12/22/2011 JVNA Online Newsletter - Chanukah

Chanukah 2011

1. Another Miracle of Chanukah
2. Maccabeats to Matisyahu Chanukah Song
3. Chanukah Recipes Galore!
4. Cute Chanukah Animals
5. Veg Chanukah Ideas from GirlieGirl Army
6. Green Your Chanukah


1. Another Miracle of Chanukah

Jewish survival is a miracle of hope. Increasing light at the darkest time of the year to celebrate Chanukah and Jewish survival is also a miracle. This year, we work and hope for another miracle. We certainly don't need more "things" in our homes; instead, we need more meaning, purpose, and spirit in our lives. One significant way is by moving towards vegetarianism. Read More.


2. Maccabeats do Matisyahu Chanukah Song

Famous singers don’t make many Chanukah songs – Adam Sandler’s “Chanukah Song” and Barenaked Ladies' “Hanukkah Blessings” are perhaps two of only three exceptions – but the third is "Miracle", by vegan Jew Matisyahu. The adorable Maccabeats have done a cover of this song, which cameos another vegan Jew, TV star Mayim Bialik. Have a look, I dare you not to enjoy!


3. Chanukah Recipes Galore!

Looking for Chanukah recipes? Check out JVNA’s updated recipe section. We’ve lot loads of plant-based latke recipes of every type, from traditional to very creative, and even some videos.

What’s more, actor, author, and Jewish vegan Alicia Silverstone is posting a new vegetarian Jewish recipe every day during Chanukah. Check it out.

And the Jewish vegan singer Matisyahu has his own latke and jelly doughnut recipes in New York Magazine. When asked why he went veg, Matisyahu gave a very Hanukkah answer: "If a person has clean oil, then their candle will burn bright.

4. Cute Chanukah Animals

Cute animals celebrating Chanukah! For a compassionate Jewish vegetarian, what’s not to like?

Just choose dogs or cats! (Or, if you prefer, zebras.)


5. Veg Chanukah Ideas from GirlieGirl Army

Chanukah 101: From Jelly Donut Twinkies to Maitake Mushroom Latkes! Chanukah is all about miracles, and we could all use a miracle. If you aren’t into the religious aspect of Chanukah, use the 8 days as a time to make wishes, give kisses, and pray for peace. Read more.


6. Green Your Chanukah
Find out how you can light your Hanukkah celebration with eco-friendly festivities like green decorations, organic chocolate gelt, and vegan latkes. Read more.

12/5/11 JVNA Online Newsletter

December 5, 2011

1. Kosher Slaughter Bans
2. Horse Slaughter Legalized in the US
3. Free Jewish Vegan Cookbook
4. World Meat Production Grows
5. Israel Bans Cat Declawing
6. UN Climate Conference Urged to Address Animal Agriculture
7. Vegetarian Shabbat at London Chabad
8. Free leaflets from JVNA

1. Kosher Slaughter Bans

Dutch efforts to ban the slaughter of unstunned animals -- effectively banning kosher and halal slaughter -- have raised concerns in the Jewish community, but also provide opportunities for us to discuss vegetarianism as applying Jewish values.

Rabbi Schachar Orenstein intrigued audiences when discussing the issue at a forum in Quebec, because he is an Orthodox Jew and a vegetarian, a choice he made for “ethical, health and environmental reasons” years ago. He says, “Judaism does care about animal cruelty, and measures are ongoing to reduce any suffering in slaughter… But I attempted to broaden the discussion, to the treatment of animals, how they are raised and transported.” [Canadian Jewish News]

Uca Octay of Rotterdam’s Islamic University said: “We will have to import halal meat... Becoming vegetarian could be an option as well.” Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs said: “I would not have bad feelings if... Every home would be vegetarian and then it would be equal.”

(JVNA opposes singling out kosher slaughter. Both kosher and non-kosher slaughter can be done in a cruel manner or more humane manner, and the animals all come from the same abusive factory farms.)


2. Horse Slaughter Legalized in the US

Last week Congress passed into law a bill that ended the federal ban on horse slaughter. (See article.) Please take a minute of your time today to support the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. And spread the word to as many people as you can. Every voice makes a difference!

In you live in Canada, please act to support the Canadian version of this law.


3. Free Jewish Vegan Cookbook

The NewKosher Cookbook: Your Favorite Jewish Vegan Recipes is now available free online at PunkTorah.org, with everything from kreplach to sufganiyot, including some articles by JVNA President Richard Schwartz.


4. World Meat Production Grows

According to WorldWatch Institute, global meat production increased by 2.6 percent in 2010 to 290.6 million tons, an increase from the 0.8 percent growth rate of 2009. Read More.

The good news is that, in the US, meat consumption has been declining. Let's continue to be leaders in improving the world.


5. Israel Bans Cat Declawing

Good news: Israel has banned the declawing of cats. Judaism forbids mutilating pets without a genuine need. Read More. Unfortunately, on factory farms, surgical mutilations without painkillers -- like debeaking, dehorning, castrating, and tail docking -- remain standard practice.

Israel has already passed bans on foie gras production, cosmetics testing, public school dissections, and wildlife in circuses, all of which remain legal in the US and Canada. Jews should be a light unto the nations when it comes to vegetarianism as well.

6. UN Climate Change Conference COP-17 Urged to Address Animal Agriculture

Durban in South Africa is the stage where the United Nations' climate change conference, also known as COP17, is taking place. Parallel to the negotiations, representatives from NGOs try to make their voices heard amid the cacophony of COP17 talks. One of them is the Humane Society International, which is urging delegates to bring animal agriculture into the forum. Read More.

7. Vegetarian Shabbat at London Chabad

You too can organize an eco-friendly, vegan Shabbat dinner at your synagogue, chabad, or university, like these Jews did in London. Then tell us about it! Read More.


8. Free Leaflets from JVNA

Please get active in spreading the word by leafleting at a local Jewish event and/or organizing a talk or cooking demonstration at a local synagogue, Jewish school, or Jewish Center. Contact us for free leaflets. We can also send you some DVDs of our acclaimed documentary "A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World." Please consider arranging a showing

11/23/2011 JVNA Online Newsletter

November 23, 2011

1. JVNA has its own Google+ page
2. Chanukah and Vegetarianism
3. A Jew Confronts Her First Veg Thanksgiving
4. Rabbi Applies Jewish Values to Thanksgiving Turkey
5. Printed JVNA Newsletters from the 1990s Available
6. New Book: Jews Can Save the Planet
7. Paul McCartney Converts
8. Fur Free Friday and Judaism
9. Noted Climate Skeptic: "Global Warming is Real"
10. Congratulations to Ricki Lake

1. JVNA has its own Google+ page

Google+ now allows organizations to have their own pages. You can add JVNA's Google+ page to your circles. (We're still on Facebook and Twitter; please share our posts with your friends to help spread the word.)


2. Chanukah and Vegetarianism

The 8-day holiday of lights begins December 20. Please see “Chanukah and Vegetarianism” and use the material to help spread the Jewish Vegetarian message through articles, letters to editors, personal conversations and other ways.


3. A Jew Confronts Her First Veg Thanksgiving

"As Jews, meat is not just dinner; it’s our culture. We eat chicken every Shabbat, brisket and turkey on Rosh Hashanah, meat borscht on Passover and my mother’s sweet and sour meatballs appear throughout the year. By abstaining from eating meat, I’m not just passing on a serving of brisket. It’s as if I’m severing a cultural tie." Read More.


4. Rabbi Applies Jewish Values to Thanksgiving Turkey

"On Yom Kippur, I gave a sermon on the holiness of eating that focused on the horrors of factory farmed meat production. For years, I believed that occasional forays into the flesh of chicken or turkey was relatively harmless and certainly nothing like on the same scale as getting bloated on beef." Read More.


5. Printed JVNA Newsletters from the 1990s Available

Israel Mossman, former secretary and treasurer of JVNA and co-editor, along with his wife Eva, of the JVNA newsletter, has several hundred newsletters, 16 pages, all from the 1990s. He is offering 15 newsletters, of mixed dates, for $4.95 -- his first class postage cost. Lots of interesting material in these newsletters. If you are interested in receiving them, please contact Israel at imossman@bluecrab.org.

6. New Book: Jews Can Save the Planet

What is the responsibility of Jews to save our planet? JVNA President Richard Schwartz’s article on why he became a vegetarian appears in Simple Actions for Jews to Help Green the Planet, a new book by Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Jewish Soul, that draws upon the wisdom of biblical, Talmudic, midrashic and other texts, as well as modern, reliable, scientific research. Read More.

7. Paul McCartney Converts

Paul McCartney, perhaps the world's most famous vegan, is resportedly studying Judaism and has promised to convert. Read More.


8. Fur Free Friday and Judaism

In 1992, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv issued a p'sak (rabbinic ruling) against wearing fur. With Fur Free Friday coming up, what does Judaism have to say about fur? Read More.

If you own a business, the IAFC offers anti-fur stickers to post. Read More.


9. Noted Climate Skeptic: "Global Warming is Real"

With animal agriculture among the main drivers of global warming emissions, this news may spread awareness of the importance of taking action, including through vegetarian diets:

A prominent physicist and skeptic of global warming spent two years trying to find out if mainstream climate scientists were wrong. In the end, he determined they were right: Temperatures really are rising rapidly. Read More.


10. Congratulations to Ricki Lake

Congratulations to Jewish vegetarian Ricki Lake who made it to the finals of Dacing with the Stars. Though she didn't win, we wish her luck on her new talk show, and hope that her success will help her compassionate Jewish values to spread.