, the increased greenhouse gas emissions from these animals will negate reductions in other areas, and make it extremely difficult to reach the greenhouse gas levels necessary to avoid global warming's severest effects.
QUESTION: All these cruelties in South American and other slaughter houses are not committed in your name because you are a vegetarian. What has been the reason for you to make this important change and when did it happen?
ANSWER: Until about 1977, I was a "meat and potatoes" person. My mother was sure to prepare my favorite dish, pot roast, whenever I came to visit with my wife and children. It was a family tradition that I would be served a turkey drumstick every thanksgiving. Yet, I have not only become a vegetarian, but I now devote a major part of my time to writing, speaking, and teaching about the benefits of vegetarianism. What caused this drastic change?
In 1975, I began teaching a course, "Mathematics and the Environment" at the College of Staten Island. The course uses basic mathematical concepts and problems to explore current critical issues, such as pollution, resource scarcities, hunger, energy, and the arms race. While reviewing material related to world hunger, I became aware of the tremendous waste of grain associated with the production of beef. (Over 70% of the grain produced in the United States is fed to animals destined for slaughter, while an estimated 20 million of the world's people die annually due to hunger and its effects.) In spite of my own eating habits, I often led class discussions on the possibility of reducing meat consumption as a way of helping hungry people. After several semesters of this, I took my own advice and gave up eating red meat, while continuing to eat chicken and fish.
I then began to read about the many health benefits of vegetarianism and about the horrible conditions for animals raised on factory farms. I was increasingly attracted to vegetarianism, and on January 1, 1978, I decided to join the International Jewish Vegetarian Society. I had two choices for membership: (1) practicing vegetarian (one who refrains from eating any flesh); (2) non-vegetarian (one who is in sympathy with the movement, while not yet a vegetarian). I decided to become a full practicing vegetarian, and since then have avoided eating any meat, fowl, or fish.
Since that decision, I have learned much about vegetarianism's connections to health, nutrition, ecology, resource usage, hunger, and the treatment of animals. I also started investigating connections between vegetarianism and Judaism. I learned that the first Biblical dietary law (Genesis 1:29) was strictly vegetarian, and I became convinced that important jewish mandates to preserve our health, be kind to animals, protect the environment, conserve resources, share with hungry people, and seek and pursue peace all pointed to vegetarianism as the best diet for Jews (and everyone else) today. To get this message to a wider audience I wrote a book, Judaism and Vegetarianism, which was published in 1982. (Revised, expanded editions were published in 1988 and 2001.)
QUESTION: It is obvious that you feel very passionately about the vegetarian lifestyle. Why do you think Jews should be vegetarians?
ANSWER: The mass production and widespread consumption of meat harms people, communities, and the planet and is in conflict with Judaism in at least six important areas:
1. While Judaism mandates that people should be very careful about preserving their health and their lives, numerous scientific studies have linked animal-based diets directly to heart disease, stroke, many forms of cancer, and other chronic degenerative diseases.
2. While Judaism forbids tsa'ar ba'alei chayim, inflicting unnecessary pain on animals, most farm animals -- including those raised for kosher consumers -- are raised on "factory farms" where they live in cramped, confined spaces, and are often drugged, mutilated, and denied fresh air, sunlight, exercise, and any enjoyment of life, before they are slaughtered and eaten.
3. While Judaism teaches that "the earth is the Lord’s" (Psalm 24:1) and that we are to be God's partners and co-workers in preserving the world, modern intensive livestock agriculture contributes substantially to soil erosion and depletion, air and water pollution, overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the destruction of tropical rain forests and other habitats, global warming, and other environmental damage.
4 While Judaism mandates bal tashchit, that we are not to waste or unnecessarily destroy anything of value, and that we are not to use more than is needed to accomplish a purpose, animal agriculture requires the wasteful use of grain, land, water, energy, and other resources.
5. While Judaism stresses that we are to assist the poor and share our bread with hungry people, over 70% of the grain grown in the United States is fed to animals destined for slaughter, while an estimated 20 million people worldwide die because of hunger and its effects each year.
6. While Judaism stresses that we must seek and pursue peace and that violence results from unjust conditions, animal-centered diets, by wasting valuable resources, help to perpetuate the widespread hunger and poverty that eventually lead to instability and war.
In view of these important Jewish mandates to preserve human health, attend to the welfare of animals, protect the environment, conserve resources, help feed hungry people, and pursue peace, and since animal-centered diets violate and contradict each of these responsibilities, committed Jews (and others) should sharply reduce or eliminate their consumption of animal products.
One could say "dayenu" (it would be enough) after any of the arguments above, because each one constitutes by itself a serious conflict between Jewish values and current practice that should impel Jews to seriously consider a plant-based diet. Combined, they make an urgently compelling case for the Jewish community to address these issues.
SNIP
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Resources:
*Why do the OU and Israel's rabbinate condone barbarity (article by Rabbi Adam Frank)
http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=30746&lang=en
*JEWISH VEGETARIAN GROUP SEES ABUSES AT SOUTH AMERICAN SLAUGHTERHOUSE AS A WAKE UP CALL
http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=30756&lang=en
*A Dialogue Between a Jewish Vegetarian Activist and a Rabbi
http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=14773&lang=en
* A SACRED DUTY: APPLYING JEWISH VALUES TO HELP HEAL THE WORLD
http://www.ASacredDuty.com and
http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=27826&lang=en
Herma Caelen spoke to Richard H. Schwartz on behalf of the European Vegetarian and Animal News Alliance (EVANA)
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3. My Interview by IVU (International Vegetarian Union)
Greetings!
I edit the IVU Online News, the IVU electronic newsletter that appears
monthly. You can read back issues at
http://www.ivu.org/news/online/index.html
IVU Online News is having a series of interviews with current leaders of IVUmember societies/associations. Would you or someone you know mind being interviewed?
If it's okay, I've listed some questions below. Feel free to modify them, delete some, or add some. Please keep your answers relatively brief, no more than 100 words per answer. If you have a lot to say on a particular question, one way to say more but with short answers is to insert an extra question. That way you can use more words in your answer.
Once you send your answers, I'll look through them and get back to you if anything is unclear or if I can think of any follow-up questions that might be of interest to readers.
Thanks for considering this. Here are the questions. -george jacobs, editor, IVU Online News, george@vegetarian-society.org
george@vegetarian-society.org
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1. What made you decide to become a vegetarian? When did that happen? How old were you at the time?
In 1975, I began teaching a course, "Mathematics and the Environment" at the College of Staten Island, which relates basic mathematical concepts to current environmental issues. While reviewing material related to world hunger, I became aware of the tremendous waste of grain associated with the production of beef. In spite of my own eating habits, I often led class discussions on the possibility of reducing meat consumption as a way of helping hungry people. After several semesters of this, I took my own advice and gave up eating red meat, while continuing to eat chicken and fish. I then began to read about the many health benefits of vegetarianism and about the horrible conditions for animals raised on factory farms. I was increasingly attracted to vegetarianism, and on January 1, 1978, at the age of 44, I decided to join the International Jewish Vegetarian Society as a vegetarian.
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2. You are a leader of a member society of IVU. How long have you been
a leader of this organisation?
I have been president of the Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) since 2003, but I edited the JVNA newsletter and played a leadership role for many years before that.
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3. What made you decide to become active in promoting vegetarianism?
I decided to become active in promoting vegetarianism after recognizing that:
* animal-based diets violate basic Jewish mandates to treat animals with compassion, preserve our health, protect the environment, conserve natural resources, help hungry people and pursue peace;
* that a shift toward vegetarianism is a societal imperative because of the many negative health and environmental effects of animal-centered diets and agriculture.
* that most people are oblivious of dietary-related realities and have many misconceptions.
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4. What is it that sustains your desire to be active?
All of the factors mentioned in my response #3 above. Also, the realization that the world is rapidly approaching an unprecedented catastrophe from global warming and other environmental threats, and that a major shift to vegetarianism, and preferably veganism, is essential in response.
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5. What obstacles do you face in remaining active in promoting vegetarianism? How do you overcome this obstacle?
The main obstacles are apathy, ignorance and denial. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to overcome them generally. Some approaches I use are talks, letters to editors, articles and personal conversations. I try to stress that vegetarianism is not just a personal decision, but also a societal imperative because the production of meat and other animal products has so many negative environmental effects.
Also, our highly acclaimed documentary “A SACRED DUTY” has the possibility of breaking through barriers.
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6. What is one of your organisation's accomplishments that makes you especially proud?
The production of “A SACRED DUTY.” I am very proud to be the associate producer and to have arranged all the interviews for the movie and to have been involved in important decisions re the final script. We were extremely fortunate to have Lionel Friedberg, a multi-award winning producer/director/writer/cinematographer, who produced the movie as a labor of love and dedication, while accepting no professional fee. Thankfully, the movie has been receiving a very favorable response from both Jews and non-Jews. There is more information about the movie and it can be seen in its entirety at ASacredDuty.com.
I am also proud that I have over 130 articles at JewishVeg.com/Schwartz and that I have written a book “Judaism and Vegetarianism’ (3rd edition, 2001).
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7. How do you try to maintain good relations and enthusiasm amongst
your organisation's members?
I have a JVNA advisory committee of over 50 people, with a wide variety of backgrounds, interests and experiences, and I seek suggestions from them before taking any actions. I also send out JVNA newsletters to members generally once a week to keep them up to date. I always seek suggestions from members and I try to respond quickly to all email messages that I receive.
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8. What is one way that your organisation cooperates with other veg organisations?
In addition to being president of JVNA, I am also president of the Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians (SERV) and a Councilor for the Vegetarian Union of North America (VUNA). I share articles, ideas and initiatives among these groups, so there is cross fertilization.
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9. What is one thing that other veg organisations might be able to
learn from your organisation?
a. to have an advisory committee to take advantage of the wisdom of some of its key members;
b. to send out press releases relating vegetarianism to current news articles on such issues as global warming, water shortages, etc,
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10. How does your organisation reach out to people who are trying to become veg or who are newly veg?
a. We have a web site (JewishVeg.com) which has much background material on connections between Judaism and vegetarianism and much more, including recipes.
b. We send out a generally weekly newsletters to keep people informed and interested.
c. We have leaflets, booklets and CDs, besides the DVD and book mentioned above, that we use to reach out to and inform people.
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11. Any final thoughts?
We feel that our efforts are most important for shifting our badly imperiled planet to a sustainable path. We feel that a major shift toward vegetarianism is essential if the world is to avoid disastrous results from global warming and other environmental problems. We are eager to engage in respectful dialogues/debates with rabbis and others on “Should Jews Be Vegetarians?” We are also most interested in cooperating with the IVU and other vegetarian and related groups to further our mutual objectives.
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4. Item re A SACRED DUTY at PETA Blog
New Film From Jewish Vegetarians of North America
http://blog.peta.org/archives/2008/03/new_film_from_j.php
Hey, everyone! I wanted to tell y'all about A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World, a new documentary by the Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA). The film has several scenes depicting very powerful footage of animal suffering. According to JVNA's Web site, A Sacred Duty reminds viewers that it is "our responsibility to apply Jewish teachings to how we obtain our food, use natural resources, and live among other creatures whom God created. It offers simple, practical measures for reducing our impact on the planet."
JVNA is offering free DVD copies of A Sacred Duty to religious groups, educational institutions, environmental organizations, cultural clubs, the media, Jewish film festivals, and others who will arrange showings. Click here to contact JVNA and request a copy.
You can view the film in its entirety online. Check it out here.
Thanks, JVNA, for showing everyone that the suffering of animals raised for food should be taken into account by those concerned about the environment and for reminding people about Jewish values of compassion for animals.
Love,
Christine
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5. Cute Cartoon re Downer Cows and Hamburgers
Thanks to JVNA advisor Rina Deych for sending us this item which provides some humor:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2008/02/20/fioredowner.DTL
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6. Videos on the Internet on Jewish and Christian Teachings on Vegetarianism
a. A Sacred Duty can now be seen on the Internet at ASacredDuty.com (where much background information can be found) and on You Tube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9RxmTGHZgE
b. Christian Concern For All God's Creatures. This 36-minute video explores Scripture concerning our treatment of animals based on God's Creatures Ministry's 2006 conference. The video explores our God-given responsibility towards God's animals, the reality of factory farming (the recent exposure of the treatment of sick cows at a California slaughterhouse is more common than the beef and dairy industry wants us to believe), animal research, our health, the environment and world hunger. Speakers include Stephen Kaufman, MD, chair of the Christian Vegetarian Association, Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman, founders of www.all-creatures.org, Deborah Jones, General Secretary of Catholic Concern for Animals (CCA) and Editor of CCA's journal The Ark, Judy Carman, author of Peace to All Beings, Jan Fredericks, Founder of God's Creatures Ministry and Chair of CCA-USA, NJARA's Steve Ember, and a message from the late Rev. J. R. Hyland, Evangelical minister and author (please see her website: www.humanereligion.org). [I was invited to speak at this conference, but I could not because it was on Shabbat.]
Hard copies of the DVD are available with questions for discussion and resources.
All donations for this video will go into God's Creatures Ministry's Veterinary Charity Fund to help people with vet bills. Thank you!
We are a non-profit organization.
Here's the link to view the DVD:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6617908616725944044
c. The Christian Vegetarian Association's 26-minute video Honoring God's Creation features pastors, theologians, and lay Christians describing how a plant-based diet reflects their faith. It has been well-received, and many churches have used the video, with the accompanying study guide, in Christian Education classes. In an effort to make it readily available, it can be purchased for its printing cost of $2 DVD ($10 VHS) from the CVA at www.christianveg.org/materials.htm or by sending a check to CVA, P.O. Box 201791, Cleveland OH 44120.
[After seeing this DVD, I got the idea of making a movie relating Judaism to vegetarianism, and that led to A SACRED DUTY.]
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7. Chabad (Lubavitch Chassidim) Web Site Features Vegan Recipes
Thanks to JVNA activist and author Jampa Williams for sending the following to us:
Hi! Look what popped up on Chabad.org today! It isn't "A Sacred Duty", but it is a hopeful presence. I was thrilled when I clicked on the site and saw these recipes.
http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/643927/jewish/Cooking-Vegan.htm
Be well!
-Jampa
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My posting in response:
As president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America, I am very happy to see these vegetarian recipes on this Chabad web site. For connections between Judaism and vegetarianism, please visit JewishVeg.com/schwartz, where I have over 130 articles. To see our new one-hour documentary A SACRED DUTY: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World in its entirety, please
visit ASacrdDuty.com. For your health, for our imperiled world and for consistency with basic Jewish values, please shift toward a vegetarian diet. Thanks and kol tuv.
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8. Salem, Massachusetts Mayor Proclaims March as Great American Meatout Month
Subj: Official Proclamation from Mayor Kimberley Driscoll
Date: Monday, March 3, 2008
Issued by the City of Salem, Massachusetts
Kimberley Driscoll
Mayor
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS: a wholesome diet of vegetables, fresh fruits, and whole grains promotes health and reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases that debilitate then kill 1.3 million Americans annually; and
WHEREAS: such a diet helps preserve topsoil, water, energy, and other essential food production resources; and
WHEREAS: such a diet helps preserve our forests, grasslands, and other wildlife habitats and reduces pollution of our waterways by crop debris, manure, and pesticides; and
WHEREAS: such a diet helps enormously in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases that produce global warming; and
WHEREAS: such a diet helps prevent the suffering and death of more than ten billion sentient animals each year in the US; and
WHEREAS: each year, dedicated Salem Meatout volunteers encourage their neighbors to explore such a diet
NOW, THEREFORE, I KIMBERLEY DRISCOLL, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, SO HEREBY PROCLAIM THE MONTH OF MARCH 2008 AS: GREAT AMERICAN MEATOUT MONTH
And encourage our citizens to explore a wholesome diet of vegetables, fresh fruits, and whole grains.
Signed, Kimberley Driscoll
Mayor
Date: February 29, 2008
Accompanying document: Official Seal of Salem; with motto: To the farthest port of the rich East.
Presented to: Salem Vegan Society
Signed: Kimberley Driscoll
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9. Update on Israeli Chief Rabbi’s Statement Re Shackling and Hoisting
[NOTE: See correction in the 3/24/2008 JVNA Online Newsletter, item #9]
Jerusalem Post article, March 4, 2008:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1204546399803&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Chief rabbi urges more humane slaughter methods
Matthew Wagner
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger met Monday evening with importers of South American kosher meat to encourage them to phase out the "shackle and hoist" slaughter method and adopt the more humane "rotating pen" method.
Although the Chief Rabbinate has condoned the shackle and hoist method for decades, a clandestine video shot in October 2007 and circulated on the Internet by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has sparked new scrutiny.
Metzger, who is in charge of kosher supervision for the Rabbinate, has been under pressure from animal rights groups to stop the slaughter method.
Two weeks ago The Jerusalem Post reported that Metzger intended to meet with importers to persuade them to stop the shackle and hoist method. Even the Orthodox Union, the largest kosher supervision organization in the world, has advised the Rabbinate to discontinue shackling and hoisting at slaughterhouses that provide Israel with kosher meat.
There was an "international attack initiated by organizations for the prevention of cruelty to animals against the kosher way of slaughtering," Metzger was quoted as saying during the meeting, in a press release from the Chief Rabbinate.
This quote reflected the feeling among many rabbis in the Rabbinate that PETA's criticism was designed to undermine kosher slaughtering altogether.
Sources within the Rabbinate have voiced concerns that Metzger's willingness to compromise on the shackle and hoist issue would shed a negative light on kosher slaughtering as a whole.
In the PETA video, filmed inside a slaughterhouse in Montevideo, Uruguay, a cow is shown hanging from a single leg, struggling and bellowing.
After the animal is put on the ground, it is shown writhing and being restrained by several workers who step on it and prod it before the cut. According to PETA the entire procedure takes more than three minutes.
During the meeting, Metzger told the importers that the shackle and hoist method was "primitive" and instructed the importers "to exert major pressure on the slaughterhouses they work with to make them adopt the rotating pen method."
According to this method, the cow is placed in a pen and flipped upside down. The cow is slaughtered in this inverted position.
Israel imports most of its meat, both kosher and non-kosher, from South America. Even the non-kosher meat is often derived from animals slaughtered in the shackle and hoist method. It becomes non-kosher after failing to meet various halachic requirements that have nothing to do with animal cruelty.
Most South American slaughterhouses, and several older Israeli ones, prepare cows for slaughter by tying the animal's hind leg to a shackle that is attached to a mechanical derrick and hoisting the cow off its feet.
The cow is then lowered to the ground on its side and held by three men - one at the head, one at the hindquarter and a third by one of the forelegs - while a fourth man, a shochet ritual slaughterer, cuts through the trachea and the esophagus.
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My letter to the Jerusalem Post
March 4, 2008
Editor, the Jerusalem Post
letters@JPOst.com
Dear Editor:
Kol hakavod to Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger for urging that shackling and hoisting and other inhumane practices at kosher slaughterhouses be phased out (“Chief rabbi urges more humane slaughter methods,” March 4, 2008 article). However, I believe, respectfully, that Rabbi Metzger, like most people, is considering only the tip of the iceberg. Even if shechita is carried out perfectly, with a minimum of pain, can we ignore the widespread abuses of animals on factory farms? Also, isn’t it time that we consider the very negative effects that the production and consumption of animals have on human health and the planet’s environment and how they violate basic Jewish teachings on health, compassion and environmental sustainability.
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Nina Natelson’s letter to the Jerusalem Post:
Dear Editor,
The Chief Rabbis must act quickly to end the barbaric practice of shackling and hoisting, but cruelty to animals raised for food will only end when people become vegetarian. According to the U.N., animal agriculture is the number one cause of global warming and environmental degradation. Judaism mandates that we do everything we can to protect human health and numerous scientific studies have proved beyond a doubt that vegetarians live longer and have less cancer, heart attacks, diabetes and other degenerative diseases. Publicizing the cruelty that is slaughtering will, hopefully, be a wake up call that will result in people becoming more aware of the issues and choosing a diet that is healthier for themselves and for the planet.
Nina Natelson
Director, CHAI
www.chai-online.org
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10. Areyvut’s “Make a Difference Day” Approaching
Bringing Kindness to Communities One Kid at a Time March 2008
Areyvut's "A Kindness a Day"
March 5, 2008
Don't lose your patience. Resolve that today you will not allow yourself to become angry.
"The Holy One, blessed be He, loves one who does not get angry." (Talmud Pesachim 113b)
Go Neutral Shabbat Areyvut is Going MADD!
Areyvut's Fourth Annual Make a Difference Day is quickly approaching! Areyvut has partnered with the Jewish National Fund (JNF) to spread the word about preserving the environment and going green! This year's Make a Difference Day and GoNeutral Shabbat will take place April 4th-6th. Join the over 2,500 people that have already committed to making a difference!
You can register your school, synagogue, community agency, family or yourself by visiting www.JNF.org/makeadifferenceday.
For more information about Make a Difference Day and to find out how to get involved with pre-existing projects in your area, please contact Daniel Rothner (201) 244-6702 or daniel@areyvut.org.
PEJE ConferenceAreyvut on the Go
Areyvut will be on the road April 6th-8th while we attend the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education (PEJE) Conference in Boston, MA. Areyvut representatives will be able to answer your questions at the Learning, Interacting, Networking, and Collaborating (LINC) Exhibition where we will have a booth. We look forward to this opportunity to meet with community leaders about bringing Areyvut programming to their schools.
To schedule a meeting to learn more about our programs, please contact Daniel Rothner at (201) 244-6702 or daniel@areyvut.org.
Areyvut in the Community
Daniel Rothner, Founder & Director, and Michal Greenbaum, Programming Coordinator, met with Yeshivat Noam 5th grade girls and 6th grade boys and their parents on February 25th in Bergen County, NJ. This introductory session was the first of three sessions Areyvut will be leading. This workshop provided background to parents and students about Mitzvah Projects and discussed the remaining two programs, which include a Bnai Mitzvah fair as well as Individual Bnai Mitzvah Consultations. Cheli Arussy, a 16 year old student and second place winner in the 2006 Areyvut Bnai Mitzvah Essay Contest shared the impact her Mitzvah Project had on her. The students are eager to begin planning their Mitzvah Projects.
Michal @ Yeshivat Noam
For more information on the Areyvut Bnai Mitzvah Fair 3 Part Series or to find out how to bring one to your community, please contact Michal Greenbaum at (201) 244-6702 or michal@areyvut.org.
Areyvut
147 South Washington Avenue
Bergenfield, NJ07621
Phone: (201) 244-6702 Fax: (201) 338-2427
www.areyvut.org
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11. Interreligious Proclamation Against Foie Gras Production
As people from diverse religious traditions, we are united in our belief that animals have intrinsic value as part of God’s creation and are entitled to live lives free of cruelty and exploitation. We therefore invite and encourage people of all faiths to speak with one voice on behalf of those who cannot speak in an effort that will define our legacy as stewards of God’s creation. We also invite those people of good will who may not have a faith tradition to join with us in this work. In a world of increasing violence towards others, ourselves, and our environment, we believe it is essential to reclaim and recover a commitment of compassion for all of life. We believe that a commitment to compassion begins with the most vulnerable among us, which includes animals. Therefore, we believe and assert that the making and production of foie gras entails abuse and unconscionable cruelty to animals, and is totally unacceptable from the standpoint of ethics. Anything that makes animals suffer is ethically unacceptable, the fact that Moslems, Jews, Christians and Buddhist, as well as many other faith traditions agree on this point makes a very strong statement. We hear this from our respective traditions in many forms. “ We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals. Animals suffer as much as we do. True humanity does not allow us to impose such sufferings on them. It is our duty to make the whole world recognize it. Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, humanity will not find peace.” (Albert Schweitzer, The Philosophy of Civilization) “If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.” (St. Francis of Assisi)"The Torah prohibits the torture or causing of pain to any living creature. One is duty bound to save every living creature from pain or distress, evenif it has no owner." (Hayim Halevy Donin, To Be a Jew).Also, the Talmud demands that animals be spared pain at all costs (Bava Metsia 31a-32b).A basic teaching in Judaism is tsa’ar ba’alei chayim – avoiding causing pain to animals.
We, the undersigned members of many different and diverse faith traditions, call upon the leaders of the Philadelphia City Council to use their good office and the trust placed in them by those who elect them, to stop this deliberate, systematic, and brutal form of animal cruelty that geese who are used in the making of foie gras are forced to endure. It is within your good office to stop this form of abuse against sentient beings. Any step taking to rid the world of violence and cruelty is a step in the right direction, a step towards peace and non-violence. We are speaking on behalf of these living, feeling beings who cannot speak for themselves, not on behalf of any special interest or for profit concern. Please use your good office to stop brutality to the least among us, who cannot defend themselves.
Thank you for your kind attention and your wiliness to consider stopping animal abuse.
Respectfully submitted to City Council,
pastor.dougherty@minister.com
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12. Recent Significant news Articles Re Global Warming, Vanishing Fish stocks, Papal Pronouncements . . .
a. UN Says Warming Threatens Fish Stocks
By ANGELA CHARLTON – 3 days ago
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hxVMzaBlanLXbdRFN_w6p_7uMW7gD8UVK1680
PARIS (AP) — Major world commercial fish stocks could collapse within decades as global warming compounds damage from pollution and overfishing, U.N. officials said Friday.
A U.N. Environment Program report details new research on how rising ocean surface temperature and other climate changes are affecting the fishing industry. It says that more than 2.6 billion people get most of their protein from fish.
"You overlay all of this and you are potentially putting a death nail in the coffin of the world fisheries," Achim Steiner, head of the program, said in a telephone news conference from Monaco.
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b. Carbon Output Must Near Zero to Avert Danger
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/031008EA.shtml
The Washington Post's Juliet Eilperin reports: "The task of cutting greenhouse gas emissions enough to avert a dangerous rise in global temperatures may be far more difficult than previous research suggested, say scientists who have just published studies indicating that it would require the world to cease carbon emissions altogether within a matter of decades."
c. Vatican Calls Pollution a "New Sin"
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/031008EB.shtml
From Philip Pullella, Reuters: "Thou shall not pollute the Earth. Thou shall beware genetic manipulation. Modern times bring with them modern sins. So the Vatican has told the faithful that they should be aware of 'new' sins such as causing environmental blight."
d. Go Green, Save the Indigenous
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/031008EC.shtml
Tarjei Kidd Olsen of Inter Press Service writes: "African indigenous peoples are important custodians of their natural environments with valuable local knowledge and skills, but are struggling to survive, according to a report."
e. Pharmaceuticals Found in US Drinking Water
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/031008HA.shtml
According to Jeff Donn of The Associated Press, "An array of pharmaceuticals - including antibiotics, anticonvulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones - have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans."
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13. Green Zionist Workshop on Israel Scheduled
Hi Green Friends,
Please help spread the word in Southern California:
Below, please find information on an upcoming GZA workshop on Israel and the Environment to be hosted at the Shalom Center in Malibu. We still have a few places left, so please spread the good word to folks in the 20-36 range in California! The past two have been fantastic and this one will be as well!
Best,
Daniel.
Blue, White, and Green , Goes to California!
A Political and Spiritual Exploration of the Land of Israel and its Environmental Situation
Come Celebrate Shabbat, Israel and the Natural World
March 14 - 16 in Malibu, CA
• Learn what is happening to Israel's environment
• Explore your personal connection to the land
• Discuss strategies to help affect positive change
• Connect with other inspiring young adults
When: March 14 – 16, 2008
Where: Shalom Institute Camp and Conference Center in Malibu CA
Costs: $150 all inclusive camp-style accommodations, scholarships available to those who need!!
Ages: 20-36
Contact: Becca Weaver at education@greenzionism.org to sign up or if you have questions
This Event will be Carbon Neutral!
Sponsored by the Green Zionist Alliance, Marom Olami and Hagshama.
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14. Response by JVNA Activist Catherine Manna to Statement at Failed Messiah Blog
I think factory farming is deeply problematic but I would hardly classify any meat consumption as “inhumane”. I try not to second guess the Torah, which does accommodate (limited) meat consumption
Response by Catherine:
So you try not to second guess the Torah? Is that correct? Which accommodates limited meat consumption?
Well let’s see...
Did they have this problem 3,000 years ago?
Or is this a recent problem? {They didn’t have Agriprocessors back then}
And ....When the Torah says we can eat meat, doesn’t it say it has to be done properly and even states how it is to be done?
So, if this is not done the way it was instructed by Hashem, {Which it clearly is not done the way it was instructed by Hashem}
Then, don’t you think that speaks for itself?
IF it’s not kosher, then you can’t eat it.
What we have today is not kosher slaughter practices; so what are we fighting about?
You think that’s the answer, to insist the OU rabbinical authorities enforce more strict guidelines and assure us, guarantee us, this will never happen again? With constant supervision and 24 hour video surveillance, security, whatever it takes?
Or can you think, perhaps, that this is a message from Hashem, and he is speaking to us today in this way? Let’s be reasonable here. Have you seen “A Sacred Duty”?
Have you considered all the negative damage to our environment, to our health; do you know even what is in the feed of these animals? Do you think it is a coincidence that more and more people are getting diseases and sickness from meat consumption?
Recently, in our news here, it was discovered that the animal feed bag that was labeled Vegetable feed was investigated to having being found in it ground animal parts, and chicken feces. So now it’s not just an issue of humane slaughter, it’s a whole array of issues here, health wise! How do you know what the cattle are being fed before you actually sit down at a nice family dinner table to eat? You don’t!
Plus moral issues.
How can we continue to eat meat, knowing that it is causing so much problems in our world; more people are starving because there is a shortage of grain, because it’s fed to all the animals so that we can have meat on our tables...that’s why I said me me me me first generation. I should have explained myself I guess.
How can we be gluttons, against the Torah, also, knowing all these things?
Anyways, you seem to be out to get your fellow Jew, no matter how sincere the effort is when we all may be trying to reach out to you, but somehow you like to twist things around because you just are not ready for the change. And no one can help you but you.
You sure don’t display the G_dly qualities of a Torah Keeping Jew, or you wouldn’t try to be-little me or anyone’s sincere efforts to try to help our fellow Jew. You wouldn’t mock and make fun. Really, not G_dly of you at all.
So, I believe this is my last post.
I wish you well Michael ben, I’m not mad at you, I feel sorry that you feel the way you do, and I hope for you much peace and happiness in your life ... Shalom
Posted by: Catherine | March 07, 2008 at 12:41 AM
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15. Update on ShalomVeg Web Site
Member Newsletter
March 9th, 2008 - 2 Adar II, 5768
Happy Adar II! As the weather warms and we get ready for Purim, we have a few changes to share here at ShalomVeg.
Site News
The First "Question for the Kehilla"-This week we are beginning the first "Question for the Kehilla (community). A question will be posted on a regular basis in the forums section of ShalomVeg for the community to discuss. The questions will hopefully provide a way to get to know each other and learn about the issues from multiple viewpoints. (No need to write an essay--even a few words are great.) Go to the forums section to read the first question--it's an interesting one. Please login before posting your comments, and remember, only your login name will be shown.
ShalomVeg Store -The ShalomVeg store is now up and running! We have a selection of shirts and other items with Jewish vegan and vegetarian themes available for purchase from CafePress, along with animal rights and veg books and vegan treats from Amazon.com. All profits go to support the running of the site (web-hosting, program licenses etc.). Just click on the ad on the right side of the front page, or the button on the main menu.
Chat -Chat has been added to the features section of the site. While our community may still be a bit small to fill the chatrooms, stop on by and see who's there! In the future if there is interest, we can organize a time or theme for a community chat.
Activism Section Added -An "Activism" section has been added to the learning section of the site. Here you can find activist ideas, ways to avoid "burnout" and thoughts about how to speak to others about the issues.
Take The Survey -Only a few of you have filled out the survey about what you would like to see at ShalomVeg. The survey is important so that we can make the site as useful and enjoyable for you as possible. Click here to take the survey, or go to-
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Whclcf2i44H6CdVzhCNnxA_3d_3d
See below for samples of recent articles from the site. Remember, you can comment on anything you read. Just click the comment button below the article. As usual, submissions are always welcome and questions and comments are always appreciated.
I hope everyone has a fun and meaningful Purim!
Boris Dolin,
Director, ShalomVeg.com
boris@shalomveg.com
SNIP
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** Fair Use Notice **
The material on this site is provided for educational and informational purposes. It may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of vegetarian, environmental, nutritional, health, economic, social justice and human rights issues etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have an interest in using the included information for educational or research purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. The information on this site does not constitute legal, technical or medical advice.
March 29, 2008
2/26/2008 JVNA Online Newsletter
Shalom everyone,
This update/Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) Online Newsletter has the following items:
1. Challenging Rabbis to a Debate on “Should Jews Be Vegetarians?”
2. Interview With Rabbi David Rosen
3. Largest Meat Recall in US History
4. Hitler a Vegetarian Myth Raised Again
5. CHAI Sends Out Tribute to Tom Lantos
6. Israeli Rabbis Agree to Phase Out Shackling & Hoisting
7. JVNA Press Release on Israeli Rabbis Plans to Phase Out Shackling and Hoisting
8. Jerusalem Post article by Rabbi Adam Frank on Shackling and Hoisting
9. Two Very Important Environmental Articles
10. Campaign to Urge Al Gore to Endorse Vegetarianism
11. New Book Discusses Feminism and Animal Ethics
12. JVNA Press Release From JVNA Publicist
13. Chain of Vegetarian Fast Food Restaurants Opened
14. Effort To Stop Creation of a Dairy Factory Farm
15. New York Times Editorial on the Record Beef Recall
16. Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life Sets Up an Environmental Blog
17. Supporting Jerusalem in New Monopoly Game
18. More on Veggie Pride Parade
19. Excerpts From ShalomVeg.com Newsletter
20. Update On Activities of Areyvut Group
21. New Book Discusses Human Cruelty to Animals
Some material has been deferred to a later update/newsletter to keep this one from being even longer.
[Materials in brackets like this [ ] within an article or forwarded message are my editorial notes/comments.]
Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the JVNA, unless otherwise indicated, but may be presented to increase awareness and/or to encourage respectful dialogue. Also, material re conferences, retreats, forums, trips, and other events does not necessarily imply endorsement by JVNA or endorsement of the kashrut, Shabbat observances, or any other Jewish observances, but may be presented for informational purposes. Please use e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and web sites to get further information about any event that you are interested in. Also, JVNA does not necessarily agree with all positions of groups whose views are included or whose events are announced in this newsletter.
As always, your comments and suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks,
Richard
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1. Challenging Rabbis to a Debate on “Should Jews Be Vegetarians?”
I am planning to send the following article to the Jewish media and some rabbis. Suggestions welcome. Thanks.
WHY NOT DEBATE “SHOULD JEWS BE VEGETARIANS?”
Richard H. Schwartz, Ph.D.
This is a very respectful challenge to rabbis and other Jewish leaders to engage in a public dialogue/debate via email on “Should Jews Be Vegetarians?” This is something that Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) has been trying to organize for many years.
We think such a debate is very important today because the mass production and widespread consumption of meat harms people, communities and the planet and is in conflict with Judaism in at least six important areas:
1. While Judaism mandates that people should be very careful about preserving their health and their lives, numerous scientific studies have linked animal-based diets directly to heart disease, stroke, many forms of cancer, and other chronic degenerative diseases. Efforts to cure these diseases has resulted in sharp increases in medical expenditures, contributing to huge deficits, making it difficult to fund social programs that many Jews and others depend on.
2. While Judaism forbids tsa'ar ba'alei chayim, inflicting unnecessary pain on animals, most farm animals -- including those raised for kosher consumers -- are raised on "factory farms" where they live in cramped, confined spaces, and are often drugged, mutilated, and denied fresh air, sunlight, exercise, and any enjoyment of life, before they are slaughtered and eaten. A few examples of practices that are sharply at variance to Jewish teachings are that over 250 million male chicks are killed annually in the US alone immediately after birth at egg laying hatcheries because they can’t lay eggs and they have not been genetically programmed to provide much meat; hens are kept in spaces so small that they can’t even stretch a wing, and they have their beaks cut off without anesthesia, so they won’t harm other hens by pecking in their very unnatural environment; dairy cows are artificially impregnated (raped) annually, so they will be able to continually be able to give milk, and forced to give birth to calves who are whisked away from them at birth, likely to become veal calves and live a short, tortured life; and the list could go on and on.
3. While Judaism teaches that "the earth is the Lord's" (Psalm 24:1) and that we are to be God's partners and co-workers in preserving the world, modern intensive livestock agriculture contributes substantially to global warming, soil erosion and depletion, air and water pollution, overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the destruction of tropical rain forests and other habitats and other environmental damage. A 2006 UN report indicated that “livestock' agriculture emits more greenhouse gases (18 percent in CO2 equivalents) than all the cars and other forms of transportation worldwide combined (13.5 percent), and that the number of farmed animals is projected to double in the next 50 years. If that happens, the increased greenhouse gas emissions from these animals will negate reductions in other areas, and make it extremely difficult to reach the greenhouse gas levels necessary to avoid global warming's severest effects.
4 While Judaism mandates bal tashchit, that we are not to waste or unnecessarily destroy anything of value, and that we are not to use more than is needed to accomplish a purpose, animal agriculture requires the wasteful use of grain, land, water, energy, and other resources. As one example, in an increasingly thirsty world, it takes up to 14 times as much water to produce a person’s animal-based diet than to produce his or her vegan diet.
5. While Judaism stresses that we are to assist the poor and share our bread with hungry people, over 70% of the grain grown in the United States is fed to animals destined for slaughter, while an estimated 20 million people worldwide die because of hunger and its effects each year.
The need to produce so much food for farmed animals raises the price of grain, and makes it difficult for poor people to afford the nourishment they need for the health and proper development.
6. While Judaism stresses that we must seek and pursue peace and that violence results from unjust conditions, animal-centered diets, by wasting valuable resources, help to perpetuate the widespread hunger and poverty that eventually lead to instability and war. Seeing that the Hebrew words for bread (lechem) and war (milchamah) come from the same root, the Jewish sages deduced that a lack of grain and other resources makes it more likely that nations will go to war.
In view of these important Jewish mandates to preserve human health, attend to the welfare of animals, protect the environment, conserve resources, help feed hungry people, and pursue peace, and since animal-centered diets violate and contradict each of these responsibilities, I and JVNA argue that committed Jews (and others) should sharply reduce or eliminate their consumption of animal products.
One could say "dayenu" (it would be enough) after any of the arguments above, because each one constitutes by itself a serious conflict between Jewish values and current practice that should impel Jews to seriously consider a plant-based diet. Combined, they make an urgently compelling case for the Jewish community to address these issues.
So, this is an open invitation for rabbis to engage in a respectful debate on the above issues. We are not arguing that Jews must be vegetarians; there should be a choice, but we believe that choice should be based on the realities of the production and consumption of meat and other animal products and how they impinge on the Jewish values mentioned above. We believe that engaging in such debates would be a Kiddush Hashem (a sanctification of God’s Name) as it would lead to an improvement in the health of Jews and others, reduce the current massive mistreatment of animals on factory farms, help move our imperiled planet to a sustainable path and enhance the commitment of Jews to Judaism, by showing the relevance of our eternal teachings to current issues.
So rabbis, please contact me at president@JewishVeg.com to arrange a debate. Or, perhaps choose one rabbi to represent your views. If you are not willing and able to do this, we think, respectfully, that you should admit that our arguments are correct, that animal-based diets violate fundamental Jewish teachings, and tell your congregants they should shift toward vegetarian diets.
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2. Interview With Rabbi David Rosen
EVANA Interview: Chief Rabbi David Rosen
Quotes:
"..I had to join in on spot checks on the slaughterers in the abattoir and was sickened by the sight of the slaughter..."
"... goodness towards others and our world is goodness to ourselves and is the path towards happiness and fulfillment for others and ourselves.."
February 2008
On behalf of EVANA, Herma Caelen talks to Chief Rabbi David Rosen, KCSG, International President of Religions for Peace and Honorary President of the International Jewish Vegetarian Society. [Rabbi Rosen is also a former chief rabbi of Ireland.]
Herma Caelen: Rabbi Rosen, you have endorsed the Open Letter to the President of the European Parliament *)demanding that 'The pressing problem of meat must not be excluded from future debates' about climate change. In the package of climate strategies, presented by the President of the European Commission, the dramatic impact of the meat industry has been absolutely ignored. How is the situation in
Israel? Are decision makers more inclined to look at all the aspects, without excluding those which may be unpopular?
Rabbi David Rosen: To begin with I must confess that I am traveling three quarters of the time and therefore cannot speak most authoritatively about what is going on in Israel. However many crucial issues are pushed aside in Israel as a result of
immediate "life and death" issues. In other words the (shortsighted) attitude often is - "we have to deal with immediate challenges to our survival and security; broader and more long range issues will have to wait." Moreover Israeli governments are very similar to their Italian counterparts. They are always made up of coalitions and thus the political leaders are overwhelmingly caught up in political horse-trading and maneuvering for their own political survival. Accordingly, not only is the ability for civic advocacy groups to impact upon government decisions very limited, but such coalition governments are a recipe for cautious rather than courageous behaviour.
EVANA: Even the FAO acknowledges the fact that the environment suffers enormously from animal husbandry. Since your region of the world is already confronted with droughts and the production of meat requires enormous quantities of water, the future may become even more difficult in the context of global warming. Have Israel already special measures in place to pro-actively deal with the problem?
Answer: Quite honestly I don't know. I do know that serious consideration is being given to finding alternative and additional ways of providing for our regional water needs. However, my impression is that there is little or no consciousness of the
consequences of animal husbandry in this regard; and if there is, then there is still little desire to take on the industry or people's life styles..
the complete interview: http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=30959&lang=en
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3. Largest Meat Recall in US History
USDA Orders Largest Meat Recall in U.S. History
By David Brown Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, February 18, 2008; Page A01 The Agriculture Department has ordered the largest meat recall in its history -- 143 million pounds of beef, a California meatpacker's entire production for the past two years -- because the company did not prevent ailing animals from entering the U.S. food supply, officials said yesterday. Despite the breadth of the sanction, USDA officials underscored their belief that the meat, distributed by Westland Meat, poses little or no hazard to consumers, and that most of it was eaten long ago. The recall comes less than three weeks after the release of a videotape showing what the USDA later called "egregious violations" of federal animal care regulations by employees of a Westland partner, Hallmark Meat Packing in Chino. Hallmark did not consistently bring in federal veterinarians to examine cattle headed for slaughter that were too sick or weak to stand on their own, Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said. "Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection, [the USDA] has determined them to be unfit for human food, and the company is conducting a recall," he said in a statement. About 37 million pounds of the meat -- cuts, ground beef and prepared products such as meatballs and burrito filling -- went to school lunch and other public nutrition programs, and "almost all of this product is likely to have been consumed," said Ron Vogel, a USDA administrator. Some larger purchasers, though, may keep meat for as long as a year. Company and government officials will try to trace the meat to notify the purchasers not to use it. The USDA issued 20 meat recalls last year, including one of more than 20 million pounds, and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, called on the agency to toughen its inspection requirements. "How much longer will we continue to test our luck with weak enforcement of federal food safety regulations?" Harkin asked. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association "support[s] USDA's recall as a precautionary measure. At the same time, we can say with confidence that the beef supply is safe. . . . There are multiple safety hurdles before it arrives at our grocery stores or restaurants," said James O. Reagan, who chairs the organization's Beef Industry Food Safety Council. About 150 school districts and two fast-food chains, Jack in the Box and In-N-Out, have announced they will no longer use ground beef from Westland. The company has been closed since Feb. 4, when the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service withdrew inspectors from the Hallmark slaughterhouse after verifying the mistreatment of cattle shown on the videotape and discovering other problems. The tape, made secretly by a slaughterhouse worker and provided to the Humane Society of the United States, showed electric shocks and high-intensity water sprays administered to cows too sick or weak to stand on their own, and the use of forklifts to roll such animals. Government regulations prohibit slaughtering for food cattle that cannot stand or walk on their own. An inspecting veterinarian had said the cattle in question were healthy enough to be used for food, but they subsequently collapsed. Under federal regulations, such animals must be reexamined by a veterinarian and slaughtered separately. That apparently was not done. One worry when an animal collapses is that it may have bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the infection known as "mad cow disease." A small number of people who have eaten meat from such animals have developed a fatal brain infection, but cattle with BSE have very rarely turned up in government inspections. Richard Raymond, the USDA's undersecretary for food safety, discounted the chance of BSE in any of the Hallmark/Westland cattle. "We are very confident in the safety of the food supply," he said. Hallmark fired two workers seen on the tape, and the men face animal cruelty charges in California. A company spokesman said senior management was not aware of the use of extreme measures to get sick cattle upright. Humane Society President Wayne Pacelle said yesterday the recall "validates the chief finding we made, that sick and injured animals got into the food supply." Officials at Hallmark and Westland could not be reached yesterday to comment. The largest previous meat recall orders both covered 35 million pounds and came a month apart in 1998 and 1999. Both involved ready-to-eat products contaminated with listeria. Nearly two dozen people died and about 100 fell ill after eating the meat. Last September, 21.7 million pounds of Topps Meat ground beef were recalled after at least 30 people were sickened from meat contaminated with E. coli bacteria. In the Hallmark/Westland case, Raymond said, "We feel there is a very, very remote possibility of health consequences from consuming this product." Staff researcher Rena Kirsch contributed to this report .
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4. Hitler a Vegetarian Myth Raised Again
I was informed by JVNA advisor and author Stewart Rose that Jonah Goldberg stated again on the Glen Beck program recently that Hitler was a vegetarian. At Stewart's suggestion, I would like to urge readers to contact the show with a protest and a demand for a correction. Suggestions very welcome.
For background information, please see my review of Rynn Berry’s book “Hitler: Neither Vegetarian Nor Animal Lover” in the reviews section of JewishVeg.com/Schwartz.
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5. CHAI Sends Out Tribute to Tom Lantos
View as web page: www.chaionline.org/enews/19feb08/chaialert_19feb08.htm
Please distribute widely.
February 19, 2008
Farewell to Tom Lantos
Congressman Tom Lantos was a stalwart friend to animals across the globe, including to animals in Israel. "As a Holocaust survivor,
I know that suffering is suffering, whether human or animal," he said.
An Advisory Board member of Concern for Helping Animals in Israel (CHAI) for over two decades, along with his wife, Annette, he could always be counted on, whether the issue was urging government officials to care about an issue, pressing a Mayor to provide land for an animal shelter, or appearing in a video on behalf of the organization. "Draft the letter and Tom will sign it," was the generous response to appeals for assistance.
When CHAI sought to send the first animal ambulance to a shelter in Israel, the Finance Ministry demanded taxes and customs duties equaling the price of the vehicle, though identical vehicles donated to public hospitals entered the country duty and tax free. When appeals to officials and demonstrations went unheard, Tom Lantos sent a letter to every member of Israel's Knesset (Parliament), and at last, the life-saving ambulance was allowed in duty and tax free.
Although one city's town planner set aside land for an animal shelter, its Mayor would not allow the land to be used for that purpose. In response to CHAI's request for help, while on a business trip to Israel with Tom, Annette Lantos took the time to call the Mayor and praise the shelter's work, letting him know how much such a facility was needed. That afternoon, a delegation from the Mayor's office appeared on the shelter's doorstep to let them know they could start building.
When CHAI sought to sponsor a conference on the link between violence toward people and toward animals and the importance of humane education in reducing violence, Tom Lantos contacted the Minister of Education on our behalf. The Ministry agreed to co-sponsor the conference with us and sent out a letter and a poster about the event to school principals, encouraging them to send educators to it, and offered credit to teachers who attended (which translated into a salary increase for them). The very well-attended event received much media coverage and resulted in the Knesset Education Committee deciding that humane education must be introduced into the school system.
And so much more. The world has lost a tremendous friend to humans and animals alike. Tom Lantos' kindness and that of his wife, Annette, will never be forgotten.
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6. Israeli Rabbis Agree to Phase Out Shackling & Hoisting
Hakol Chai, CHAI's Israeli sister charity, today praised the decision of the Chief Rabbis to phase out the cruel practice of shackling and hoisting in Israeli and South American slaughterhouses. The decision came after the release of an undercover video showing how animals suffer in slaughterhouses using this practice and an appeal to the Rabbis by Jerusalem Rabbi Adam J. Frank on behalf of Hakol Chai.
"Kosher laws are intended to minimize the suffering of animals so it is logical, just, and in keeping with Jewish values that a cruel method be replaced with a more humane one," said Rabbi Frank.
"The Israeli Rabbinate has shown awareness and a sense of duty toward the concerns of its constituent population and deserves praise for this sensitivity," he continued. "Judaism contains a self-correcting mechanism by which each generation has the responsibility to evaluate the implementation of Jewish law and its concomitant ethical teachings; a change in practice in the kosher slaughter industry is a fine example of the power of caring people to influence Jewish practice."
Hakol Chai/CHAI's contribution to this campaign was credited in the Israeli media, Rabbi Frank was interviewed on an Israeli radio station on behalf of Hakol Chai and his op ed appeared in the Jerusalem Post.
Hakol Chai and CHAI now urge both the Orthodox Union and the Israeli Rabbinate to establish a committee to set a fixed timeframe and ensure the supervision of the expedient phase-out of shackling and hoisting in the kosher slaughter industry.
Hakol Chai/CHAI remind the public that becoming vegetarian is the best way to prevent animal suffering (tsa'ar ba'alei hayim), preserve human health, and reverse global warming. According to a report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), meat, not cars, is the number one cause of global warming. It is also a major source of land and water degradation. The UN's Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), made up of hundreds of climate change scientists worldwide, noted the importance of lifestyle changes in meeting the challenge of global warming.
"Please eat less meat," said IPCC representative, economist Rajendra Pachauri, adding that a meat-based diet also has negative consequences for human health.
For more information about shackling and hoisting and vegetarianism, see
www.chai-online.org/rabbi_frank.htm and www.chai-online.org/factoryfarming.htm.
Please donate to CHAI and Hakol Chai's work on behalf of Israel's animals.
Send your tax-deductible donations to:
CHAI, POB 3341, Alexandria, VA 22302, USA, or donate through our website.
Yours for a more compassionate world,
Nina Natelson
CHAI - Concern for Helping Animals in Israel
PO Box 3341, Alexandria, VA 22302
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7. JVNA Press Release on Israeli Rabbis Plans to Phase Out Shackling and Hoisting
JEWISH VEGETARIAN GROUP COMMENDS ISRAELI CHIEF RABBIS FOR PLANS TO PHASE OUT SHACKLING AND HOISTING/URGES FURTHER STEPS
The Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) announced today that it strongly commends the Israeli chief rabbis for their plans to phase out the “shackle and hoist” method of kosher slaughter in Israel and South America, as reported on the front page of the February 19 Jerusalem Post. [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1203343700024&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull]
The group indicated that much praise is deserved by all whose actions led to this decision, including PETA, for the undercover video that raised the issue, the group Concern for Helping Animals in Israel (CHAI) and its sister Israeli charity Hakol Chai, for urging the rabbis to take this action, and Israeli Rabbi Adam Frank, whose article in the Jerusalem Post, on behalf of CHAI and Hakol Chai, put a spotlight on the issue.
JVNA expressed its hope that this would be the first step in addressing the many moral and halachic issues related to the production of meat and other animal products. “This is a very positive step, but it only deals with the tip of the iceberg,” asserted Richard H. Schwartz, Ph.D. president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA). “Even if ritual slaughter is performed flawlessly, consistent with halacha, we should not ignore the severe violations of Jewish law occurring daily on factory farms. We should fulfill our charge to be 'a light unto the nations' by helping to lead the world away from a diet that is so harmful to people, the environment, and animals, to one that is far more consistent with basic Jewish values.”
For a long time, JVNA has argued that Jews should consider how animal-based diets and agriculture violate basic Jewish mandates to preserve human health, treat animals with compassion, preserve the environment, conserve natural resources, and help hungry people.
JVNA is eager to engage with rabbis and other Jewish leaders in a respectful discussion/debate on the issue, "Should Jews Be Vegetarians Today?" The group urges rabbis and other Jewish leaders to consider how a shift toward plant-based diets would improve the health of Jews and others, show the relevance of Judaism's eternal teachings to current threats, thus helping to revitalize Jewish life and, most important, help move our imperiled world to a sustainable path. It urges the Israeli chief rabbis to build on its important decision on shackling and hoisting by considering other aspects of the production of meat that are not consistent with Jewish law and values.
Further information about the JVNA and its campaign to get vegetarianism onto the Jewish and other agendas may be obtained by contacting Dr. Schwartz or the JVNA (JewishVeg.com; mail@JewishVeg.com). A complimentary copy of JVNA's new one-hour documentary A SACRED DUTY: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World will be sent to members of the media who request them and to others who indicate how they would use the material to help get vegetarianism and related issues onto the Jewish agenda. The entire movie can also be seen by visiting ASacredDuty.com, a site that also has much background material re the film.
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8. Jerusalem Post article by Rabbi Adam Frank on Shackling and Hoisting
Why do the OU and Israel's rabbinate condone barbarity?
The scandal of meat that's technically 'kosher' and ethically tainted. The writer is rabbi of Congregation Moreshet Yisrael in Jerusalem, Israel's flagship Masorti synagogue. www.chai- online.org
A recent undercover investigation into slaughterhouse practices in South America has revealed the heinous use of the animal restraint method known as "shackling and hoisting" during the kosher slaughter process.
We in Israel have no reason to feel immune from responsibility for these barbaric practices as South America is the largest source of kosher beef imports into Israel. Additionally, South America is the largest offshore supplier of kosher meat to the United States. Both the Israeli rabbinate and the Orthodox Union (OU) in the US explicitly endorse these methods by providing their kosher authorizations to the resulting meat.
Shackling and hoisting is the brutal and outdated technique of chaining and suspending in mid-air a fully conscious adult cow by its rear leg. The problems associated with this method include the animal's scientifically measured hyper-stress levels, tearing of muscle tissue, tendons and skin, the compression of internal organs by the immense weight of the cow's mass on the organs and more. According to the halacha of kashrut, none of these injuries cause the animal to become a tref - or unkosher.
Due to the high incidence of worker and animal injury, this method of restraint is no longer practiced in the United States. The advent of safer and more humane animal handling systems encouraged kosher slaughter in North America to abandon the practice years ago.
In a Sept. 25, 1998 article in Haaretz magazine Yossi Bar-Moha gave this eye-witness account of the process: "One of the local workers grabs a back leg of the bull and lashes it to an iron chain. The door is raised again and the bull is yanked violently upward by the chain attached to his back leg. The animal is now dangling in the air - its immense weight held by one foot, its head down.
A second worker locks the head into a crescent-shaped device that has been grafted onto a long iron rod. The slaughterers advanceEThe [cut] is dazzlingly swift, a second or two, one cut forward and another backward across the bull's neck. It is done.
Immediately the two animals, their bodies jerking convulsively, are lifted upward with the iron chain, unleashing a torrent or blood. Wasting no time, the slaughterers and the workers turn to the ... Box, where the next two steers are already waiting. ... Their bellowing intensifies.
The slaughtered animals, by now dangling from large hooks, are pulled up to the second floor, where workers attach them to a gigantic machine. A quick cut loosens a flap of skin, which is inserted into the machine and pulled by two rollers until the animal is completely skinless.
SNIP
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9. Two Very Important Environmental Articles
Thanks to JVNA advisor Itae Amit for forwarding these links:
1) Can Organic Farming End World Hunger?
http://environment.about.com/od/healthenvironment/a/organicfarming.htm
2) PB&J Campaign
http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivinginthekitchen/a/peanut_butter.htm
http://www.pbjcampaign.org
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10. Campaign to Urge Al Gore to Endorse Vegetarianism
Thanks to Steve Schuster for forwarding this.
Please check out this important information about PETA's campaign to urge Al Gore to recommend going vegetarian as one of the solutions to the global warming crisis.
Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection have created a seven-point pledge that names easy action steps that we all can take to help the environment. Going vegetarian is not on the list, yet it is the most effective solution to the global
warming crisis.
Please click the link below to send a quick note to Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection urging them to make the seven-point pledge an eight-point pledge by adding going vegetarian to the list.
http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/algore_global_warming?rk=V12z6IFq31bLW
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11. New Book Discusses Feminism and Animal Ethics
Thanks to long-time animal rights activist Batya Bauman for forwarding this message:
The Feminist Care Tradition in Animal Ethics
Editors: Josephine Donovan and Carol J. Adams
Book Description
In Beyond Animal Rights, Josephine Donovan and Carol J. Adams introduced feminist "ethic of care" theory into philosophical discussions of the treatment of animals. In this new volume, seven essays from Beyond Animal Rights are joined by nine new articles-most of which were written in response to that book-and a new introduction that situates feminist animal care theory within feminist theory and
the larger debate over animal rights. Contributors critique theorists' reliance on natural rights doctrine and utilitarianism, which, they suggest, have a masculine bias. They argue for ethical attentiveness and sympathy in our relationships with animals and propose a link between the continuing subjugation of women and the human domination of nature. Beginning with the earliest articulation of the idea in the
mid-1980s and continuing to the theory's most recent revisions, this volume presents the most complete portrait of the evolution of the feminist-care tradition.
Review
"Every scholar interested in social (in)justice should read this book. As a compelling examination of the workings of power, prejudice, and ideology, this powerful anthology lays down a challenge to all progressive scholarship and politics -- whether 'animal-identified' or not. As a nuanced and sophisticated framework for a feminist approach to social relationships, the articulation of a 'care tradition' in human-animal relations is transformative. The editors do a tremendous service by bringing together some of the classic essays in the field
with some of the sharpest new criticism and commentary.
This collection is an invaluable source and resource that every feminist should have on her bookshelf." -- Joni Seager, professor and dean of the Faculty of
Environmental Studies, York University, Toronto
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12. JVNA Press Release From JVNA Publicist
Contact: Susan Tellem
Tellem Worldwide, Inc.
310-479-6111 x1; cell 310-613-3504
stellem@tellem.com
Stop Eating Meat, Says Jewish Vegetarians of North America
New York – February 18, 2008 -- Yesterday, February 17, the USDA issued the largest recall of beef in U.S. history after the investigation by the Humane Society of the United States of a dairy cow slaughter plant in Southern California. The recall of 143 million pounds of beef came after slaughter plant workers were caught on video torturing crippled cattle, and two weeks after the USDA shut down that slaughter plant. (See video here - https://community.hsus.org/campaign/CA_2008_investigation/u3igx84r7jimi5w?)
According to the Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA), New York, this should be a wake-up call to the importance of shifting away from animal-based diets as the consumption of beef and other animal products is a major factor behind an epidemic of heart disease, several forms of cancer, diabetes, obesity and other diseases. The meat industry claims that the mistreatment of animals at the California slaughterhouse is an exception, but they ignore that about 10 billion animals in the United States are living in horrible conditions every minute on factory farms, prior to slaughter.
The production of more than 50 billion animals worldwide annually for slaughter is contributing significantly to global warming and other environmental threats that imperil all of humanity. As reported in the 2006 UN Food and Agricultural Organization report "Livestock's Long Shadow," animal-based agriculture emits more greenhouse gases (18% in CO2 equivalents) than all of the cars, trucks, planes and other forms of transportation worldwide combined (13.5%).
Because the issues are so urgent and are not being sufficiently addressed, the JVNA has produced a one-hour documentary A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values To Help Heal The World. It can be viewed completely at www.ASacredDuty.com. JVNA urges rabbis and the Jewish leadership to break their silence on the many moral issues related to meat consumption. JVNA also challenges Jewish religious leaders to a respectful debate on, "Should Jews Be Vegetarians?
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13. Chain of Vegetarian Fast Food Restaurants Opened
Thanks to long-time animal rights activist Batya Bauman for this forwarded message:
US restaurant group Zen Burger aims to revolutionize the fast food world with a chain of vegetarian outlets.
The first Zen Burger fast food restaurant has opened in New Yorks' Lexington Avenue. It specialises in meatless comfort foods that copy those sold in traditional fast-food chains, such as the ZenSausage breakfast sandwich, ZenBeef burgers, crispy ZenChicken sandwich, ZenTuna sandwich, ZenHotDog, ZenChicken tenders, ZenShrimp and French fries, as well as organic soups salads.
Zen Burger founder, James Tu, plans to take the chain nationwide, with the next restaurant slated to open in Hollywood.
full story:
http://www.foodweek.com.au/main-features-page.aspx?
articleType=ArticleView&articleId=1448
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14. Effort To Stop Creation of a Dairy Factory Farm
Hi Richard,
My wife and I have been actively involved in animal rights for years, and recently I sent you the name of an assistant rabbi that I thought you should send a copy of your recent DVD to.
I have a favor to ask of you.
I, and many of my neighbors, are trying to stop a California investor from building an enormous, inhumane, factory dairy farm right near my house in rural NW Illinois. We need to get as much attention to this issue asap so that we can pressure the governor into stopping the facility.
Can you possibly include the following text in your next newsletter so we can get more people calling in?
Please feel free to contact me via email or phone if you'd like more information. There is also a lot of news up on our web site, http://www.StopTheMegaDairy.org including a very well written 4 page expose that was run in The Milkweed, a newsletter dedicated to family dairy farms, which blasts this facility and all the agencies that support it. I think you'd enjoy reading that article.
Thanks Richard,
Matthew
Dear Friends,
We need your help. A California investor wants to put a 13,000 animal unit industrial dairy in NW Illinois just off of the historic Stagecoach Trail to Galena, and only a few miles from the Apple River Canyon State Park.
Why you should get involved:
1) The untreated waste from this facility will blanket miles of rolling hills in foul odors, threaten numerous streams and rivers, kill fish, and destroy valuable farmland from over-applications of concentrated manure.
2) These facilities are non sustainable. Already over twice as large as any other dairy in Illinois, the owner will be able to incrementally expand the facility without getting any additional permits, and could easily have 35,000 animals confined there in the next few years, making it the largest facilities east of the Rockies.
3) This facility will imprison 12,000 cattle. They will never go outside, never graze. Living on sand bedding, barely able to move around, their lives will be short and hellish, an average of around 2 years, from what I was told. The thousands of male calves born every year suffer an even worse fate. The lucky ones will be raised as steers, and allowed to live outside, the rest will be raised as veal, or killed at birth.
These facilities are coming to the Midwest from the coast. We need to stop them now, before they force out all of the smaller family farms that let their animals graze, and where a cow can easily live to be 5 to 6 years old. Once these factories come in, and the smaller farms fail, due to lower milk prices, more and more of our agricultural land and animals will be owned by, and controlled by, big agriculture. Once that happens, the trend to more sustainable and organic farming will end.
Why this is urgent:
Just last week the Jo Daviess County Board voted 11 to 5 to reject the 12,000 head mega dairy.
Unfortunately, the Illinois Department of Agriculture can ignore that vote, and place the facility against the wishes of the board and the constituents that they represent.
Please give me one minute right now and take two vitally important actions.
First, contact the Governor, and let him know that you don't want this facility in Illinois. You can call, write, or use his web portal to send him a message.
Governor Rod Blagojevich
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Phone: 217-782-0244 or 312-814-2121
TTY: 888-261-3336
http://www.illinois.gov/gov/contactthegovernor.cfm
Suggested message:
Dear Governor Blagojevich,
The Jo Daviess County board voted 11 to 5 to deny an application for a 12,000 head CAFO proposed for their county. Citing numerous experts's concern about major damage to the aquifer and surrounding rivers and streams, and the tremendous negative impact this facility would have on tourism, which is already bringing over $200,000,000 to the county, they rejected this application since it didn't fulfill the eight criteria imposed by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
Please use your authority as Governor to ensure that the Department of Agriculture follows their own guidelines and denies this application. The citizens of Jo Daviess County deserve the right to have their elected county board make decisions that will have such significant negative impact on their community.
Thank you.
Second, go to this Sierra Club web site, and tell the federal EPA that huge factory farms should not be exempt from the clean air act...which would give them a legal loophole to avoid all of the pollution lawsuits being filed against them all over the country. This gift to corporate agriculture from the Bush administration would penalize small family farms, while allowing the largest and richest facilities to do as they pleased.
http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=bOL-NhsfcC4RPypoGStwBw..
Extra Credit, contact the head of the Department of Agriculture, and voice your objections to this facility. Every letter they get has to be reviewed by their board, and included in their files. They need to know that people are concerned about clean air, clean water, family farms, and public health, and won't stand for these factories in Illinois.
Charles A. Hartke, Director
State of Illinois Department of Agriculture
P.O. Box 19281, State Fairgrounds
Springfield, IL 62794-9281
(217) 785-4789
FAX: 217.785.4505
You can read much more about this issue at http://www.StopTheMegaDairy.org including a wonderful story in a dairy newspaper bashing the Ag Dept.
As always, I, and all of my neighbors that are fighting this farm, thank you for your help.
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15. New York Times Editorial on the Record Beef Recall
The Biggest Beef Recall Ever
Published: February 21, 2008
A nauseating video of cows stumbling on their way to a California slaughterhouse has finally prompted action: the largest recall of meat in American history. Westland/Hallmark Meat Company has issued a full recall of more than 143 million pounds of beef produced over the last two years, including 37 million pounds that went to school-lunch programs.
A lot of that beef has already been eaten, and so far, thankfully, there have been no reports of illness. But the question Congress needs to ask is how many people need to get sick or die before it starts repairing and modernizing the nation’s food safety system?
Instead of strengthening the government’s regulatory systems, the Bush administration has spent years cutting budgets and filling top jobs with industry favorites. The evidence of their failures keep mounting: contaminated spinach, poisoned pet food, tainted fish.
At Westland/Hallmark, the latest horrors were secretly videotaped by the Humane Society of the United States, which said it had chosen the plant at random. The video showed workers kicking and using forklifts to force so-called “downer” cows to walk. The government has banned the sale of meat from most of these cows.
Officials have been busy assuring consumers that this massive recall is an “aberration.” “Whistling in the dark” — that is how Caroline Smith DeWaal of the Center for Science in the Public Interest describes such assurances. “The fact that they have failed here so miserably makes you start to question what else is going on that we don’t know about.”
The Westland/Hallmark plant had five federal inspectors on hand, including at least one veterinarian whose job was to make sure that diseased cows did not make it into the meat supply. But where were these inspectors when workers were abusing these poor animals in order to get them to the slaughterhouse? Investigations have already begun in California and Washington.
Whatever the outcome with this particular plant, the larger point is that Congress needs to overhaul the entire food inspection program. That includes giving the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration more power to demand mandatory recalls. Food producers should be able to track their supplies in order to more quickly root out problems. And foreign suppliers would have to create and implement a workable food safety plan that can be monitored better by federal inspectors.
The present patchwork of modest fines and penalties must also be stiffened.
Senator Richard Durbin and Representative Rosa DeLauro have a more ambitious idea: creating a single, powerful agency to oversee all food safety, instead of the current bureaucratic tangle of inspectors, some for vegetables, some for beef and some for imports. Right now the Agriculture Department oversees the safety of the home-grown beef supply (while also promoting the cattle industry) and the Food and Drug Administration monitors the safety of cattle feed. With Americans increasingly — and legitimately — mistrustful of the food they eat, their proposal is worth serious consideration.
-------------------------------------------------------
My letter sent to the Times in response to their editorial:
February 21, 2008
Editor, NY Times
Letters@NYTimes.com
Dear Editor
Kudos for you’re your February 20 lead editorial “The Biggest Beef Recall Ever,” which called for major reforms in food inspection and asked “how many people need to get sick or die before [congress] starts repairing and modernizing the nation’s food safety system?” As president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA), I think that another key question is how much evidence do people need about the links between animal-based diets and many degenerative diseases, the massive mistreatment of animals on factory farms, and the major contributions of animal-centered agriculture to global warming and many other environmental threats before they recognize that a major societal shift toward plant-based diets is essential.
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16. Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life Sets Up an Environmental Blog
February 21, 2008 15 Adar I, 5768
Greetings!
COEJL is proud to share the creation of our new blog, To Till and To Tend. The opinions expressed in this blog represent the personal views of COEJL staff and other guests. These postings aren't COEJL policy; rather, their purpose is to generate discussion about issues affecting the Jewish community, the American people, and the world at large. So, enough said, please comment and tell us what you think as we fulfill God's commandment "To Till and to Tend." http://coejlblog.blog.com/
Today's blog, written by Liore, COEJL's Project Mananager, is a reflection of her participation in the US Interfaith Climate Change mission to Northern Ireland: "Guinness, Climate Change and Peace."
Inspiration "There are three aspects of nature which command man's attention: power, loveliness, and grandeur. Power he exploits, loveliness he enjoys, grandeur fills him with awe" Man is Not Alone, Abraham Joshua Heschel (p.3)
*We have chosen to keep the original, gendered language used by Heschel, respecting the integrity of his written word while understanding that it represents the literary style of that day.
Advocacy Update
COEJL Is Advocating on Behalf of the Jewish Community. As a follow-up to our efforts with the Climate and Energy Working Group, COEJL has initiated visits with key congressional offices (including Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Virginia and Washington). COEJL has been leading a coalition including representatives from many of our member agencies, including the American Jewish Committee, B'Nei Brith, Hadassah, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Religious Action Center and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Visits highlight the Jewish community's concern for strong climate and energy policy, with a particular focus on the need to establish a firm, economy-wide cap on greenhouse gas emissions. These visits are intended to start an ongoing dialogue between Congress and the Jewish community as it considers federal climate change legislation. COEJL has also joined forces with a broad interfaith coalition to ensure that climate change legislation addresses the needs of the least among us.
To let your Senator know that you care, order COEJL's Climate Change Policy Postcards by contacting climatechange@coejl.org.
Community: Teva's Seminar on Jewish Environmental Ed
SNIP
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17. Supporting Jerusalem in New Monopoly Game
Forwarded message from Israeli vegetarian activist Mark Feffer:
Richard. Thank you. After all, [if this effort to have our votes make Jerusalem number 1 succeeds], millions of kids will grow up with Jerusalem etched in their minds as THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS city in the world. And the most important with the greatest value.
Here is a lot of information. One can vote everyday till Thursday. Who knows: your efforts/people may put us in the "Boardwalk" top spot..
Mark Feffer wrote: FRIENDS, Last week the Monopoly competition hit the news as they had decided to list Jerusalem without its state (Israel). There were many complaints and so Monopoly's solution was to list all the competing cities without their states. Maybe this was good publicity and more people will vote. At the voting site the leaderboard no longer is shown - to add suspense. One can vote everyday until Thursday this week. Shavua Tov and keep voting. Yours, Mark (We were number 4 in the Green as of last Thursday/ Your votes count! Here is the link...
http://www.monopolyworldvote.com/en_US/world
Vote Jerusalem on the Monopoly Board!
[02. 6.2008]
If you have questions, you can contact Mark at: feffer@netvision.net.il
* UPDATE (Feb 20): Keep Voting! Thanks to you, Jerusalem is now #4!
* We're aiming for #1! VOTE EVERY DAY! Hasbro encourages it.
* The makers of Monopoly are inviting fans worldwide to vote in an on-line contest to determine which 22 cities will be etched in the collective memory for a new global edition of the 75-year-old game.
* The contest, which got under way this week and will continue through February 28, will allow Monopoly fans the world over to cast their ballots for the 10 best cities out of a pre-selected list of 68, including Jerusalem, Israel.
* The 20 cities with the highest number of votes will make it onto the new board.
* Please ONLY vote for Jerusalem. Voting for other cities will reduce Jerusalem’s relative scoring.
* You can vote EVERY DAY up to Feb. 28.
* Here are step-by-step instructions. Please VOTE NOW!
VOTING INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Go to Hasbro's site.
2. In the right-pane, click ‘Sort By: Cities’ (see our diagram)
3. Scroll down to ‘Jerusalem, Israel’ > Click it.
4. A pop-up appears, click ‘Add to My Cities’
5. A small picture of Jerusalem should appear in lower section of the screen. (Please do not select any other cities. This would reduce Jerusalem’s scoring.)
6. Click Vote.
7. Click ‘Create your login now.’
8. Enter a desired Username and Password > Click Save.
9. You will receive a confirmation email at the entered address.
10. Click the link in the email.
11. Once a day until Feb. 28, repeat Steps 1 through 6.
12. Forward this message to others.
Have you signed the Jerusalem Petition?
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18. More on Veggie Pride Parade
content
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Member Newsletter
February 24, 2008 - 19 Adar I, 5768
Poetry and Fiction Section Added - Belles-Lettres, the new poetry and fiction section of the site is now up and running. ShalomVeg member Jampa W. has done a fantastic job creating and editing the pages, and she is looking for submissions for future editions. Please see her introduction below.
More Learning Resources - We have expanded the learning section of the site. There are over 30 new articles on veg and animal rights basics, covering issues such as factory farming, vegan health, animal experimentation, animals in entertainment and more. There is also an expanded selection of videos in the multimedia section, and new sections on activism and opinions. As with all sections of the site, you can add comments and share your views on any of the articles you read.
Share Your Story - If you have always wanted to share your personal story-how you became vegan or vegetarian, how Judaism has influenced your life choices, or any thing else you would like to share--have it published on ShalomVeg! We are always looking for submissions, and all writing can be published anonymously if desired.
Take The Survey - If you have not already done so, please take a few seconds to take the short survey about what you would like to see on ShalomVeg. As the site grows, it is important that we make the site the most useful and enjoyable for you. Click here to take the survey, or go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Whclcf2i44H6CdVzhCNnxA_3d_3d
Again, if you have any comments or suggestions about the site, please let us know.
-Boris Dolin,
Director, ShalomVeg.com
boris@shalomveg.com
of Kosher Slaughterhouse
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19. Excerpts From ShalomVeg.com Newsletter
Member Newsletter
February 24, 2008 - 19 Adar I, 5768
Poetry and Fiction Section Added - Belles-Lettres, the new poetry and fiction section of the site is now up and running. ShalomVeg member Jampa W. has done a fantastic job creating and editing the pages, and she is looking for submissions for future editions. Please see her introduction below.
More Learning Resources - We have expanded the learning section of the site. There are over 30 new articles on veg and animal rights basics, covering issues such as factory farming, vegan health, animal experimentation, animals in entertainment and more. There is also an expanded selection of videos in the multimedia section, and new sections on activism and opinions. As with all sections of the site, you can add comments and share your views on any of the articles you read.
Share Your Story - If you have always wanted to share your personal story-how you became vegan or vegetarian, how Judaism has influenced your life choices, or any thing else you would like to share--have it published on ShalomVeg! We are always looking for submissions, and all writing can be published anonymously if desired.
Take The Survey - If you have not already done so, please take a few seconds to take the short survey about what you would like to see on ShalomVeg. As the site grows, it is important that we make the site the most useful and enjoyable for you. Click here to take the survey, or go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Whclcf2i44H6CdVzhCNnxA_3d_3d
Again, if you have any comments or suggestions about the site, please let us know.
-Boris Dolin,
Director, ShalomVeg.com
boris@shalomveg.com
of Kosher Slaughterhouse
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20. Update On Activities of Areyvut Group
Forwarded message fro Areyvit director Daniel Rothner:
[Areyvut strives to educate Jewish youth on Jewish teachings on tzedakah, chesed and tikkun olam (charity kindness and social justice) and to involve them in projects.]
We have a wonderful opportunity to leverage a gift & to really help move us forward. Listed below are a few recent and upcoming events that illustrate the impact of supporting Areyvut.
• We presented on the topic of “Changing Your School Community through Words” to 80 educators at the Jewish Federation of Great Vancouver. Many of the teachers, principals and administrators have begun to implement the new ideas into their curricula. Areyvut has since been contacted to implement a similar program for a day school in Monterrey, Mexico.
• The Teen Philanthropy Institute (TPI) launched in January and is comprised of 24 students from Bergen County in the 8th-10th grades, all of whom are interested in making a positive impact on their community. TPI participants attend meetings to learn more about philanthropy, local agencies that serve the community and how to create a caring community. Each participant has contributed $250 that is matched by a donor. TPI has $10,000 to allocate to agencies that deal with children, healthcare and/or hunger and poverty.
• Tonight we will begin a three part series The Meaning behind Bnai Mitzvah at Yeshivat Noam, a Bergen County Jewish day school. Students and parents will learn different ways to structure a Bnai Mitzvah project and hear from a local student who incorporated an innovative project into her celebration.
• Make a Difference Day is a program dedicated to helping others and actively making the world a better place. The 2008 program will be held from April 4-6 and the theme in partnership with JNF is “Preserving the Environment,” and activities will extend throughout the weekend as Jewish communities throughout America participate. To date we have over 35 projects registered. To access the educational materials, registration and to learn more about the program please visit www.jnf.org/makeadifferenceday.
• In April, we will be participating in the PEJE Assembly for Jewish Day School Education in Boston.
These are just a few concrete examples of how your support makes a difference and helps us help better serve the community. Your donations enable us to teach students, their families, teachers and communities about the importance of making a difference and actively making the world a better place.
Your help & consideration are greatly appreciated.
Please help spread the word about this!
I want to inform you about an exciting opportunity to impact the future of a creative, dynamic Jewish organization. Areyvut, a non-profit organization that is changing the face of youth tikkun olam programming, invites you to join our President’s Circle. The Areyvut President’s Circle is an elite group of benefactors who make minimum annual contributions of $1,000. Members of this group are eligible to take part in special programming through which we acknowledge and honor those who play a substantial role in our daily operations.
Daniel Rothner
Areyvut Founder & Director
147 South Washington Avenue
Bergenfield, NJ 07621
P: 201-244-6702
F: 201-338-2427
daniel@areyvut.org
www.areyvut.org
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21. New Book Discusses Human Cruelty to Animals
Forwarded message:
http://alternet.org/rights/77543/
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Cruelest Species of Them All?
By Anneli Rufus <http://alternet.org/authors/7837/> , AlterNet
<http://www.alternet.org> . Posted February 23, 2008
<http://alternet.org/ts/archives/?date%5bF%5d=02&date%5bY%5d=2008&date%5bd%5d=23&act=Go/> .
We are, of course, but a new book on animal cruelty will make your jaw
drop about how vicious humans can be to other animals.
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** Fair Use Notice **
The material on this site is provided for educational and informational purposes. It may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of vegetarian, environmental, nutritional, health, economic, social justice and human rights issues etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have an interest in using the included information for educational or research purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. The information on this site does not constitute legal, technical or medical advice.
This update/Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) Online Newsletter has the following items:
1. Challenging Rabbis to a Debate on “Should Jews Be Vegetarians?”
2. Interview With Rabbi David Rosen
3. Largest Meat Recall in US History
4. Hitler a Vegetarian Myth Raised Again
5. CHAI Sends Out Tribute to Tom Lantos
6. Israeli Rabbis Agree to Phase Out Shackling & Hoisting
7. JVNA Press Release on Israeli Rabbis Plans to Phase Out Shackling and Hoisting
8. Jerusalem Post article by Rabbi Adam Frank on Shackling and Hoisting
9. Two Very Important Environmental Articles
10. Campaign to Urge Al Gore to Endorse Vegetarianism
11. New Book Discusses Feminism and Animal Ethics
12. JVNA Press Release From JVNA Publicist
13. Chain of Vegetarian Fast Food Restaurants Opened
14. Effort To Stop Creation of a Dairy Factory Farm
15. New York Times Editorial on the Record Beef Recall
16. Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life Sets Up an Environmental Blog
17. Supporting Jerusalem in New Monopoly Game
18. More on Veggie Pride Parade
19. Excerpts From ShalomVeg.com Newsletter
20. Update On Activities of Areyvut Group
21. New Book Discusses Human Cruelty to Animals
Some material has been deferred to a later update/newsletter to keep this one from being even longer.
[Materials in brackets like this [ ] within an article or forwarded message are my editorial notes/comments.]
Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the JVNA, unless otherwise indicated, but may be presented to increase awareness and/or to encourage respectful dialogue. Also, material re conferences, retreats, forums, trips, and other events does not necessarily imply endorsement by JVNA or endorsement of the kashrut, Shabbat observances, or any other Jewish observances, but may be presented for informational purposes. Please use e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and web sites to get further information about any event that you are interested in. Also, JVNA does not necessarily agree with all positions of groups whose views are included or whose events are announced in this newsletter.
As always, your comments and suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks,
Richard
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1. Challenging Rabbis to a Debate on “Should Jews Be Vegetarians?”
I am planning to send the following article to the Jewish media and some rabbis. Suggestions welcome. Thanks.
WHY NOT DEBATE “SHOULD JEWS BE VEGETARIANS?”
Richard H. Schwartz, Ph.D.
This is a very respectful challenge to rabbis and other Jewish leaders to engage in a public dialogue/debate via email on “Should Jews Be Vegetarians?” This is something that Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) has been trying to organize for many years.
We think such a debate is very important today because the mass production and widespread consumption of meat harms people, communities and the planet and is in conflict with Judaism in at least six important areas:
1. While Judaism mandates that people should be very careful about preserving their health and their lives, numerous scientific studies have linked animal-based diets directly to heart disease, stroke, many forms of cancer, and other chronic degenerative diseases. Efforts to cure these diseases has resulted in sharp increases in medical expenditures, contributing to huge deficits, making it difficult to fund social programs that many Jews and others depend on.
2. While Judaism forbids tsa'ar ba'alei chayim, inflicting unnecessary pain on animals, most farm animals -- including those raised for kosher consumers -- are raised on "factory farms" where they live in cramped, confined spaces, and are often drugged, mutilated, and denied fresh air, sunlight, exercise, and any enjoyment of life, before they are slaughtered and eaten. A few examples of practices that are sharply at variance to Jewish teachings are that over 250 million male chicks are killed annually in the US alone immediately after birth at egg laying hatcheries because they can’t lay eggs and they have not been genetically programmed to provide much meat; hens are kept in spaces so small that they can’t even stretch a wing, and they have their beaks cut off without anesthesia, so they won’t harm other hens by pecking in their very unnatural environment; dairy cows are artificially impregnated (raped) annually, so they will be able to continually be able to give milk, and forced to give birth to calves who are whisked away from them at birth, likely to become veal calves and live a short, tortured life; and the list could go on and on.
3. While Judaism teaches that "the earth is the Lord's" (Psalm 24:1) and that we are to be God's partners and co-workers in preserving the world, modern intensive livestock agriculture contributes substantially to global warming, soil erosion and depletion, air and water pollution, overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the destruction of tropical rain forests and other habitats and other environmental damage. A 2006 UN report indicated that “livestock' agriculture emits more greenhouse gases (18 percent in CO2 equivalents) than all the cars and other forms of transportation worldwide combined (13.5 percent), and that the number of farmed animals is projected to double in the next 50 years. If that happens, the increased greenhouse gas emissions from these animals will negate reductions in other areas, and make it extremely difficult to reach the greenhouse gas levels necessary to avoid global warming's severest effects.
4 While Judaism mandates bal tashchit, that we are not to waste or unnecessarily destroy anything of value, and that we are not to use more than is needed to accomplish a purpose, animal agriculture requires the wasteful use of grain, land, water, energy, and other resources. As one example, in an increasingly thirsty world, it takes up to 14 times as much water to produce a person’s animal-based diet than to produce his or her vegan diet.
5. While Judaism stresses that we are to assist the poor and share our bread with hungry people, over 70% of the grain grown in the United States is fed to animals destined for slaughter, while an estimated 20 million people worldwide die because of hunger and its effects each year.
The need to produce so much food for farmed animals raises the price of grain, and makes it difficult for poor people to afford the nourishment they need for the health and proper development.
6. While Judaism stresses that we must seek and pursue peace and that violence results from unjust conditions, animal-centered diets, by wasting valuable resources, help to perpetuate the widespread hunger and poverty that eventually lead to instability and war. Seeing that the Hebrew words for bread (lechem) and war (milchamah) come from the same root, the Jewish sages deduced that a lack of grain and other resources makes it more likely that nations will go to war.
In view of these important Jewish mandates to preserve human health, attend to the welfare of animals, protect the environment, conserve resources, help feed hungry people, and pursue peace, and since animal-centered diets violate and contradict each of these responsibilities, I and JVNA argue that committed Jews (and others) should sharply reduce or eliminate their consumption of animal products.
One could say "dayenu" (it would be enough) after any of the arguments above, because each one constitutes by itself a serious conflict between Jewish values and current practice that should impel Jews to seriously consider a plant-based diet. Combined, they make an urgently compelling case for the Jewish community to address these issues.
So, this is an open invitation for rabbis to engage in a respectful debate on the above issues. We are not arguing that Jews must be vegetarians; there should be a choice, but we believe that choice should be based on the realities of the production and consumption of meat and other animal products and how they impinge on the Jewish values mentioned above. We believe that engaging in such debates would be a Kiddush Hashem (a sanctification of God’s Name) as it would lead to an improvement in the health of Jews and others, reduce the current massive mistreatment of animals on factory farms, help move our imperiled planet to a sustainable path and enhance the commitment of Jews to Judaism, by showing the relevance of our eternal teachings to current issues.
So rabbis, please contact me at president@JewishVeg.com to arrange a debate. Or, perhaps choose one rabbi to represent your views. If you are not willing and able to do this, we think, respectfully, that you should admit that our arguments are correct, that animal-based diets violate fundamental Jewish teachings, and tell your congregants they should shift toward vegetarian diets.
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2. Interview With Rabbi David Rosen
EVANA Interview: Chief Rabbi David Rosen
Quotes:
"..I had to join in on spot checks on the slaughterers in the abattoir and was sickened by the sight of the slaughter..."
"... goodness towards others and our world is goodness to ourselves and is the path towards happiness and fulfillment for others and ourselves.."
February 2008
On behalf of EVANA, Herma Caelen talks to Chief Rabbi David Rosen, KCSG, International President of Religions for Peace and Honorary President of the International Jewish Vegetarian Society. [Rabbi Rosen is also a former chief rabbi of Ireland.]
Herma Caelen: Rabbi Rosen, you have endorsed the Open Letter to the President of the European Parliament *)demanding that 'The pressing problem of meat must not be excluded from future debates' about climate change. In the package of climate strategies, presented by the President of the European Commission, the dramatic impact of the meat industry has been absolutely ignored. How is the situation in
Israel? Are decision makers more inclined to look at all the aspects, without excluding those which may be unpopular?
Rabbi David Rosen: To begin with I must confess that I am traveling three quarters of the time and therefore cannot speak most authoritatively about what is going on in Israel. However many crucial issues are pushed aside in Israel as a result of
immediate "life and death" issues. In other words the (shortsighted) attitude often is - "we have to deal with immediate challenges to our survival and security; broader and more long range issues will have to wait." Moreover Israeli governments are very similar to their Italian counterparts. They are always made up of coalitions and thus the political leaders are overwhelmingly caught up in political horse-trading and maneuvering for their own political survival. Accordingly, not only is the ability for civic advocacy groups to impact upon government decisions very limited, but such coalition governments are a recipe for cautious rather than courageous behaviour.
EVANA: Even the FAO acknowledges the fact that the environment suffers enormously from animal husbandry. Since your region of the world is already confronted with droughts and the production of meat requires enormous quantities of water, the future may become even more difficult in the context of global warming. Have Israel already special measures in place to pro-actively deal with the problem?
Answer: Quite honestly I don't know. I do know that serious consideration is being given to finding alternative and additional ways of providing for our regional water needs. However, my impression is that there is little or no consciousness of the
consequences of animal husbandry in this regard; and if there is, then there is still little desire to take on the industry or people's life styles..
the complete interview: http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=30959&lang=en
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3. Largest Meat Recall in US History
USDA Orders Largest Meat Recall in U.S. History
By David Brown Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, February 18, 2008; Page A01 The Agriculture Department has ordered the largest meat recall in its history -- 143 million pounds of beef, a California meatpacker's entire production for the past two years -- because the company did not prevent ailing animals from entering the U.S. food supply, officials said yesterday. Despite the breadth of the sanction, USDA officials underscored their belief that the meat, distributed by Westland Meat, poses little or no hazard to consumers, and that most of it was eaten long ago. The recall comes less than three weeks after the release of a videotape showing what the USDA later called "egregious violations" of federal animal care regulations by employees of a Westland partner, Hallmark Meat Packing in Chino. Hallmark did not consistently bring in federal veterinarians to examine cattle headed for slaughter that were too sick or weak to stand on their own, Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said. "Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection, [the USDA] has determined them to be unfit for human food, and the company is conducting a recall," he said in a statement. About 37 million pounds of the meat -- cuts, ground beef and prepared products such as meatballs and burrito filling -- went to school lunch and other public nutrition programs, and "almost all of this product is likely to have been consumed," said Ron Vogel, a USDA administrator. Some larger purchasers, though, may keep meat for as long as a year. Company and government officials will try to trace the meat to notify the purchasers not to use it. The USDA issued 20 meat recalls last year, including one of more than 20 million pounds, and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, called on the agency to toughen its inspection requirements. "How much longer will we continue to test our luck with weak enforcement of federal food safety regulations?" Harkin asked. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association "support[s] USDA's recall as a precautionary measure. At the same time, we can say with confidence that the beef supply is safe. . . . There are multiple safety hurdles before it arrives at our grocery stores or restaurants," said James O. Reagan, who chairs the organization's Beef Industry Food Safety Council. About 150 school districts and two fast-food chains, Jack in the Box and In-N-Out, have announced they will no longer use ground beef from Westland. The company has been closed since Feb. 4, when the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service withdrew inspectors from the Hallmark slaughterhouse after verifying the mistreatment of cattle shown on the videotape and discovering other problems. The tape, made secretly by a slaughterhouse worker and provided to the Humane Society of the United States, showed electric shocks and high-intensity water sprays administered to cows too sick or weak to stand on their own, and the use of forklifts to roll such animals. Government regulations prohibit slaughtering for food cattle that cannot stand or walk on their own. An inspecting veterinarian had said the cattle in question were healthy enough to be used for food, but they subsequently collapsed. Under federal regulations, such animals must be reexamined by a veterinarian and slaughtered separately. That apparently was not done. One worry when an animal collapses is that it may have bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the infection known as "mad cow disease." A small number of people who have eaten meat from such animals have developed a fatal brain infection, but cattle with BSE have very rarely turned up in government inspections. Richard Raymond, the USDA's undersecretary for food safety, discounted the chance of BSE in any of the Hallmark/Westland cattle. "We are very confident in the safety of the food supply," he said. Hallmark fired two workers seen on the tape, and the men face animal cruelty charges in California. A company spokesman said senior management was not aware of the use of extreme measures to get sick cattle upright. Humane Society President Wayne Pacelle said yesterday the recall "validates the chief finding we made, that sick and injured animals got into the food supply." Officials at Hallmark and Westland could not be reached yesterday to comment. The largest previous meat recall orders both covered 35 million pounds and came a month apart in 1998 and 1999. Both involved ready-to-eat products contaminated with listeria. Nearly two dozen people died and about 100 fell ill after eating the meat. Last September, 21.7 million pounds of Topps Meat ground beef were recalled after at least 30 people were sickened from meat contaminated with E. coli bacteria. In the Hallmark/Westland case, Raymond said, "We feel there is a very, very remote possibility of health consequences from consuming this product." Staff researcher Rena Kirsch contributed to this report .
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4. Hitler a Vegetarian Myth Raised Again
I was informed by JVNA advisor and author Stewart Rose that Jonah Goldberg stated again on the Glen Beck program recently that Hitler was a vegetarian. At Stewart's suggestion, I would like to urge readers to contact the show with a protest and a demand for a correction. Suggestions very welcome.
For background information, please see my review of Rynn Berry’s book “Hitler: Neither Vegetarian Nor Animal Lover” in the reviews section of JewishVeg.com/Schwartz.
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5. CHAI Sends Out Tribute to Tom Lantos
View as web page: www.chaionline.org/enews/19feb08/chaialert_19feb08.htm
Please distribute widely.
February 19, 2008
Farewell to Tom Lantos
Congressman Tom Lantos was a stalwart friend to animals across the globe, including to animals in Israel. "As a Holocaust survivor,
I know that suffering is suffering, whether human or animal," he said.
An Advisory Board member of Concern for Helping Animals in Israel (CHAI) for over two decades, along with his wife, Annette, he could always be counted on, whether the issue was urging government officials to care about an issue, pressing a Mayor to provide land for an animal shelter, or appearing in a video on behalf of the organization. "Draft the letter and Tom will sign it," was the generous response to appeals for assistance.
When CHAI sought to send the first animal ambulance to a shelter in Israel, the Finance Ministry demanded taxes and customs duties equaling the price of the vehicle, though identical vehicles donated to public hospitals entered the country duty and tax free. When appeals to officials and demonstrations went unheard, Tom Lantos sent a letter to every member of Israel's Knesset (Parliament), and at last, the life-saving ambulance was allowed in duty and tax free.
Although one city's town planner set aside land for an animal shelter, its Mayor would not allow the land to be used for that purpose. In response to CHAI's request for help, while on a business trip to Israel with Tom, Annette Lantos took the time to call the Mayor and praise the shelter's work, letting him know how much such a facility was needed. That afternoon, a delegation from the Mayor's office appeared on the shelter's doorstep to let them know they could start building.
When CHAI sought to sponsor a conference on the link between violence toward people and toward animals and the importance of humane education in reducing violence, Tom Lantos contacted the Minister of Education on our behalf. The Ministry agreed to co-sponsor the conference with us and sent out a letter and a poster about the event to school principals, encouraging them to send educators to it, and offered credit to teachers who attended (which translated into a salary increase for them). The very well-attended event received much media coverage and resulted in the Knesset Education Committee deciding that humane education must be introduced into the school system.
And so much more. The world has lost a tremendous friend to humans and animals alike. Tom Lantos' kindness and that of his wife, Annette, will never be forgotten.
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6. Israeli Rabbis Agree to Phase Out Shackling & Hoisting
Hakol Chai, CHAI's Israeli sister charity, today praised the decision of the Chief Rabbis to phase out the cruel practice of shackling and hoisting in Israeli and South American slaughterhouses. The decision came after the release of an undercover video showing how animals suffer in slaughterhouses using this practice and an appeal to the Rabbis by Jerusalem Rabbi Adam J. Frank on behalf of Hakol Chai.
"Kosher laws are intended to minimize the suffering of animals so it is logical, just, and in keeping with Jewish values that a cruel method be replaced with a more humane one," said Rabbi Frank.
"The Israeli Rabbinate has shown awareness and a sense of duty toward the concerns of its constituent population and deserves praise for this sensitivity," he continued. "Judaism contains a self-correcting mechanism by which each generation has the responsibility to evaluate the implementation of Jewish law and its concomitant ethical teachings; a change in practice in the kosher slaughter industry is a fine example of the power of caring people to influence Jewish practice."
Hakol Chai/CHAI's contribution to this campaign was credited in the Israeli media, Rabbi Frank was interviewed on an Israeli radio station on behalf of Hakol Chai and his op ed appeared in the Jerusalem Post.
Hakol Chai and CHAI now urge both the Orthodox Union and the Israeli Rabbinate to establish a committee to set a fixed timeframe and ensure the supervision of the expedient phase-out of shackling and hoisting in the kosher slaughter industry.
Hakol Chai/CHAI remind the public that becoming vegetarian is the best way to prevent animal suffering (tsa'ar ba'alei hayim), preserve human health, and reverse global warming. According to a report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), meat, not cars, is the number one cause of global warming. It is also a major source of land and water degradation. The UN's Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), made up of hundreds of climate change scientists worldwide, noted the importance of lifestyle changes in meeting the challenge of global warming.
"Please eat less meat," said IPCC representative, economist Rajendra Pachauri, adding that a meat-based diet also has negative consequences for human health.
For more information about shackling and hoisting and vegetarianism, see
www.chai-online.org/rabbi_frank.htm and www.chai-online.org/factoryfarming.htm.
Please donate to CHAI and Hakol Chai's work on behalf of Israel's animals.
Send your tax-deductible donations to:
CHAI, POB 3341, Alexandria, VA 22302, USA, or donate through our website.
Yours for a more compassionate world,
Nina Natelson
CHAI - Concern for Helping Animals in Israel
PO Box 3341, Alexandria, VA 22302
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7. JVNA Press Release on Israeli Rabbis Plans to Phase Out Shackling and Hoisting
JEWISH VEGETARIAN GROUP COMMENDS ISRAELI CHIEF RABBIS FOR PLANS TO PHASE OUT SHACKLING AND HOISTING/URGES FURTHER STEPS
The Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) announced today that it strongly commends the Israeli chief rabbis for their plans to phase out the “shackle and hoist” method of kosher slaughter in Israel and South America, as reported on the front page of the February 19 Jerusalem Post. [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1203343700024&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull]
The group indicated that much praise is deserved by all whose actions led to this decision, including PETA, for the undercover video that raised the issue, the group Concern for Helping Animals in Israel (CHAI) and its sister Israeli charity Hakol Chai, for urging the rabbis to take this action, and Israeli Rabbi Adam Frank, whose article in the Jerusalem Post, on behalf of CHAI and Hakol Chai, put a spotlight on the issue.
JVNA expressed its hope that this would be the first step in addressing the many moral and halachic issues related to the production of meat and other animal products. “This is a very positive step, but it only deals with the tip of the iceberg,” asserted Richard H. Schwartz, Ph.D. president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA). “Even if ritual slaughter is performed flawlessly, consistent with halacha, we should not ignore the severe violations of Jewish law occurring daily on factory farms. We should fulfill our charge to be 'a light unto the nations' by helping to lead the world away from a diet that is so harmful to people, the environment, and animals, to one that is far more consistent with basic Jewish values.”
For a long time, JVNA has argued that Jews should consider how animal-based diets and agriculture violate basic Jewish mandates to preserve human health, treat animals with compassion, preserve the environment, conserve natural resources, and help hungry people.
JVNA is eager to engage with rabbis and other Jewish leaders in a respectful discussion/debate on the issue, "Should Jews Be Vegetarians Today?" The group urges rabbis and other Jewish leaders to consider how a shift toward plant-based diets would improve the health of Jews and others, show the relevance of Judaism's eternal teachings to current threats, thus helping to revitalize Jewish life and, most important, help move our imperiled world to a sustainable path. It urges the Israeli chief rabbis to build on its important decision on shackling and hoisting by considering other aspects of the production of meat that are not consistent with Jewish law and values.
Further information about the JVNA and its campaign to get vegetarianism onto the Jewish and other agendas may be obtained by contacting Dr. Schwartz or the JVNA (JewishVeg.com; mail@JewishVeg.com). A complimentary copy of JVNA's new one-hour documentary A SACRED DUTY: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World will be sent to members of the media who request them and to others who indicate how they would use the material to help get vegetarianism and related issues onto the Jewish agenda. The entire movie can also be seen by visiting ASacredDuty.com, a site that also has much background material re the film.
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8. Jerusalem Post article by Rabbi Adam Frank on Shackling and Hoisting
Why do the OU and Israel's rabbinate condone barbarity?
The scandal of meat that's technically 'kosher' and ethically tainted. The writer is rabbi of Congregation Moreshet Yisrael in Jerusalem, Israel's flagship Masorti synagogue. www.chai- online.org
A recent undercover investigation into slaughterhouse practices in South America has revealed the heinous use of the animal restraint method known as "shackling and hoisting" during the kosher slaughter process.
We in Israel have no reason to feel immune from responsibility for these barbaric practices as South America is the largest source of kosher beef imports into Israel. Additionally, South America is the largest offshore supplier of kosher meat to the United States. Both the Israeli rabbinate and the Orthodox Union (OU) in the US explicitly endorse these methods by providing their kosher authorizations to the resulting meat.
Shackling and hoisting is the brutal and outdated technique of chaining and suspending in mid-air a fully conscious adult cow by its rear leg. The problems associated with this method include the animal's scientifically measured hyper-stress levels, tearing of muscle tissue, tendons and skin, the compression of internal organs by the immense weight of the cow's mass on the organs and more. According to the halacha of kashrut, none of these injuries cause the animal to become a tref - or unkosher.
Due to the high incidence of worker and animal injury, this method of restraint is no longer practiced in the United States. The advent of safer and more humane animal handling systems encouraged kosher slaughter in North America to abandon the practice years ago.
In a Sept. 25, 1998 article in Haaretz magazine Yossi Bar-Moha gave this eye-witness account of the process: "One of the local workers grabs a back leg of the bull and lashes it to an iron chain. The door is raised again and the bull is yanked violently upward by the chain attached to his back leg. The animal is now dangling in the air - its immense weight held by one foot, its head down.
A second worker locks the head into a crescent-shaped device that has been grafted onto a long iron rod. The slaughterers advanceEThe [cut] is dazzlingly swift, a second or two, one cut forward and another backward across the bull's neck. It is done.
Immediately the two animals, their bodies jerking convulsively, are lifted upward with the iron chain, unleashing a torrent or blood. Wasting no time, the slaughterers and the workers turn to the ... Box, where the next two steers are already waiting. ... Their bellowing intensifies.
The slaughtered animals, by now dangling from large hooks, are pulled up to the second floor, where workers attach them to a gigantic machine. A quick cut loosens a flap of skin, which is inserted into the machine and pulled by two rollers until the animal is completely skinless.
SNIP
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9. Two Very Important Environmental Articles
Thanks to JVNA advisor Itae Amit for forwarding these links:
1) Can Organic Farming End World Hunger?
http://environment.about.com/od/healthenvironment/a/organicfarming.htm
2) PB&J Campaign
http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivinginthekitchen/a/peanut_butter.htm
http://www.pbjcampaign.org
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10. Campaign to Urge Al Gore to Endorse Vegetarianism
Thanks to Steve Schuster for forwarding this.
Please check out this important information about PETA's campaign to urge Al Gore to recommend going vegetarian as one of the solutions to the global warming crisis.
Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection have created a seven-point pledge that names easy action steps that we all can take to help the environment. Going vegetarian is not on the list, yet it is the most effective solution to the global
warming crisis.
Please click the link below to send a quick note to Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection urging them to make the seven-point pledge an eight-point pledge by adding going vegetarian to the list.
http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/algore_global_warming?rk=V12z6IFq31bLW
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11. New Book Discusses Feminism and Animal Ethics
Thanks to long-time animal rights activist Batya Bauman for forwarding this message:
The Feminist Care Tradition in Animal Ethics
Editors: Josephine Donovan and Carol J. Adams
Book Description
In Beyond Animal Rights, Josephine Donovan and Carol J. Adams introduced feminist "ethic of care" theory into philosophical discussions of the treatment of animals. In this new volume, seven essays from Beyond Animal Rights are joined by nine new articles-most of which were written in response to that book-and a new introduction that situates feminist animal care theory within feminist theory and
the larger debate over animal rights. Contributors critique theorists' reliance on natural rights doctrine and utilitarianism, which, they suggest, have a masculine bias. They argue for ethical attentiveness and sympathy in our relationships with animals and propose a link between the continuing subjugation of women and the human domination of nature. Beginning with the earliest articulation of the idea in the
mid-1980s and continuing to the theory's most recent revisions, this volume presents the most complete portrait of the evolution of the feminist-care tradition.
Review
"Every scholar interested in social (in)justice should read this book. As a compelling examination of the workings of power, prejudice, and ideology, this powerful anthology lays down a challenge to all progressive scholarship and politics -- whether 'animal-identified' or not. As a nuanced and sophisticated framework for a feminist approach to social relationships, the articulation of a 'care tradition' in human-animal relations is transformative. The editors do a tremendous service by bringing together some of the classic essays in the field
with some of the sharpest new criticism and commentary.
This collection is an invaluable source and resource that every feminist should have on her bookshelf." -- Joni Seager, professor and dean of the Faculty of
Environmental Studies, York University, Toronto
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12. JVNA Press Release From JVNA Publicist
Contact: Susan Tellem
Tellem Worldwide, Inc.
310-479-6111 x1; cell 310-613-3504
stellem@tellem.com
Stop Eating Meat, Says Jewish Vegetarians of North America
New York – February 18, 2008 -- Yesterday, February 17, the USDA issued the largest recall of beef in U.S. history after the investigation by the Humane Society of the United States of a dairy cow slaughter plant in Southern California. The recall of 143 million pounds of beef came after slaughter plant workers were caught on video torturing crippled cattle, and two weeks after the USDA shut down that slaughter plant. (See video here - https://community.hsus.org/campaign/CA_2008_investigation/u3igx84r7jimi5w?)
According to the Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA), New York, this should be a wake-up call to the importance of shifting away from animal-based diets as the consumption of beef and other animal products is a major factor behind an epidemic of heart disease, several forms of cancer, diabetes, obesity and other diseases. The meat industry claims that the mistreatment of animals at the California slaughterhouse is an exception, but they ignore that about 10 billion animals in the United States are living in horrible conditions every minute on factory farms, prior to slaughter.
The production of more than 50 billion animals worldwide annually for slaughter is contributing significantly to global warming and other environmental threats that imperil all of humanity. As reported in the 2006 UN Food and Agricultural Organization report "Livestock's Long Shadow," animal-based agriculture emits more greenhouse gases (18% in CO2 equivalents) than all of the cars, trucks, planes and other forms of transportation worldwide combined (13.5%).
Because the issues are so urgent and are not being sufficiently addressed, the JVNA has produced a one-hour documentary A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values To Help Heal The World. It can be viewed completely at www.ASacredDuty.com. JVNA urges rabbis and the Jewish leadership to break their silence on the many moral issues related to meat consumption. JVNA also challenges Jewish religious leaders to a respectful debate on, "Should Jews Be Vegetarians?
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13. Chain of Vegetarian Fast Food Restaurants Opened
Thanks to long-time animal rights activist Batya Bauman for this forwarded message:
US restaurant group Zen Burger aims to revolutionize the fast food world with a chain of vegetarian outlets.
The first Zen Burger fast food restaurant has opened in New Yorks' Lexington Avenue. It specialises in meatless comfort foods that copy those sold in traditional fast-food chains, such as the ZenSausage breakfast sandwich, ZenBeef burgers, crispy ZenChicken sandwich, ZenTuna sandwich, ZenHotDog, ZenChicken tenders, ZenShrimp and French fries, as well as organic soups salads.
Zen Burger founder, James Tu, plans to take the chain nationwide, with the next restaurant slated to open in Hollywood.
full story:
http://www.foodweek.com.au/main-features-page.aspx?
articleType=ArticleView&articleId=1448
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14. Effort To Stop Creation of a Dairy Factory Farm
Hi Richard,
My wife and I have been actively involved in animal rights for years, and recently I sent you the name of an assistant rabbi that I thought you should send a copy of your recent DVD to.
I have a favor to ask of you.
I, and many of my neighbors, are trying to stop a California investor from building an enormous, inhumane, factory dairy farm right near my house in rural NW Illinois. We need to get as much attention to this issue asap so that we can pressure the governor into stopping the facility.
Can you possibly include the following text in your next newsletter so we can get more people calling in?
Please feel free to contact me via email or phone if you'd like more information. There is also a lot of news up on our web site, http://www.StopTheMegaDairy.org including a very well written 4 page expose that was run in The Milkweed, a newsletter dedicated to family dairy farms, which blasts this facility and all the agencies that support it. I think you'd enjoy reading that article.
Thanks Richard,
Matthew
Dear Friends,
We need your help. A California investor wants to put a 13,000 animal unit industrial dairy in NW Illinois just off of the historic Stagecoach Trail to Galena, and only a few miles from the Apple River Canyon State Park.
Why you should get involved:
1) The untreated waste from this facility will blanket miles of rolling hills in foul odors, threaten numerous streams and rivers, kill fish, and destroy valuable farmland from over-applications of concentrated manure.
2) These facilities are non sustainable. Already over twice as large as any other dairy in Illinois, the owner will be able to incrementally expand the facility without getting any additional permits, and could easily have 35,000 animals confined there in the next few years, making it the largest facilities east of the Rockies.
3) This facility will imprison 12,000 cattle. They will never go outside, never graze. Living on sand bedding, barely able to move around, their lives will be short and hellish, an average of around 2 years, from what I was told. The thousands of male calves born every year suffer an even worse fate. The lucky ones will be raised as steers, and allowed to live outside, the rest will be raised as veal, or killed at birth.
These facilities are coming to the Midwest from the coast. We need to stop them now, before they force out all of the smaller family farms that let their animals graze, and where a cow can easily live to be 5 to 6 years old. Once these factories come in, and the smaller farms fail, due to lower milk prices, more and more of our agricultural land and animals will be owned by, and controlled by, big agriculture. Once that happens, the trend to more sustainable and organic farming will end.
Why this is urgent:
Just last week the Jo Daviess County Board voted 11 to 5 to reject the 12,000 head mega dairy.
Unfortunately, the Illinois Department of Agriculture can ignore that vote, and place the facility against the wishes of the board and the constituents that they represent.
Please give me one minute right now and take two vitally important actions.
First, contact the Governor, and let him know that you don't want this facility in Illinois. You can call, write, or use his web portal to send him a message.
Governor Rod Blagojevich
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Phone: 217-782-0244 or 312-814-2121
TTY: 888-261-3336
http://www.illinois.gov/gov/contactthegovernor.cfm
Suggested message:
Dear Governor Blagojevich,
The Jo Daviess County board voted 11 to 5 to deny an application for a 12,000 head CAFO proposed for their county. Citing numerous experts's concern about major damage to the aquifer and surrounding rivers and streams, and the tremendous negative impact this facility would have on tourism, which is already bringing over $200,000,000 to the county, they rejected this application since it didn't fulfill the eight criteria imposed by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
Please use your authority as Governor to ensure that the Department of Agriculture follows their own guidelines and denies this application. The citizens of Jo Daviess County deserve the right to have their elected county board make decisions that will have such significant negative impact on their community.
Thank you.
Second, go to this Sierra Club web site, and tell the federal EPA that huge factory farms should not be exempt from the clean air act...which would give them a legal loophole to avoid all of the pollution lawsuits being filed against them all over the country. This gift to corporate agriculture from the Bush administration would penalize small family farms, while allowing the largest and richest facilities to do as they pleased.
http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=bOL-NhsfcC4RPypoGStwBw..
Extra Credit, contact the head of the Department of Agriculture, and voice your objections to this facility. Every letter they get has to be reviewed by their board, and included in their files. They need to know that people are concerned about clean air, clean water, family farms, and public health, and won't stand for these factories in Illinois.
Charles A. Hartke, Director
State of Illinois Department of Agriculture
P.O. Box 19281, State Fairgrounds
Springfield, IL 62794-9281
(217) 785-4789
FAX: 217.785.4505
You can read much more about this issue at http://www.StopTheMegaDairy.org including a wonderful story in a dairy newspaper bashing the Ag Dept.
As always, I, and all of my neighbors that are fighting this farm, thank you for your help.
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15. New York Times Editorial on the Record Beef Recall
The Biggest Beef Recall Ever
Published: February 21, 2008
A nauseating video of cows stumbling on their way to a California slaughterhouse has finally prompted action: the largest recall of meat in American history. Westland/Hallmark Meat Company has issued a full recall of more than 143 million pounds of beef produced over the last two years, including 37 million pounds that went to school-lunch programs.
A lot of that beef has already been eaten, and so far, thankfully, there have been no reports of illness. But the question Congress needs to ask is how many people need to get sick or die before it starts repairing and modernizing the nation’s food safety system?
Instead of strengthening the government’s regulatory systems, the Bush administration has spent years cutting budgets and filling top jobs with industry favorites. The evidence of their failures keep mounting: contaminated spinach, poisoned pet food, tainted fish.
At Westland/Hallmark, the latest horrors were secretly videotaped by the Humane Society of the United States, which said it had chosen the plant at random. The video showed workers kicking and using forklifts to force so-called “downer” cows to walk. The government has banned the sale of meat from most of these cows.
Officials have been busy assuring consumers that this massive recall is an “aberration.” “Whistling in the dark” — that is how Caroline Smith DeWaal of the Center for Science in the Public Interest describes such assurances. “The fact that they have failed here so miserably makes you start to question what else is going on that we don’t know about.”
The Westland/Hallmark plant had five federal inspectors on hand, including at least one veterinarian whose job was to make sure that diseased cows did not make it into the meat supply. But where were these inspectors when workers were abusing these poor animals in order to get them to the slaughterhouse? Investigations have already begun in California and Washington.
Whatever the outcome with this particular plant, the larger point is that Congress needs to overhaul the entire food inspection program. That includes giving the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration more power to demand mandatory recalls. Food producers should be able to track their supplies in order to more quickly root out problems. And foreign suppliers would have to create and implement a workable food safety plan that can be monitored better by federal inspectors.
The present patchwork of modest fines and penalties must also be stiffened.
Senator Richard Durbin and Representative Rosa DeLauro have a more ambitious idea: creating a single, powerful agency to oversee all food safety, instead of the current bureaucratic tangle of inspectors, some for vegetables, some for beef and some for imports. Right now the Agriculture Department oversees the safety of the home-grown beef supply (while also promoting the cattle industry) and the Food and Drug Administration monitors the safety of cattle feed. With Americans increasingly — and legitimately — mistrustful of the food they eat, their proposal is worth serious consideration.
-------------------------------------------------------
My letter sent to the Times in response to their editorial:
February 21, 2008
Editor, NY Times
Letters@NYTimes.com
Dear Editor
Kudos for you’re your February 20 lead editorial “The Biggest Beef Recall Ever,” which called for major reforms in food inspection and asked “how many people need to get sick or die before [congress] starts repairing and modernizing the nation’s food safety system?” As president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA), I think that another key question is how much evidence do people need about the links between animal-based diets and many degenerative diseases, the massive mistreatment of animals on factory farms, and the major contributions of animal-centered agriculture to global warming and many other environmental threats before they recognize that a major societal shift toward plant-based diets is essential.
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16. Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life Sets Up an Environmental Blog
February 21, 2008 15 Adar I, 5768
Greetings!
COEJL is proud to share the creation of our new blog, To Till and To Tend. The opinions expressed in this blog represent the personal views of COEJL staff and other guests. These postings aren't COEJL policy; rather, their purpose is to generate discussion about issues affecting the Jewish community, the American people, and the world at large. So, enough said, please comment and tell us what you think as we fulfill God's commandment "To Till and to Tend." http://coejlblog.blog.com/
Today's blog, written by Liore, COEJL's Project Mananager, is a reflection of her participation in the US Interfaith Climate Change mission to Northern Ireland: "Guinness, Climate Change and Peace."
Inspiration "There are three aspects of nature which command man's attention: power, loveliness, and grandeur. Power he exploits, loveliness he enjoys, grandeur fills him with awe" Man is Not Alone, Abraham Joshua Heschel (p.3)
*We have chosen to keep the original, gendered language used by Heschel, respecting the integrity of his written word while understanding that it represents the literary style of that day.
Advocacy Update
COEJL Is Advocating on Behalf of the Jewish Community. As a follow-up to our efforts with the Climate and Energy Working Group, COEJL has initiated visits with key congressional offices (including Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Virginia and Washington). COEJL has been leading a coalition including representatives from many of our member agencies, including the American Jewish Committee, B'Nei Brith, Hadassah, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Religious Action Center and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Visits highlight the Jewish community's concern for strong climate and energy policy, with a particular focus on the need to establish a firm, economy-wide cap on greenhouse gas emissions. These visits are intended to start an ongoing dialogue between Congress and the Jewish community as it considers federal climate change legislation. COEJL has also joined forces with a broad interfaith coalition to ensure that climate change legislation addresses the needs of the least among us.
To let your Senator know that you care, order COEJL's Climate Change Policy Postcards by contacting climatechange@coejl.org.
Community: Teva's Seminar on Jewish Environmental Ed
SNIP
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17. Supporting Jerusalem in New Monopoly Game
Forwarded message from Israeli vegetarian activist Mark Feffer:
Richard. Thank you. After all, [if this effort to have our votes make Jerusalem number 1 succeeds], millions of kids will grow up with Jerusalem etched in their minds as THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS city in the world. And the most important with the greatest value.
Here is a lot of information. One can vote everyday till Thursday. Who knows: your efforts/people may put us in the "Boardwalk" top spot..
Mark Feffer wrote: FRIENDS, Last week the Monopoly competition hit the news as they had decided to list Jerusalem without its state (Israel). There were many complaints and so Monopoly's solution was to list all the competing cities without their states. Maybe this was good publicity and more people will vote. At the voting site the leaderboard no longer is shown - to add suspense. One can vote everyday until Thursday this week. Shavua Tov and keep voting. Yours, Mark (We were number 4 in the Green as of last Thursday/ Your votes count! Here is the link...
http://www.monopolyworldvote.com/en_US/world
Vote Jerusalem on the Monopoly Board!
[02. 6.2008]
If you have questions, you can contact Mark at: feffer@netvision.net.il
* UPDATE (Feb 20): Keep Voting! Thanks to you, Jerusalem is now #4!
* We're aiming for #1! VOTE EVERY DAY! Hasbro encourages it.
* The makers of Monopoly are inviting fans worldwide to vote in an on-line contest to determine which 22 cities will be etched in the collective memory for a new global edition of the 75-year-old game.
* The contest, which got under way this week and will continue through February 28, will allow Monopoly fans the world over to cast their ballots for the 10 best cities out of a pre-selected list of 68, including Jerusalem, Israel.
* The 20 cities with the highest number of votes will make it onto the new board.
* Please ONLY vote for Jerusalem. Voting for other cities will reduce Jerusalem’s relative scoring.
* You can vote EVERY DAY up to Feb. 28.
* Here are step-by-step instructions. Please VOTE NOW!
VOTING INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Go to Hasbro's site.
2. In the right-pane, click ‘Sort By: Cities’ (see our diagram)
3. Scroll down to ‘Jerusalem, Israel’ > Click it.
4. A pop-up appears, click ‘Add to My Cities’
5. A small picture of Jerusalem should appear in lower section of the screen. (Please do not select any other cities. This would reduce Jerusalem’s scoring.)
6. Click Vote.
7. Click ‘Create your login now.’
8. Enter a desired Username and Password > Click Save.
9. You will receive a confirmation email at the entered address.
10. Click the link in the email.
11. Once a day until Feb. 28, repeat Steps 1 through 6.
12. Forward this message to others.
Have you signed the Jerusalem Petition?
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18. More on Veggie Pride Parade
content
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Member Newsletter
February 24, 2008 - 19 Adar I, 5768
Poetry and Fiction Section Added - Belles-Lettres, the new poetry and fiction section of the site is now up and running. ShalomVeg member Jampa W. has done a fantastic job creating and editing the pages, and she is looking for submissions for future editions. Please see her introduction below.
More Learning Resources - We have expanded the learning section of the site. There are over 30 new articles on veg and animal rights basics, covering issues such as factory farming, vegan health, animal experimentation, animals in entertainment and more. There is also an expanded selection of videos in the multimedia section, and new sections on activism and opinions. As with all sections of the site, you can add comments and share your views on any of the articles you read.
Share Your Story - If you have always wanted to share your personal story-how you became vegan or vegetarian, how Judaism has influenced your life choices, or any thing else you would like to share--have it published on ShalomVeg! We are always looking for submissions, and all writing can be published anonymously if desired.
Take The Survey - If you have not already done so, please take a few seconds to take the short survey about what you would like to see on ShalomVeg. As the site grows, it is important that we make the site the most useful and enjoyable for you. Click here to take the survey, or go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Whclcf2i44H6CdVzhCNnxA_3d_3d
Again, if you have any comments or suggestions about the site, please let us know.
-Boris Dolin,
Director, ShalomVeg.com
boris@shalomveg.com
of Kosher Slaughterhouse
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19. Excerpts From ShalomVeg.com Newsletter
Member Newsletter
February 24, 2008 - 19 Adar I, 5768
Poetry and Fiction Section Added - Belles-Lettres, the new poetry and fiction section of the site is now up and running. ShalomVeg member Jampa W. has done a fantastic job creating and editing the pages, and she is looking for submissions for future editions. Please see her introduction below.
More Learning Resources - We have expanded the learning section of the site. There are over 30 new articles on veg and animal rights basics, covering issues such as factory farming, vegan health, animal experimentation, animals in entertainment and more. There is also an expanded selection of videos in the multimedia section, and new sections on activism and opinions. As with all sections of the site, you can add comments and share your views on any of the articles you read.
Share Your Story - If you have always wanted to share your personal story-how you became vegan or vegetarian, how Judaism has influenced your life choices, or any thing else you would like to share--have it published on ShalomVeg! We are always looking for submissions, and all writing can be published anonymously if desired.
Take The Survey - If you have not already done so, please take a few seconds to take the short survey about what you would like to see on ShalomVeg. As the site grows, it is important that we make the site the most useful and enjoyable for you. Click here to take the survey, or go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Whclcf2i44H6CdVzhCNnxA_3d_3d
Again, if you have any comments or suggestions about the site, please let us know.
-Boris Dolin,
Director, ShalomVeg.com
boris@shalomveg.com
of Kosher Slaughterhouse
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20. Update On Activities of Areyvut Group
Forwarded message fro Areyvit director Daniel Rothner:
[Areyvut strives to educate Jewish youth on Jewish teachings on tzedakah, chesed and tikkun olam (charity kindness and social justice) and to involve them in projects.]
We have a wonderful opportunity to leverage a gift & to really help move us forward. Listed below are a few recent and upcoming events that illustrate the impact of supporting Areyvut.
• We presented on the topic of “Changing Your School Community through Words” to 80 educators at the Jewish Federation of Great Vancouver. Many of the teachers, principals and administrators have begun to implement the new ideas into their curricula. Areyvut has since been contacted to implement a similar program for a day school in Monterrey, Mexico.
• The Teen Philanthropy Institute (TPI) launched in January and is comprised of 24 students from Bergen County in the 8th-10th grades, all of whom are interested in making a positive impact on their community. TPI participants attend meetings to learn more about philanthropy, local agencies that serve the community and how to create a caring community. Each participant has contributed $250 that is matched by a donor. TPI has $10,000 to allocate to agencies that deal with children, healthcare and/or hunger and poverty.
• Tonight we will begin a three part series The Meaning behind Bnai Mitzvah at Yeshivat Noam, a Bergen County Jewish day school. Students and parents will learn different ways to structure a Bnai Mitzvah project and hear from a local student who incorporated an innovative project into her celebration.
• Make a Difference Day is a program dedicated to helping others and actively making the world a better place. The 2008 program will be held from April 4-6 and the theme in partnership with JNF is “Preserving the Environment,” and activities will extend throughout the weekend as Jewish communities throughout America participate. To date we have over 35 projects registered. To access the educational materials, registration and to learn more about the program please visit www.jnf.org/makeadifferenceday.
• In April, we will be participating in the PEJE Assembly for Jewish Day School Education in Boston.
These are just a few concrete examples of how your support makes a difference and helps us help better serve the community. Your donations enable us to teach students, their families, teachers and communities about the importance of making a difference and actively making the world a better place.
Your help & consideration are greatly appreciated.
Please help spread the word about this!
I want to inform you about an exciting opportunity to impact the future of a creative, dynamic Jewish organization. Areyvut, a non-profit organization that is changing the face of youth tikkun olam programming, invites you to join our President’s Circle. The Areyvut President’s Circle is an elite group of benefactors who make minimum annual contributions of $1,000. Members of this group are eligible to take part in special programming through which we acknowledge and honor those who play a substantial role in our daily operations.
Daniel Rothner
Areyvut Founder & Director
147 South Washington Avenue
Bergenfield, NJ 07621
P: 201-244-6702
F: 201-338-2427
daniel@areyvut.org
www.areyvut.org
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21. New Book Discusses Human Cruelty to Animals
Forwarded message:
http://alternet.org/rights/77543/
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Cruelest Species of Them All?
By Anneli Rufus <http://alternet.org/authors/7837/> , AlterNet
<http://www.alternet.org> . Posted February 23, 2008
<http://alternet.org/ts/archives/?date%5bF%5d=02&date%5bY%5d=2008&date%5bd%5d=23&act=Go/> .
We are, of course, but a new book on animal cruelty will make your jaw
drop about how vicious humans can be to other animals.
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