Shalom everyone,
This update/Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) Online Newsletter has the following items:
1. Passover and Vegetarianism
2. Vegetarianism and Kashrut (the Kosher Laws)
3. Major Talk By Noted Environmental Author and Researcher Stresses That Reducing Meat Consumption Can Avert Climate Catastrophe
4. JVNA Website As a Valuable Tool
5. Letters Sent to the Jerusalem Post in Response to My Op-ED Article on Parshat Tzav
6. Great Short Video Shows the Major Impact of Animal-Based Agriculture on Climate Change
7. Important New Book on Animal Advocacy
8. VegFund a Valuable Support Group for Vegan Events
9. Tips for Tabling at Large Events, From VegFund
10. NY Times’ Mark Bittman’s Food Manifesto
11. Ten Studies on the Impact of Animal Agriculture on Climate Change
12. Posting Comments At the End of Online Articles Can Help Spread Vegetarian Messages
13. Chart Indicates Nutritional Benefits of Plant Products
14. Update On Veggie Pride Parade (Scheduled for May 15, 2011 in NY City)
15. Reform Rabbis Address “Ethical Eating”
16. Journal of Animal Ethics Launched
17. Israeli Sephardic Rabbis Oppose Foie Gras
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. Passover and Vegetarianism
Passover, which begins on the evening of April 18, provides another opportunity to promote vegetarianism. My article on “Passover and Vegetarianism” is in the holidays section, along with articles relating all the other Jewish holy days to vegetarianism, at JewishVeg.com/Schwartz. Please feel free to pass the article on, post it, and to use it as the basis of letters to editors, calls to talk shows, and talking points. Thanks.
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2. Vegetarianism and Kashrut (the Kosher Laws)
Rabbi Dovid Sears, a JVNA advisor and author of The Vision of Eden: Animal Welfare and Vegetarianism in Jewish Law and Mysticism has suggested that a good way to promote vegetarianism among Orthodox Jews is to show that it is easier to keep kosher as a vegetarian, and that an article summarizing the argument would be valuable.
He suggests 4 areas for consideration:
1) practical kashrus problems in the meat and fish industries; 2) Torah sources discouraging consumption of animals for kashrut reasons (he already has a few in the VOE);
3) advantages of vegetarianism from a kashrus point of view; and 4) rabbinic statements in favor of this position (should be a few anyway).
He further suggests that once there is enough material to work with, articles and letters to the Orthodox media could be written and submitted.
If you have suggestions or would like to help with such a study or draft an article, please let me know. Thanks.
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Response to the message above by JVNA advisor and long-time Israeli vegetarian activist Shaya Kelter:
With regard to relating vegetarianism to kashrut my dream is to create a new kashrut hechsher sponsored by a major international organization in the field of kashrut: food would be declared kosher only if it met criteria of "tzar baalei chaim" – cruelty to animals – this would in include not only slaughter and preparation for slaughter but the raising of animals. This would affect dairy as well as meat. Issues of tzaar baalei chaim include separating calves from their mothers at birth and not allowing cow to ever graze.
The effect of such a hechsher would be several:
1. animal based food approved would be so expensive as to make animal consumption very greatly reduced for Jews who adhere to this type of hechsher. The economics would point many Jews in the direction of vegetarian or vegetarian most of the time.
2. It would raise awareness of the importance of treating animals compassionately.
3. It would help Jews understand that this is what the Torah expects.
I would expect opposition to acceptance of such standards by an organization such as the OU [Orthodox Union]. The opposition would be not only philosophical but economic. There are many who earn their living from the present system and they would be very opposed.
Perhaps at first this kind of hechsher could be offered as an alternative by a new kashrut organization. Perhaps eventually it could be adopted as an alternative by the OU.
Further thoughts about my proposal for a new hechsher - kashrut authorization. The Torah sanctions the eating of meat, including the killing of animals to be eaten, but with the proviso of not being cruel to these animals. The "heter" - the dispensation was given immediately after the Flood to Noah. However, the Torah does not sanction cruelty to animals. The kosher food industry is currently based on systemic cruelty to animals by default, by silence, by ignoring. It is not as mitzvah to eat meat. It is a mitzvah to not treat animals cruelly. I think this is the weak link in the armor of the carnivore advocates within the Orthodox community. Rather than attack them in their eating of meat, let's advocate adherence to the mitzvah of tzaar baalei chaim.
My metaphor is how the Feds finally nailed Al Capone, the number one leader of Organized Crime in the U.S. They couldn't get him on his main felonies but they got him on his tax evasion. It is very difficult to combat the desire of the majority to eat meat. Where we can succeed more easily is to insist on abidance with the mitzvah of not being cruel to animals.
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3. Major Talk By Noted Environmental Author and Researcher Stresses That Reducing Meat Consumption Can Avert Climate Catastrophe
The link below is to a talk by Robert Goodland, co-author of the November/December 2009 World Watch magazine cover article “Livestock and Climate Change.” This is a very important talk! Please help spread this message. Thanks.
http://awellfedworld.org/sites/awellfedworld.org/files/pdf/GoodlandChinaSpeech2011.pdf
It's been covered by one Chinese journalist, then picked up and run by other Chinese outlets. The original coverage, translated into English, is at
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-CN&u=http://www.caijing.com.cn/2011-03-29/110678509.html&ei=ZWuSTcT2Auux0QGgj6nNBw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CD8Q7gEwAw&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522robert%2Bgoodland%2522%26hl%3Den%26tbo%3D1%26tbs%3Dqdr:d%26prmd%3Divnslo.
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4. JVNA Website As a Valuable Tool
As the message below indicates, our JVNA website is a very valuable tool for Jewish vegetarian outreach. So please let others know about it (www.JewishVeg.com">www.jewishVeg.com), and about my 140 articles and 25 podcasts of my talks and interviews and the complete text of my book Judaism and Vegetarianism all and more at www.JewishVeg.com/Schwartz.
Many thanks.
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Forwarded message:
Hello.
My name is Lior Zyser and I’m the Israeli Shlicha for the Jewish Federation of Peoria, IL. I wanted to thank you for being a great resource for everything that has to do with vegetarianism, going green, the environment and Judaism.
This coming Shabbat [March 26] I’m giving a Dvar Torah in a traditional synagogue about Parashat Shemini- that describes which animals are Kosher to eat in Judaism and I was having a really hard time writing something about it since I’m a vegetarian myself. A friend told me about your
organization and so I went on your web-site and found a lot of useful information for my sermon. Your site taught me a lot of new things and Jewish reasons for why vegetarian, and I enjoyed looking through it and quoting from it.
So thank you very much!
תודה רבה
:)
Lior Zyser
Israeli Shlicha
Jewish Federation of Peoria
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5. Letters Sent to the Jerusalem Post in Response to My Op-ED Article on Parshat Tzav
My op-ed article is at:
http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/Judaism/Article.aspx?id=212400
The article only appeared on their website, but not in their print edition.
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Richard Schwartz's excellent article on the differences between eating meat when meat---and the animals they came from--were hallowed in the days of the Temple, and today when kosher meat comes largely from factory farmed animals and the animal dies a most -unhallowed death in an industrial facility where perhaps as many as 2,000 head of cattle a day are slaughtered, should make every Jew who respects historic kashrut realize that we violate it daily. There was a time when Jews were cognizant of the ethics of food---now only appetite reigns.
Roberta Kalechosky, Ph.D., author of The Vegetarian Shabbat
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Kudos to Dr. Schwartz on a compelling drash on Parshat Tzav, leading us to better understanding, higher spirituality, and a more compassionate and sustainable world. However, where Dr. Schwartz suggests "Avoid[ing] animal products that involve especially serious violations of tsa'ar ba'alei chaim", I wonder why we wouldn't want to avoid ALL products that violate this and other forms of Jewish justice. If not now, when?
Dan Brook, Ph.D.
The Vegetarian Mitzvah: www.brook.com/jveg
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6. Great Short Video Shows the Major Impact of Animal-Based Agriculture on Climate Change
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGAKXYibgBk
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7. Important New Book on Animal Advocacy
Forwarded message from Wayne Pacelle, President & CEO, Humane Society of the United States:
A New Era in Animal Advocacy
Dear Richard,
I’ve put my 25 years of work, experience and hopes into my first book, The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them, due out for release April 5 by William Morrow. I hope this will be the dawn of a new era in our movement to protect animals, and I'm excited to personally share with you why I chose to write this book.
Please watch this latest video in which I speak about writing The Bond, and then read some of the early feedback it has received. If you wish, you can also preorder a copy of The Bond from your favorite bookstore or online retailer.
Sincerely,
Wayne Pacelle, President & CEO, Humane Society of the United States
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8. VegFund a Valuable Support Group for Vegan Events
Forwarded message from JVNA advisor, educator, and author Dan Brook:
I've done a few events sponsored by VegFund and it's always a great experience serving vegan food and drink, surprising people with generosity and good taste, educating them about health, compassion, and sustainability, and shifting some of them to a veg*n diet and lifestyle. I applied to VegFund, got approved, bought the food and drink, went to the location, set up, and served vegan food and literature, and then VegFund promptly reimbursed me after I sent them my report, photos, and receipts. I highly recommend it! Peace, Dan
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9. Tips for Tabling at Large Events, From VegFund
Hello [Spring &] Summer, Hello Festivals!
Tips for Successfully Tabling at Large Events
By: Zia Terhune, VegFund Co-Founder
www.VegFund.org
Summer is festival season, and I can’t think of a better opportunity to get out from behind our computers and make a difference! I’ve participated in more than 20 large, multi-day festivals and have found that, with good planning, you can reach thousands of people with little more effort than you would for a much smaller event. By simply following the steps below, you’ll be on your way to a great vegan outreach experience!
1) Select an appropriate target audience. Choose a festival that has people who will be open to your message. For example, Frontier Days might have a ton of meat-eaters, but the Westside Arts Fest will have a greater number of future vegans. Use the VegFund Event Calendar to find a local fesival.
2) Plan ahead! Start planning 2-3 months in advance and have a checklist. The checklist on the VegFund website is a great place to start. Don't forget to research your local permitting requirements.
3) Create a simple menu. Sample out no more than three items. Focus on quality, not quantity. Usually two food items and one beverage (soy/nut milk) works best. At least one item should be a vegan meat alternative. Check out VegFund’s food sampling page for more sample suggestions and tips.
4) Test it out. Test and triple test the products you will serve. If making food samples yourself, use a kitchen that is clean and free from pet hair. Be sure to print out recipes to give to those who love your samples (usually 100 is a good number of copies).
5) Purchase a banner. Consider purchasing a colorful banner. Banners usually cost around $50, which is well worth the price if you plan on doing multiple tabling events. The banner will attract more passersby and you’ll be able to use it again and again.
6) Volunteers. Be kind to your volunteers. Ideally, shifts should be three hours. Be sure to thank everyone afterward.
7) Don’t be shy! Instead of waiting for people to approach your table or take your literature, appoint volunteers to get out from behind the table with leaflets and trays of samples.
8) Follow-up. Ask people to sign a VegPledge, invite them to a vegan potluck, collect email addresses and follow-up, or add them to a monthly AR newsletter. If you have other creative ideas for follow-up, please contact us.
9) You don’t have to serve everyone. Judging the number of food samples you’ll need can be challenging. But, keep in mind that it’s okay to run out of food…just make sure you always have more literature than food samples.
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10. NY Times’ Mark Bittman’s Food Manifesto
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/h/4405-new-york-times-bit-champions-animal-rights-emotionalism
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11. Ten Studies on the Impact of Animal Agriculture on Climate Change
http://www.greenmuze.com/nurture/meat/910-ten-studies-on-meat-a-global-warming-.html
This is included to show how the message about connections between animal-based diets and climate change is spreading. But some of the articles may be out of date. A more recent analysis “Livestock and Climate Change” in the November/December issue of World Watch magazine argues that at least 51% of all human-induced greenhouse gases are from the world’s livestock sector.
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12. Posting Comments At the End of Online Articles Can Help Spread Vegetarian Messages
Forwarded message from JVNA advisor, educator, and author Dan Brook:
I often post comments with pro-veg messages and links at the bottom of online articles (which I recommend that we all do periodically).
Just today, I received a response telling me to "learn more" about nutrition, livestock farms, etc. I took it as another great opportunity to spread the message of health, compassion, and sustainability and get people thinking in a more positive direction, knowing that I wasn't only responding to the one person who posted, but potentially engaging thousands of other readers. Below is what I posted.
Peace, Dan
= = =
Should I learn more about how meat is laden with saturated fat and cholesterol, which are associated with heart disease, cancer, stroke, obesity, diabetes, Alzheimers, and other major killers? Should I learn more about how families suffer and also how these diseases dramatically decrease our productivity and increase health care costs?
Should I learn that animal products have cholesterol and never any fiber or anti-oxidants, while plant foods never have cholesterol and instead have healthy fiber and protective anti-oxidants?
Should I learn more about how meat is totally unnecessary for health and survival, while we can easily get all the nutrients we need from a plant-based diet and that we'll also be happier, healthier, more peaceful, more compassionate, and environmentally sustainable?
Should I learn more about the cruelty of raising animals for food and how those animals are killed when they're quite young, often as babies? Should I learn more about chickens being killed at only 6 weeks of age?
Should I learn more about debeaking, tail docking, branding, castrations, rape racks, etc., all without anesthesia?
Should I learn more about how the livestock industry is the #1 contributor to global warming, how it degrades the land, fouls the water, and pollutes the air?
Should I learn more about the role of animals raised for meat and the spread of diseases, such as E. coli, SARS, swine flu, bird flu, and other public health threats?
Should I learn more about the devastating role of meat in Amazon deforestation and species extinction?
Should I learn more about how millions and millions of people are vegetarian and vegan, living healthy and compassionate lifestyles?
Should I learn more about famous vegetarians, such as Socrates and Plato, Pythagoras, Isaac Newton, John Milton, Benjamin Franklin, Johnny Appleseed, St. Francis of Assisi, Leonardo da Vinci, Leo Tolstoy, Susan B. Anthony, Mohandas Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Cesar Chavez, Dalai Lama, Alice Walker, Benjamin Spock, Gloria Steinem, John Rawls, Carl Sagan, Jane Goodall, Carl Lewis, Paul McCartney, and many others?
Learn more at
Eco-Eating at http://www.brook.com/veg
www.factoryfarming.org
www.goveg.com
www.serv-online.org
www.brook.com/food
and many other sites and sources
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13. Chart Indicates Nutritional Benefits of Plant Products
This chart is awesome! Everyone can use it. Please pass it on to others.
Do share this Chart with everyone
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14. Update On Veggie Pride Parade (Scheduled for May 15, 2011 in NY City)
Forwarded message from parade organizer Pamela Rice:
You can always send people to this Web site
http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/volunteering.htm
People do not have to come to the meeting. They can contact me any time.
info@vivavegie.org or 212-242-0011
There are other meetings scheduled, per open Google calendar page:
http://tinyurl.com/45fypv3
Thank you very much !!
Pamela R.
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On Mar 23, 2011, at 1:36 PM, Pamela Rice wrote:
WHAT: Meeting, volunteering for VEGGIE PRIDE PARADE 2011
Contact Pamela for latest times and places:
We'll eat, then get to work divvying up the responsibilities:
If you already know what you want to do (see following list) contact Pamela Rice to sign up (and avoid the meeting)
info@vivavegie.org or 212-242-0011
WHAT YOU CAN DO BEFORE PARADE DAY
* Publicize parade to your social network (Facebook, Twitter, Meetup, Yahoo, Google, etc., etc.) We'll give you text copy to use. (Everyone can do this.)
* Help our publicity expert by posting parade info to media sites (we'll show you how to do this)
* Arrange for a food donations (vegan only, of course).
* Engage in outreach to the local vegan community. Collect menus for expo menu table; post poster; inform vegan businesses of parade.
* Make phone calls to potential prize donors to costume contest
* Help with "invite" mailing to about 75 public officials prior to parade
* Network with the Meetup groups.
* Contact pro-veg nonprofit groups to ask them to donate veg literature (NAVS, PeTA, PCRM, Mercy for Animals, etc.).
* Stuff bags full of donated pro-vegan literature.
* Notify APs Day Book.
* Distribute promo post cards (we'll have 7,000 cards by April 2).
* Engage and nurture potential funding sources
WHAT YOU CAN DO ON PARADE DAY
MORNING
In the morning 9:30 a.m. at Union Square Park area
* Help carting boxes from our office on Union Square West to expo site (north end of Union Square Park)
* Label exhibit tables in morning prior to parade; lay down kraft-paper on tables.
* Be a personal assistant to organizer Pamela Rice.
LINEUP/PARADE
At line-up and during parade (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
* Manage the sign boards: pass them out, make sure we get them back.
* Assist photographers on ladders (we'll have three).
* Megaphone management: pass them out at parade line-up, and make sure you get them all back afterwards.
* Leaflet during the parade.
* Twitter during parade to official parade Twitter site.
AT POST-PARADE EXPO IN PARK
After parade at the expo in the north end of Union Square Park begins (about 1 p.m.)
* Banner management. Banners need to be properly hoisted on stages, then properly cared for and accounted for after parade.
* Man a Flip (video camera) with tripod; we'll have four pointed at stages and exhibitor tables.
* Be a personal assistant to expo manager Alan Rice.
* Menu table management & oversight. Keep menus neat and tidy throughout the day at the post parade rally & expo. They get picked over awfully fast.
* Assist sound technician and dj throughout the day.
* Oversee exhibitor tables: make sure exhibitors are abiding by all Parks Dept. rules and guidelines.
* Distribute food (food donations) to hungry crowds at post-parade expo.
* Pass out flyers and programs during the post-parade expo.
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15. Reform Rabbis Address “Ethical Eating”
Thanks to JVNA advisor, author, lecturer, editor, and publisher Roberta Kalechofsky for forwarding the article below to us:
Reform Rabbis Put Forth Options for Ethical Eating
"The Sacred Table," Book Featuring Jewish Voices on Food Trends, Launches at Gathering of Reform Rabbis, World's Largest Group of Jewish Clergy
NEW ORLEANS, LA--(Marketwire - March 30, 2011) -
Highlighted Links
http://ccarnet.org/
The world's Reform rabbis, the largest group of Jewish clergy, have put forth options and models for ethical eating and approaches to food in the 21st Century.
In publishing "The Sacred Table: Creating a Jewish Food Ethic" (CCAR Press, March 2011), the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), the professional organization of nearly 2,000 Reform rabbis, offers how-to's for creating a meaningful Jewish food ethic and putting it into practice.
Themes include concern for oppressed agricultural and food workers; kindness to animals; guarding one's health, including food allergies and eating disorders; the spirituality of eating and fasting; caring for the hungry; environmental ethics; the local food ethos; perspectives on kosher (Kashrut); scarcity and sustainability; and food preparation as a Holy act.
"At a time when food and issues of eating and sustainability are on our minds and in the news, "The Sacred Table" offers up groundbreaking Jewish perspectives. It enables us to engage with Jewish values regarding food and eating, and apply those values to contemporary concerns," said Rabbi Mary L. Zamore, the editor of "Sacred Table."
"The Sacred Table," comprised of a series of essays by a range of thinkers, was introduced here at the 122nd Annual Convention of the CCAR at an evening event devoted to sustainability topics. (The overall theme of the Convention is a New Vision for Reform Judaism.)
"The book doesn't take a position on any one approach to food. Rather, it offers models and options, and underscores questions to ask about ethical eating," said Rabbi Zamore.
Rabbi Mary L. Zamore (editor of "The Sacred Table") is the associate rabbi of Temple B'nai Or in Morristown, New Jersey. She writes frequently on a range of topics, including food and food ethics. To learn more about "The Sacred Table," visit www.ccarpress.org.
Contact:
Itay Engelman
Sommerfield Communications, Inc.
itay@sommerfield.com
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16. Journal of Animal Ethics Launched
NEWS RELEASE
IMMEDIATE: 2 April 2011
Launch of ground-breaking Journal of Animal Ethics
A ground-breaking new journal covering the issue of animal ethics has been launched by a US and UK academic partnership with the goal of widening international debate about the moral status of animals. This month, the University of Illinois Press will publish the pioneering new Journal of Animal Ethics (JAE), the result of years of collaboration between the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics and the University Press.
The Journal of Animal Ethics, which is to be published bi-annually in the summer and winter, is jointly edited by the internationally known theologian the Reverend Professor Andrew Linzey, Director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, and Professor Priscilla Cohn, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Penn State University and Associate Director of the Centre. The JAE is the first academic journal in the world to include the phrase “animal ethics” in its title.
“For far too long, academics have been slow to contribute to the burgeoning public debate about animal ethics. This is an opportunity for them to make their contribution to a multidisciplinary journal that aims to put animal ethics on the academic map” said Professor Andrew Linzey. “We want to ensure that animals receive the academic attention they deserve.”
The Journal comprises: full-length scholarly articles, “argument” pieces in which authors will advance a particular perspective (usually related to current affairs) or respond to a previous article, review or research report, as well as review articles and book reviews.
The JAE is devoted to the exploration of progressive thought about animals and is multidisciplinary in nature and international in scope. It covers theoretical and applied aspects of animal ethics that will be of interest to academics from both the humanities and the sciences, as well as professionals working in the field of animal protection. It aims to publish ground-breaking work written by new and established academics from a wide range of disciplines including anthropology, ethics, history, law, literature, linguistics, political theory, religion and science.
In the first issue of the JAE: David M. Lavigne and William S. Lynn address Canada’s commercial seal hunt; Joel Marks writes on how animal suffering is unrecognized in research; Andrew Fenton and Frederic Gilbert question the use of animals in spinal cord research; Judith Benz-Schwarzburg and Andrew Knight examine the cognitive abilities of animals and asks how long they can be denied similar rights to humans; Grace Clement asks whether animals can be classed as “pets or meat”? Barbro Froding, Martin Peterson, and Mark J. Rowlands debate whether animal ethics should be based on friendship, and Jan Deckers and Jay B. McDaniel debate whether Whiteheadians should be vegetarians.
To subscribe to the Journal, please visit the Journal’s website at http://www.press.uillinois.edu/journals/jane.html. Contributions to the Journal are welcomed and submission guidelines can be found on the JAE’s website.
For more press information please contact Sam Calvert, Samantha Calvert Marketing & PR, sam@samcalvert.plus.com / +44 (0)1782 505430 / +44 (0)7967 042050 or Jeff McArdle, Associate Journals Manager at the University of Illinois Press, jmcardle@uillinois.edu on + 1 -217-244-0381.
Notes to editors
· The Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, founded in 2006 by its director Professor Andrew Linzey, is an independent Centre with the aim of pioneering ethical perspectives on animals through academic research, teaching and publication. The Centre has more than 50 Fellows drawn from a variety of academic disciplines from throughout the world. For more information about the Centre and its Fellows please see its website at www.oxfordanimalethics.com.
· The Revd Professor Andrew Linzey is a Member of the Faculty of Theology, University of Oxford. He has written or edited 20 books, including Animal Theology (SCM Press/University of Illinois Press, 1994) and Creatures of the Same God (Winchester University Press, 2007), and Why Animal Suffering Matters (Oxford University Press, 2009).
· Professor Priscilla N. Cohn is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Abington College, Penn State University. She has taught courses on animal ethics for 35 years, and lectured on five continents. Her books include Contraception in Wildlife, Book 1 (Edwin Mellen Press, 1996) and Ethics and Wildlife (Edwin Mellen Press, 1999).
· The Centre is dedicated to the memory of the celebrated Catalan philosopher José Ferrater Mora. His prodigious scholarship is widely acclaimed, and the Centre honours his name because of his outstanding contribution to humanitarian thought, particularly in the area of animal ethics.
· Founded in 1918, the University of Illinois Press ranks as one of the USA’s larger and most distinguished university presses. It publishes works of high quality for scholars, students, and the citizens of the state and beyond. More information about the University of Illinois Press and the JAE can be found here: http://www.press.uillinois.edu/journals/jane.html. The JAE’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Journal-of-Animal-Ethics/150427961683536?v=info&sk=info#info_edit_sections.
The Revd Professor Andrew Linzey, PhD, DD
Director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics,
Honorary Research Fellow, St Stephen's House, Oxford,
Member of the Faculty of Theology, University of Oxford,
and Honorary Professor, University of Winchester.
director@oxfordanimalethics.com
Centre's website: www.oxfordanimalethics.com
Journal for Animal Ethics: http://www.press.uillinois.edu/journals/jane.html
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17. Israeli Sephardic Rabbis Oppose Foie Gras
Forwarded message:
Shalom Richard,
How are you? I just wanted to let you know that this week's Yom leyom - which is Shas' official newspaper - has a big piece dedicated to the halachic prohibition to eat foie gras, by none other than Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Turns out that Chief Sephardi Rabbi Shlomo Amar also ruled similarly. They said that even thought the tubes are shorter now and cause less internal damage, due to tza'ar ba'alei chayim, Jews shouldn't consume it...
Shabbat shalom and all the best,
Jonah
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April 5, 2011
03/16/2011 JVNA Online Newsletter
Shalom everyone,
This update/Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) Online Newsletter has the following items:
1. Happy Purim
2. My Article To Be in Friday’s Jerusalem Post/Please Send Letters to the Editor at Letters@JPost.com
3. My Essay on Judaism and Veganism in a Newly-Published Book
4. NY Times Op-Ed on Animal Abuses Compares Treatment of Pets to Treatment of Farmed Animals
5. Articles Relate Animal-Based Diets to Climate Change
6. Very Comprehensive Article On Judaism and Vegetarianism Published by Israeli Rabbi
7. Some upcoming Events at the Israeli Jewish Vegetarian Society Headquarters
8. Excellent PDF on Veganism Produced
9. Action Alert: Please Protest Against Efforts to Inhibit Efforts to Spotlight Factory Farming Abuses
10. 'American Greed’ Episode to Feature Sholom Rubashkin
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. Happy Purim
Purim begins this year immediately after the upcoming Shabbat. I wish everyone a very joyous and meaningful Purim. For my article, “Purim and Vegetarianism,” please visit the holidays section at JewishVeg.com/schwartz/. And please feel free to use the points in the article to promote vegetarianism. One conversation starter is to mention that the heroine of the Purim Queen Esther was a vegetarian while she lived in the palace of King Ahashveros. This enabled her to keep her Jewish identity secret while also avoiding eating non-kosher meat.
The sources are Targum Esther 2:7; and Midrash Panim
Aherim 63 and 64 ( the Talmud , Megilla 13a, also mentions that Esther only ate permitted food, and one could deduce that that would necessitate a vegetarian diet.)
Thanks to former Chief Rabbi of Ireland and JVNA advisor Rabbi David Rosen for these sources.
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=========================
2. My Article To Be in Friday’s Jerusalem Post/Please Send Letters to the Editor at Letters@JPost.com
http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/Judaism/Article.aspx?id=212400
Return to Top
=========================
3. My Essay on Judaism and Veganism in a Newly-Published Book
Message I received from a co-author of the book:
To the Amazing Contributors of Call to Compassion!
Thank you so much again for being part of this outstanding, powerful, and one of a kind book that will surely be used in courses in religion, theology, critical animal studies, sociology, philosophy, anthropology, and beyond. [The book has essays relating various religions and spiritual paths to veganism.]
The book is very beautiful and I will be developing a website and youtube for it shortly.
There will be a book release party at the North American ICAS Conference at Brock University April 2, 2011.
Please help promote the book at your schools, community centers, libraries, and bookstores. If you can promote it also on your websites, facebooks, and linkedin that would be very helpful. Please help hype up the book every way you can think of.
Here is the book page on Lantern books: http://www.lanternbooks.com/detail.html?session=&id=9781590561829 please send this around to friends and family.
With care!
Anthony Nocella
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=========================
4. NY Times Op-Ed on Animal Abuses Compares Treatment of Pets to Treatment of Farmed Animals
Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/some-animals-are-more-equal-than-others/?ref=opinion
------------------------------------------------------
My letter to the NY tTmes in response:
March 16, 2011
Editor, NY Times
Letters@NYTimes.com
Sir:
Kudos to Mark Bittman for his March 16 article, “Some Animas Are More Equal Than Others,” in which he points out the sharp discrepancies between people’s treatment of pets and the treatment of almost ten billion animals raised for slaughter on factory farms. What makes the severe mistreatment of farmed animals even more shameful is that their consumption is causing an epidemic of heart disease, cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases and the raising of these animals contributes to climate change, deforestation, soil erosion and depletion, water pollution, rapid loss of biodiversity, and other environmental problems and is very wasteful of water, energy, land, and other scarce resources.
Return to Top
=========================
5. Articles Relate Animal-Based Diets to Climate Change
http://www.examiner.com/green-business-in-seattle/un-says-global-warming-could-be-halved-with-focus-on-shorter-lived-greenhouse-ga
http://www.examiner.com/green-business-in-seattle/is-meat-killing-the-planet-un-says-diet-change-will-slow-climate-change
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=========================
6. Very Comprehensive Article On Judaism and Vegetarianism Published by Israeli Rabbi
There is a very important, comprehensive, scholarly new article by Rabbi Simchah Roth, titled: And you shall be holy people unto Me [Exodus 22:30] - Why an observant Jew should follow a plant-based (vegan) diet.
You can find the article here: http://www.bmv.org.il/v/vegan.html
A Hebrew version can be found here: http://www.bmv.org.il/v/h-vegan.html
Please share this article with friends!
Return to Top
=========================
7. Some upcoming Events at the Israeli Jewish Vegetarian Society Headquarters
Part of a message from the Ginger Society director Yossi Wolfson
Sunday March 20th
Purim / Meatout events
February 20th is both Purim and World Meatout – a day dedicated to veggie education. We will celebrate both together.
1:00 pm baking session in Ginger [8 Balfour Street, Jerusalem]
5:00 pm a tasty educational activity in the city center: we will distribute vegan hamantashen and literature.
8:00 pm Purim party at Ginger!
Feel free to come in costume.
Admission to the party: 25 NIS or individual donation.
Ginger - the Vegetarian Community Center
8 Balfour Street, Jerusalem; telephone: 02-5665737
www.ginger.org.il
Lecturers and facilitators in events at Ginger, are solely responsible to the information they present and to the opinions they express. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of Ginger. Information presented has not necessarily been veified by Ginger. Ginger publishes initiatives that may interest community members or promote plant-based diets. Ginger also participates and co-organizes such initiatives. This should not be construed as endorsement of any opinion, data or practice involved in these initiatives.
Return to Top
=========================
8. Excellent PDF on Veganism Produced
Forwarded message:
Dear Richard,
I attach the PDF file, and yes, I just made a blog with the full text.
Here: veganlifenow.blogspot.com
Also in spanish: vidaveganahoy.blogspot.com
Hope you like it! [I skimmed the PDF, and it looks very comprehensive and very valuable. It covers a wide variety of vegan-related topics.]
Best regards,
Rafael.
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=========================
9. Action Alert: Please Protest Against Efforts to Inhibit Efforts to Spotlight Factory Farming Abuses
Thanks to JVNA advisor and award-winning film maker Lionel Friedberg for forwarding this message to us:
Please take a look at this archaic and draconian proposal and publicize it
as widely as possible:
http://floridaindependent.com/23574/jim-norman-bill-would-make-farm-photography-a-first-degree-felony-animal-rights-groups-outraged
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=========================
10. 'American Greed’ Episode to Feature Sholom Rubashkin
March 8, 2011
(JTA) -- Jailed former Agriprocessors official Sholom Rubashkin will be featured on an episode of the CNBC series "American Greed."
The March 23 episode of the cable TV network series will tell the story of the failed kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, according to the Gazette of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The episode is being billed with the tagline “The head of a kosher slaughterhouse uses unorthodox methods to make money.”
Rubashkin, 51, is serving a 27-year prison sentence and was ordered to pay $26 million in restitution after being convicted in November 2009 on 86 counts of financial wrongdoing. He was the highest level executive of the plant to be prosecuted following a May 2008 immigration raid that led to the arrest of nearly 400 illegal workers, most of whom were deported.
The plant went bankrupt in late 2008 and has since reopened under new ownership as Agri Star Meat and Poultry.
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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. Happy Purim
2. My Article To Be in Friday’s Jerusalem Post/Please Send Letters to the Editor at Letters@JPost.com
3. My Essay on Judaism and Veganism in a Newly-Published Book
4. NY Times Op-Ed on Animal Abuses Compares Treatment of Pets to Treatment of Farmed Animals
5. Articles Relate Animal-Based Diets to Climate Change
6. Very Comprehensive Article On Judaism and Vegetarianism Published by Israeli Rabbi
7. Some upcoming Events at the Israeli Jewish Vegetarian Society Headquarters
8. Excellent PDF on Veganism Produced
9. Action Alert: Please Protest Against Efforts to Inhibit Efforts to Spotlight Factory Farming Abuses
10. 'American Greed’ Episode to Feature Sholom Rubashkin
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
=========================
1. Happy Purim
Purim begins this year immediately after the upcoming Shabbat. I wish everyone a very joyous and meaningful Purim. For my article, “Purim and Vegetarianism,” please visit the holidays section at JewishVeg.com/schwartz/. And please feel free to use the points in the article to promote vegetarianism. One conversation starter is to mention that the heroine of the Purim Queen Esther was a vegetarian while she lived in the palace of King Ahashveros. This enabled her to keep her Jewish identity secret while also avoiding eating non-kosher meat.
The sources are Targum Esther 2:7; and Midrash Panim
Aherim 63 and 64 ( the Talmud , Megilla 13a, also mentions that Esther only ate permitted food, and one could deduce that that would necessitate a vegetarian diet.)
Thanks to former Chief Rabbi of Ireland and JVNA advisor Rabbi David Rosen for these sources.
Return to Top
=========================
2. My Article To Be in Friday’s Jerusalem Post/Please Send Letters to the Editor at Letters@JPost.com
http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/Judaism/Article.aspx?id=212400
Return to Top
=========================
3. My Essay on Judaism and Veganism in a Newly-Published Book
Message I received from a co-author of the book:
To the Amazing Contributors of Call to Compassion!
Thank you so much again for being part of this outstanding, powerful, and one of a kind book that will surely be used in courses in religion, theology, critical animal studies, sociology, philosophy, anthropology, and beyond. [The book has essays relating various religions and spiritual paths to veganism.]
The book is very beautiful and I will be developing a website and youtube for it shortly.
There will be a book release party at the North American ICAS Conference at Brock University April 2, 2011.
Please help promote the book at your schools, community centers, libraries, and bookstores. If you can promote it also on your websites, facebooks, and linkedin that would be very helpful. Please help hype up the book every way you can think of.
Here is the book page on Lantern books: http://www.lanternbooks.com/detail.html?session=&id=9781590561829 please send this around to friends and family.
With care!
Anthony Nocella
Return to Top
=========================
4. NY Times Op-Ed on Animal Abuses Compares Treatment of Pets to Treatment of Farmed Animals
Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/some-animals-are-more-equal-than-others/?ref=opinion
------------------------------------------------------
My letter to the NY tTmes in response:
March 16, 2011
Editor, NY Times
Letters@NYTimes.com
Sir:
Kudos to Mark Bittman for his March 16 article, “Some Animas Are More Equal Than Others,” in which he points out the sharp discrepancies between people’s treatment of pets and the treatment of almost ten billion animals raised for slaughter on factory farms. What makes the severe mistreatment of farmed animals even more shameful is that their consumption is causing an epidemic of heart disease, cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases and the raising of these animals contributes to climate change, deforestation, soil erosion and depletion, water pollution, rapid loss of biodiversity, and other environmental problems and is very wasteful of water, energy, land, and other scarce resources.
Return to Top
=========================
5. Articles Relate Animal-Based Diets to Climate Change
http://www.examiner.com/green-business-in-seattle/un-says-global-warming-could-be-halved-with-focus-on-shorter-lived-greenhouse-ga
http://www.examiner.com/green-business-in-seattle/is-meat-killing-the-planet-un-says-diet-change-will-slow-climate-change
Return to Top
=========================
6. Very Comprehensive Article On Judaism and Vegetarianism Published by Israeli Rabbi
There is a very important, comprehensive, scholarly new article by Rabbi Simchah Roth, titled: And you shall be holy people unto Me [Exodus 22:30] - Why an observant Jew should follow a plant-based (vegan) diet.
You can find the article here: http://www.bmv.org.il/v/vegan.html
A Hebrew version can be found here: http://www.bmv.org.il/v/h-vegan.html
Please share this article with friends!
Return to Top
=========================
7. Some upcoming Events at the Israeli Jewish Vegetarian Society Headquarters
Part of a message from the Ginger Society director Yossi Wolfson
Sunday March 20th
Purim / Meatout events
February 20th is both Purim and World Meatout – a day dedicated to veggie education. We will celebrate both together.
1:00 pm baking session in Ginger [8 Balfour Street, Jerusalem]
5:00 pm a tasty educational activity in the city center: we will distribute vegan hamantashen and literature.
8:00 pm Purim party at Ginger!
Feel free to come in costume.
Admission to the party: 25 NIS or individual donation.
Ginger - the Vegetarian Community Center
8 Balfour Street, Jerusalem; telephone: 02-5665737
www.ginger.org.il
Lecturers and facilitators in events at Ginger, are solely responsible to the information they present and to the opinions they express. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of Ginger. Information presented has not necessarily been veified by Ginger. Ginger publishes initiatives that may interest community members or promote plant-based diets. Ginger also participates and co-organizes such initiatives. This should not be construed as endorsement of any opinion, data or practice involved in these initiatives.
Return to Top
=========================
8. Excellent PDF on Veganism Produced
Forwarded message:
Dear Richard,
I attach the PDF file, and yes, I just made a blog with the full text.
Here: veganlifenow.blogspot.com
Also in spanish: vidaveganahoy.blogspot.com
Hope you like it! [I skimmed the PDF, and it looks very comprehensive and very valuable. It covers a wide variety of vegan-related topics.]
Best regards,
Rafael.
Return to Top
=========================
9. Action Alert: Please Protest Against Efforts to Inhibit Efforts to Spotlight Factory Farming Abuses
Thanks to JVNA advisor and award-winning film maker Lionel Friedberg for forwarding this message to us:
Please take a look at this archaic and draconian proposal and publicize it
as widely as possible:
http://floridaindependent.com/23574/jim-norman-bill-would-make-farm-photography-a-first-degree-felony-animal-rights-groups-outraged
Return to Top
=========================
10. 'American Greed’ Episode to Feature Sholom Rubashkin
March 8, 2011
(JTA) -- Jailed former Agriprocessors official Sholom Rubashkin will be featured on an episode of the CNBC series "American Greed."
The March 23 episode of the cable TV network series will tell the story of the failed kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, according to the Gazette of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The episode is being billed with the tagline “The head of a kosher slaughterhouse uses unorthodox methods to make money.”
Rubashkin, 51, is serving a 27-year prison sentence and was ordered to pay $26 million in restitution after being convicted in November 2009 on 86 counts of financial wrongdoing. He was the highest level executive of the plant to be prosecuted following a May 2008 immigration raid that led to the arrest of nearly 400 illegal workers, most of whom were deported.
The plant went bankrupt in late 2008 and has since reopened under new ownership as Agri Star Meat and Poultry.
Return to Top
=========================
** 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.
03/09/2011 JVNA Online Newsletter
Shalom everyone,
This update/Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) Online Newsletter has the following items:
1. Getting Dietary Connections to Climate Change on Society’s Agenda
2. I am now involved with Linkedin/Connections and Suggestions welcome
3. Update on the Veggie Pride Parade
4. JVNA Advisor Dan Brook’s Article on Preventing Heart Disease Through Diet
5. Video of JVNA Advisor Rabbi Adam Frank Discussing Jewish Teachings on Animals
6. JVNA Advisor Rabbi Yonassan Gershom’s Blog on Judaism and Ecological Stewardship
7. Trailer for Gala Event Hosted by Lionel Friedberg in Cancun, Mexico on Responding to Climate Change
8. Anyone Interested in Creating a Jewish Vegetarian App?
9. Announcements from Vegan Group “Wings of Wellness”
10. Paul McCartney Video on Mistreatment of Animals
11. Producers of Feature Documentary on Milk Hazards Seeking Support
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
=========================
1. Getting Dietary Connections to Climate Change on Society’s Agenda
I am planning a major article and other steps to increase awareness of the very significant connections between animal-based agriculture and climate change, Suggestions very welcome. Thanks.
Below is a link to an article that indicates that climate change is happening faster than recent worst-case scenarios.
NASA Says Ice On Both Poles Is Melting Faster Than Earlier Expected
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/8414784-nasa-says-the-poles-are-crumbling-faster-than-expected
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=========================
2. I am now involved with Linkedin/Connections and Suggestions welcome
If you are also involved, please feel free to connect with me.
Also, if you have any suggestions as to how use Linkedin to help spread our vegetarian messages, please let me know.
If you have suggestions about using Facebook, Twitter, or other modern technological approaches to spread vegetarian messages, or any other suggestions, please also let me know. Thanks.
You may reach me at President@JewishVeg.com.
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=========================
3. Update on the Veggie Pride Parade
I am presently scheduled to attend and to speak. JVNA will have a table. If you would like to volunteer to help at the table and/or by distributing JVA literature and DVDs or in any other way, please let me know. Thanks.
Forwarded message from the Veggie Pride Coordinator Pamela Rice:
May 15, 2011: Veggie Pride Pride Parade NYC 2011 Veggie Pride Pride Parade NYC 2011 [Sunday, May 15, 2011]
Mark your calendar, take part, support, & spread the word.
Visit and bookmark the HOME PAGE: http://www.veggieprideparade.org From the home page, find links for everything:
=> official press release
=> downloadable poster
=> exhibitor list
=> speaker/performer list
=> volunteering info
=> videos/images pages
=> media links
=> blog
=> bulletin board
=> maps
=> e-mailing-list sign-up page
=> sponsorship/donation info
=> costume-contest prize-donation page
=> goals & why-we-march pages
Become a SPONSOR and see your name or company name on the parade's home page: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/sponsors.htm
VOLUNTEER.
Go to the comprehensive list of things you can do: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/volunteering.htm
DONATE a PRIZE for the costume contest, and use this exposure for your vegan business: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/contests.htm
Make a DONATION: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/donations.htm
JOIN the email list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vivavegie/
Frequent F.A.Q.s:
Exhibit space? The NYC Veggie Pride Parade is a non-commercial, First Amendment event. Exhibit space is granted by invitation only, not for payment. If you want to know if you are an invited exhibitor, go to: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/exhibitors.htm
Where/when is the line-up/start point? Go to http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/maps.htm for maps.
Where can I advertise? The 2011 parade will not have an ad booklet as in years past. (There will be a program, however.) Consider advertising in the veg-advocacy pamphlet 101 Reasons Why I'm a Vegetarian. Your sponsorship box supports the organization that sponsors the parade (VivaVegie Society). For more information, go to: http://www.vivavegie.org/vv101/ccorders/11-101.sponsbox.htm
DONATE a PRIZE for the costume contest, and use this exposure for your vegan business: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/contests.htm
Make a DONATION: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/donations.htm
JOIN the email list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vivavegie/
Frequent F.A.Q.s:
Exhibit space? The NYC Veggie Pride Parade is a non-commercial, First Amendment event. Exhibit space is granted by invitation only, not for payment. If you want to know if you are an invited exhibitor, go to: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/exhibitors.htm
Where/when is the line-up/start point? Go to http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/maps.htm for maps.
Where can I advertise? The 2011 parade will not have an ad booklet as in years past. (There will be a program, however.)
Consider advertising in the veg-advocacy pamphlet 101 Reasons Why I'm a Vegetarian. Your sponsorship box supports the organization that sponsors the parade (VivaVegie Society).
Go to: http://www.vivavegie.org/vv101/ccorders/11-101.sponsbox.htm
Special features at post-parade rally & expo?
=>Michael Klaper & Bruce Friedrich are confirmed speakers,
=>soapbox testimonial station,
=>pay-per-view (booth where members of general public can get a dollar for watching a veggie video),
=>costume contest,
=>fan-fu dance,
=>dj Cloud.
How can I contact the organizers? Call: 212-242-0011. Thank you, one and all,
Pamela Rice organizer, Veggie Pride Parade
-----------------------------------------
RE: Wed., Mar. 9: Big volunteers POW-WOW, VEGGIE PRIDE PARADE RE-POST FREELY & WIDELY ALL INFO, CLICK HERE:
http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/volunteering.htm
Volunteers meeting, VEGGIE PRIDE PARADE Description
WHAT: Big meeting, volunteering for VEGGIE PRIDE PARADE 2011
WHERE: BONOBOS, 18 E 23rd St. New York, NY 10010 DATE: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011 TIME: 6 P.M.
We'll eat, then get to work divvying up the responsibilities: Go to the following link to review a list of important things you can do to help make this parade a great success: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/volunteering.htm
RSVP, Pamela Rice: info@vivavegie.org
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=========================
4. JVNA Advisor Dan Brook’s Article on Preventing Heart Disease Through Diet
Dan Brook, Ph.D., is a writer, speaker, poet, photographer, activist, and instructor of political science and sociology. He maintains Eco-Eating at http://www.brook.com/veg, The Vegetarian Mitzvah at http://www.brook.com/jveg, Food for Thought and Action at http://www.brook.com/food, and No Smoking? at http://www.brook.com/smoke. Dan welcomes questions, comments, contributions, and other communication via brook@brook.com.
Controlling Cholesterol & Beating Heart Disease
By Dan Brook
Vegetarians in Paradise has republished my cholesterol article. Take a look at the article, please share it with others, and also check out the other great items on VIP while you're at it. Peace, Dan
http://www.vegparadise.com/otherbirds.html
Heart disease is the number one killer for both men and women in the U.S. (followed by cancer and stroke). It doesn't have to be that way.
Numerous scientific studies show that reducing your cholesterol, among other activities, is the best way to beat heart disease, cancer, stroke, and other deadly diseases. A major study by Kaiser Permanente and the University of Kuopio (Finland) also concluded in August 2009 that high cholesterol is associated with Alzheimer's Disease. Being such a grave concern, lowering cholesterol and improving heart health has been declared a "national health priority." It also needs to be a personal priority for all of us.
In general, your liver produces all the cholesterol you need, a necessary function for building cell membranes. Consuming cholesterol, however, can create an excess, which often leads to the clogging of arteries, causing heart disease (a blockage in the heart) and stroke (a blockage in the brain). In the U.S. and other western countries, there is, shockingly, widespread evidence of arterial clogging even in teenagers.
They all agree on this diet Many reputable health and science organizations -- including the American Cancer Society, American Dietetic Association, American Heart Association, American Institute for Cancer Research, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, National Cancer Institute, National Heart Foundation, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Union of Concerned Scientists, World Health Organization, and others -- all agree that a diet centered around fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as well as beans, nuts, and seeds, can significantly reduce your incidence of heart disease and heart attacks as well as cancer, stroke, obesity, hypertension, osteoporosis, diabetes, arthritis, endometriosis, Alzheimer's, gout, and other major maladies.
Further, what's best for your heart turns out to be good for your brain -- and also good for the environment! "People tend to think of the brain and the heart as totally separate, but they are not," Rachel A. Whitmer, Ph.D. of Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif., told WebMD. "We are learning that what is good for the heart is also good for the brain -- and that midlife is not too soon to be thinking about risk factors for dementia." It's vital that both our heart spans and our brain spans are as long, healthy, and happy as our maximum life spans.
High-protein, low-carbohydrate fad diets (i.e., Atkins-style diets) may lead to temporary weight loss, but they are often a health disaster. A Northwestern University study reports that increases in the consumption of animal protein is correlated with, over time, increases in a person's weight and a greater risk to a person's health. The evidence is in; these fad diets should be out.
Eating the right foods, and avoiding the wrong ones, is the key to achieving both your appropriate weight and great health. Doing so will help lower your cholesterol and can prevent or reverse heart disease and other major maladies. Take control of your life!
There are many plant foods that are heart-healthy and could be beneficial for lowering your cholesterol, especially these that are high in antioxidants, vitamins, or fiber:
turmeric
fenugreek seeds
cinnamon
lecithin
moderate amounts of red wine
tea and coffee in moderation
That said, some foods are, to paraphrase George Orwell, more equal than others. Various plant food sterols can very effectively block cholesterol and also help reduce LDL (low-density lousy cholesterol), while increasing the body's HDL (high-density healthy cholesterol).
Top ten cholesterol reducers Here are the top ten most effective foods known for lowering cholesterol and beating heart disease. Whenever possible, you should eat them in their unprocessed form and in combination with each other, consuming them regularly, even daily, for your optimum health:
soy products (including miso, soybeans, soy flour, soy milk, soy nuts, tempeh, tofu, and TVP)
colorful fruits and vegetables (ones that are red, orange, yellow green, blue, purple -- eat the rainbow!)
whole grains (including barley, brown rice, corn, oats and oat bran, whole wheat, and the less common amaranth, kamut, millet, quinoa, red rice, rye, spelt, teff, triticale, and others)
beans (including black, chickpea, kidney, lentils, navy, peas, pinto, and, of course, soy)
berries (including blackberries, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, currants, strawberries, and raspberries)
garlic (preferably raw, and others in the allium family, including chives, leeks, onions, scallions, and shallots)
nuts (including almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts)
seeds (including hemp, flax, pumpkin, psyllium, sesame, and sunflower)
olive oil (preferably extra virgin)
tea (especially green, but also black, oolong, and white)
As a special bonus, cocoa could be #11, which is likewise rich in natural phytonutrients, as it is also good for lowering cholesterol. Needless to say, chocolate is also delicious! The higher the cocoa level -- meaning dark chocolate -- and the lower the amount of dairy and sugar, the better for your health.
Cholesterol sinner list Besides eating the right foods, it is similarly important for you to avoid certain things. The seven most deadly sins are:
cholesterol (exclusively found in animal products)
saturated fats (disproportionately found in animals products and other rich foods)
hydrogenated oils or trans fats (often found in prepared processed, fast, and other junk foods, these are unhealthy and unnecessary)
smoking (especially yours, but also of those around you)
stress (which makes everything worse!)
processed foods and refined flour (these foods tend to be empty calories)
unscientific and faddish "miracle" cures (especially when it comes to health, stick with the science!)
In addition to eating healthy foods, and avoiding the "deadly sins," scientific studies indicate that it is beneficial to:
exercise (especially aerobic exercise to strengthen our hearts and bodies)
eat lots of small meals instead of a small number of large ones (for better metabolism)
lose weight (to reduce the pressure on our hearts and bodies)
meditate (to reduce and control stress)
It is important to recognize that the human body produces all the cholesterol it needs. If you consume cholesterol, your body will then likely have an excess amount of it, too often leading to clogged arteries and heart disease. Regardless of genetics and other factors, your diet is usually the biggest factor determining your cholesterol level and health risk -- despite the fact that the pharmaceutical industry spends billions of dollars claiming otherwise.
Indeed, according to the research conducted by Dean Ornish, M.D., 82% of those who switched to a low-fat plant-based diet, along with increasing exercise and engaging in stress management, were able to arrest and even reverse their heart disease.
Statins are not the only answer While cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may reduce cholesterol levels, there is little evidence that they help prevent heart disease, probably because they do not address underlying issues, but rather only the symptoms. Further, as with many other drugs, cholesterol-lowering drugs may, at some later time, be determined to have serious side effects.
In very stark contrast, there is overwhelming long-term, cross-cultural, multi-national evidence that a plant-based diet is not only safe and healthy, but indeed capable of preventing or reversing heart disease as well as preventing other diseases (e.g., cancer, diabetes, gout, and others) and being beneficial for all-around good health and nutrition.
Generally, foods rich in vitamins and fiber are good for reducing your cholesterol; in contrast, foods without significant amounts of vitamins and fiber are unhealthy. Animal products often contain saturated fat and cholesterol, but never fiber or antioxidants. Plant foods often contain fiber and antioxidants, and never cholesterol and typically little or no saturated fat.
Organic fruits, vegetables, and grains tend to have higher nutritional levels than those produced through chemical agriculture, as the chemical pesticides may suppress the plants' innate abilities to properly protect themselves, therefore making organic produce a better choice for you as well as the environment.
Vegetarians have lower cholesterol Numerous scientific studies show that, overall, vegetarians have much lower cholesterol levels than meat-eaters -- and vegans, who eat no animal products at all, even more so -- and a much lower incidence of heart disease and heart attacks, as well as lower rates of various forms of cancer, stroke, hypertension/high blood pressure, diabetes, gout, and other very serious and deadly diseases. It's not too late to take back control of your life and reverse the ill effects of high cholesterol.
We should note that some foods and herbs may interact, either positively or negatively, with some medicines (e.g., antibiotics, antidepressants, anti-clotting/blood thinning medications, birth control pills, cholesterol-lowering drugs, etc.). If you are taking any medicine, herb, or drug, for any reason, be sure to learn about that medicine and with what it may interact. Likewise if you have any disease, medical condition, or are pregnant. In addition to doing your own research, check in with your doctor, pharmacist, and other trained medical professionals.
In a nutshell, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, the ten basic facts to know about cholesterol reduction are:
"Cholesterol is found only in animal products."
"Cholesterol in foods raises the cholesterol level in one's blood."
"There is no 'good cholesterol' in any food."
"There is no fiber in any animal products."
"A diet including fish is not as beneficial as a pure vegetarian diet."
"Making only modest changes yields only modest results."
"The best thing to do is to keep one's fat intake very low and to avoid any animal products."
"Basing one's diet on plant foods -- grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits -- is the best way to keep saturated fat intake low and to avoid cholesterol."
"A low-fat, vegetarian diet coupled with exercise, smoking cessation, and stress reduction program[s] is the best way to lower one's cholesterol levels and can even reverse heart disease."
The choice is yours.
If you're ready to take control of your life, by controlling cholesterol and beating the top three killers, including heart disease, now's the time. Dr. Susan Bennett, director of the Women's Heart Program at George Washington University Medical Center, reminds us that "It's never too late to take action to prevent and control the risk factors for heart disease."
Now's the time. Live long, healthy, and happy!
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5. Video of JVNA Advisor Rabbi Adam Frank Discussing Jewish Teachings on Animals
Part II -- Does Torah Intend to Protect Animals?
Video: in this second round of chevrutah [scholarly dialogue] with Pardes Institute Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Danny Landes, Rabbi Adam Frank uses traditional sources to show that Torah includes emotional pain in the definition of Tsa'ar Ba'alei Chaim (pain of living creatures).
---------------------------------
Rabbi Adam Frank
Congregation Moreshet Yisrael
Jerusalem, Israel
02-625-3539
www.moreshetyisrael.com">http://www.moreshetyisrael.com">www.moreshetyisrael.com
www.adamfrank.typepad.com">http://www.adamfrank.typepad.com">www.adamfrank.typepad.com
http://adamfrank.typepad.com/adam_frank/2011/03/does-torah-intend-to-protect-animals-part-ii.html
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6. JVNA Advisor Rabbi Yonassan Gershom’s Blog on Judaism and Ecological Stewardship
Blog: Notes from a Jewish Thoreau
Post: On God, ecological stewardship, and imitating an ostrich
Link: http://rooster613.blogspot.com/2011/02/on-god-ecological-stewardship-and.html
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2011
On God, ecological stewardship, and imitating an ostrich
News item: Minnesota State Representative Mike Beard (R-Shakopee) says he wants more coal-burning power plants in Minnesota because God will fix global warming, so we don't need to worry about it. (read more on him). He believes God will prevent the planet from running out of fossil fuels while also eliminating the harms associated with climate change, and that it is "arrogant" of us to think we can do anything to harm God's Creation or destroy the Earth unless God wills it.
This guy happens to be a Christian, but I have run into similar attitudes among religious Jews recently, most notably an email that claimed Israel was never under water during the Great Flood (based on an ancient story about Noah's dove getting the olive branch from there) so Israelis needn't worry if the ocean rises from polar ice melting. The Holy Land, this email claimed, will always stay high and dry. So not to worry about climate change.
These are not, of course, the opinions of all religious people. Not everyone is sticking their head in the sand (which ostriches really don't do, they are actually lowering their heads to guard their eggs -- but the metaphor has entered the English language, so you all know what I mean.) A lot of denominations have come out with more responsible directives concerning our stewardship of the Earth. (See for example Interfaith Power and Light, an org working to educate congregations about environmental issues.)
As for the possibility of Humans harming the Earth, there is an ancient rabbinical teaching (at least 2000 years old) which disagrees with Representative Beard. Jewish tradition says:
"When God created the first human beings, God led them around the Garden of Eden and said: “Look at my works! See how beautiful they are—how excellent! For your sake I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it.” (Midrash Kohelet Rabbah 7:13)
So, on the one hand, Judaism teaches that God created the Earth and everything in it for us. But on the other hand, we are charged with taking care of it and not destroying it. The fact that God tells us not to destroy it means that we do have that ability. It comes along with our free will. God has set the stage, but the choice is ours whether to act responsibly or not. And to face the consequences of our actions.
The Jewish interpretation of having "dominion" over the world is one of stewardship, not exploitation. And our tradition goes even further. Another midrash says:
"Last and first You created me" (Psalms 139:5) ... If man is worthy, he is told: You are first among the works of creation. If he is not worthy, he is told: The flea preceded you, the earthworm preceded you." (Midrash Rabbah, Vayikra 14:1)
From this we learn that our "dominion" is not absolute. It is dependent on our behavior. We were created last, and that can either mean we are the "crown of creation," or it can mean that we came after the worms and fleas. ( I remember being told back in the 1960s that if we ever had a nuclear war, the cockroaches would be the most likely to survive the radiation.) Genesis 2:15 says:
The Lord (YHVH) God put the human being (literal meaning of "Adam") in the Garden of Eden, to work it and guard it."
Yes, we are allowed to use the resources of the Earth ("to work it") but we must also guard and care for it. Even in the innocence of Eden, we are charged to protect the environment. But I suppose that even in the time of Noah there were people like Beard who said, "What? A flood in the desert? Impossible!" And we all know what happened to that generation...
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7. Trailer for Gala Event Hosted by Lionel Friedberg in Cancun, Mexico on Responding to Climate Change
Forwarded message from JVNA advisor and producer of JVNA’s documentary “A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World”:
I was privileged to be part of the Supreme Master Television Channel's 'Greenest Heroes' celebration and show that coincided with the Global Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico in November.
SMTV does a terrific job in promoting awareness of global warming and climate change and are fervent promoters of a vegan diet and green lifestyle. The show featured performers from all over the world and recognized a number of people who advocate a green lifestyle. It was a very exciting and worthwhile occasion, attended by scientists, environmentalists and politicians from many countries. Guests of honor included the President of Costa Rica, the past President of Ireland and the mayor of Cancun.
SMTV's leader, Ching Hai, was also present and spoke eloquently about the imperative need to adapt a vegan lifestyle to help save the planet. She sets a great example of the potential power of the human spirit. My co-host was animal activist, environmentalist and actress Mariana Tosca. It was a wonderful evening and the show went out on TV and the internet, reaching an audience of millions worldwide. I feel proud to have been part of it.
http://www.twitvid.com/ME8DD
[We are proud of Lionel for this very great, well-deserved honor, and wish him much continued success. We owe a great debt to Lionel for his wonderful work producing “A Sacred Duty” as a labor of love and dedication to the vegetarian cause.]
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8. Anyone Interested in Creating a Jewish Vegetarian App?
I decided to ask after seeing the message below. Producing such an app would be very helpful to our cause.
Apps are now the favorite cell phone communications tool
People with cell phones are now using apps more than they are surfing the web or talking on the phone. This is a good reminder to me to create a public speaking and media training app for the iTunes stores ASAP. If you don’t have an app to demonstrate your expertise or your business’s strengths, what are you waiting for?
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9. Announcements from Vegan Group “Wings of Wellness”
NEEDED: 2 vegan young men for 2 vegan young women. Prefer they are fluent in Hebrew. Women are excellent vegan cooks, committed to G-d and family, well skilled in homemaking and healthy living. To make contact: email with subject “Attention Matchmaker” to JVNANewsletter@gmail.com
_________________________
Wings of Wellness, a team of three vegan health and wellness educators, will be coming soon for a short time to the St Paul, MN area. If you are an individual, family, or small group who would be interested in gaining knowledge and skill, they offer instruction in the following areas:
Health & Wellness Classes
Raw & Vegan Food Preparation
Detoxification & Cleansing of the Body and Home
Nutritional Counseling
Lifestyle Coaching
Reversing Dis-ease Within Yourself
Label Reading & Grocery Shopping
Optimal Weight for Life
Hydrotherapy, Essential Oils, & Herbs
Oxygenating on a Cellular Level
Creating Healthy Personal Care Products & Clothing
Applying Torah to Your Daily Life
Please contact them at WingsOfWellness@live.com 620-214-1108.
If you would be interested in having Wings of Wellness come to your area, please contact them to make arangements.
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10. Paul McCartney Video on Mistreatment of Animals
Great summary of factory Farming Abuses of Animals
http://www.meat.org/
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11. Producers of Feature Documentary on Milk Hazards Seeking Support
Forwarded message:
Hello fellow animal lovers!
Got the facts on Milk?’ Also known as the Milk Documentary (a feature documentary that questions the health benefits of milk and dairy products), has been in the making for nearly 5 years, and is complete apart from some remaining funds needed for the distribution of it so we have collaborated with Kickstarter, the startup, to conduct an experiment in community-funded film releasing. With your help by pledging to buy a DVD we can get the film out there now, we have only 20 days!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1730342331/got-the-facts-on-milk-the-milk-documentary
Kickstarter is all or nothing: If we cannot secure at least $25,000 in pre-orders by March 25th, release of the film will not go ahead, and you will not be charged. The funds go towards our releasing obligations that have been holding up the film up until now. With your help by pledging to buy a DVD we can get the film out there now!
Thank you
For all you do for the animals
All the best
Shira Lane
Unleashed Productions
A Green Media Production Company
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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. Getting Dietary Connections to Climate Change on Society’s Agenda
2. I am now involved with Linkedin/Connections and Suggestions welcome
3. Update on the Veggie Pride Parade
4. JVNA Advisor Dan Brook’s Article on Preventing Heart Disease Through Diet
5. Video of JVNA Advisor Rabbi Adam Frank Discussing Jewish Teachings on Animals
6. JVNA Advisor Rabbi Yonassan Gershom’s Blog on Judaism and Ecological Stewardship
7. Trailer for Gala Event Hosted by Lionel Friedberg in Cancun, Mexico on Responding to Climate Change
8. Anyone Interested in Creating a Jewish Vegetarian App?
9. Announcements from Vegan Group “Wings of Wellness”
10. Paul McCartney Video on Mistreatment of Animals
11. Producers of Feature Documentary on Milk Hazards Seeking Support
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. Getting Dietary Connections to Climate Change on Society’s Agenda
I am planning a major article and other steps to increase awareness of the very significant connections between animal-based agriculture and climate change, Suggestions very welcome. Thanks.
Below is a link to an article that indicates that climate change is happening faster than recent worst-case scenarios.
NASA Says Ice On Both Poles Is Melting Faster Than Earlier Expected
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/8414784-nasa-says-the-poles-are-crumbling-faster-than-expected
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2. I am now involved with Linkedin/Connections and Suggestions welcome
If you are also involved, please feel free to connect with me.
Also, if you have any suggestions as to how use Linkedin to help spread our vegetarian messages, please let me know.
If you have suggestions about using Facebook, Twitter, or other modern technological approaches to spread vegetarian messages, or any other suggestions, please also let me know. Thanks.
You may reach me at President@JewishVeg.com.
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3. Update on the Veggie Pride Parade
I am presently scheduled to attend and to speak. JVNA will have a table. If you would like to volunteer to help at the table and/or by distributing JVA literature and DVDs or in any other way, please let me know. Thanks.
Forwarded message from the Veggie Pride Coordinator Pamela Rice:
May 15, 2011: Veggie Pride Pride Parade NYC 2011 Veggie Pride Pride Parade NYC 2011 [Sunday, May 15, 2011]
Mark your calendar, take part, support, & spread the word.
Visit and bookmark the HOME PAGE: http://www.veggieprideparade.org From the home page, find links for everything:
=> official press release
=> downloadable poster
=> exhibitor list
=> speaker/performer list
=> volunteering info
=> videos/images pages
=> media links
=> blog
=> bulletin board
=> maps
=> e-mailing-list sign-up page
=> sponsorship/donation info
=> costume-contest prize-donation page
=> goals & why-we-march pages
Become a SPONSOR and see your name or company name on the parade's home page: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/sponsors.htm
VOLUNTEER.
Go to the comprehensive list of things you can do: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/volunteering.htm
DONATE a PRIZE for the costume contest, and use this exposure for your vegan business: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/contests.htm
Make a DONATION: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/donations.htm
JOIN the email list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vivavegie/
Frequent F.A.Q.s:
Exhibit space? The NYC Veggie Pride Parade is a non-commercial, First Amendment event. Exhibit space is granted by invitation only, not for payment. If you want to know if you are an invited exhibitor, go to: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/exhibitors.htm
Where/when is the line-up/start point? Go to http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/maps.htm for maps.
Where can I advertise? The 2011 parade will not have an ad booklet as in years past. (There will be a program, however.) Consider advertising in the veg-advocacy pamphlet 101 Reasons Why I'm a Vegetarian. Your sponsorship box supports the organization that sponsors the parade (VivaVegie Society). For more information, go to: http://www.vivavegie.org/vv101/ccorders/11-101.sponsbox.htm
DONATE a PRIZE for the costume contest, and use this exposure for your vegan business: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/contests.htm
Make a DONATION: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/donations.htm
JOIN the email list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vivavegie/
Frequent F.A.Q.s:
Exhibit space? The NYC Veggie Pride Parade is a non-commercial, First Amendment event. Exhibit space is granted by invitation only, not for payment. If you want to know if you are an invited exhibitor, go to: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/exhibitors.htm
Where/when is the line-up/start point? Go to http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/maps.htm for maps.
Where can I advertise? The 2011 parade will not have an ad booklet as in years past. (There will be a program, however.)
Consider advertising in the veg-advocacy pamphlet 101 Reasons Why I'm a Vegetarian. Your sponsorship box supports the organization that sponsors the parade (VivaVegie Society).
Go to: http://www.vivavegie.org/vv101/ccorders/11-101.sponsbox.htm
Special features at post-parade rally & expo?
=>Michael Klaper & Bruce Friedrich are confirmed speakers,
=>soapbox testimonial station,
=>pay-per-view (booth where members of general public can get a dollar for watching a veggie video),
=>costume contest,
=>fan-fu dance,
=>dj Cloud.
How can I contact the organizers? Call: 212-242-0011. Thank you, one and all,
Pamela Rice organizer, Veggie Pride Parade
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RE: Wed., Mar. 9: Big volunteers POW-WOW, VEGGIE PRIDE PARADE RE-POST FREELY & WIDELY ALL INFO, CLICK HERE:
http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/volunteering.htm
Volunteers meeting, VEGGIE PRIDE PARADE Description
WHAT: Big meeting, volunteering for VEGGIE PRIDE PARADE 2011
WHERE: BONOBOS, 18 E 23rd St. New York, NY 10010 DATE: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011 TIME: 6 P.M.
We'll eat, then get to work divvying up the responsibilities: Go to the following link to review a list of important things you can do to help make this parade a great success: http://www.veggieprideparade.org/dept/volunteering.htm
RSVP, Pamela Rice: info@vivavegie.org
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4. JVNA Advisor Dan Brook’s Article on Preventing Heart Disease Through Diet
Dan Brook, Ph.D., is a writer, speaker, poet, photographer, activist, and instructor of political science and sociology. He maintains Eco-Eating at http://www.brook.com/veg, The Vegetarian Mitzvah at http://www.brook.com/jveg, Food for Thought and Action at http://www.brook.com/food, and No Smoking? at http://www.brook.com/smoke. Dan welcomes questions, comments, contributions, and other communication via brook@brook.com.
Controlling Cholesterol & Beating Heart Disease
By Dan Brook
Vegetarians in Paradise has republished my cholesterol article. Take a look at the article, please share it with others, and also check out the other great items on VIP while you're at it. Peace, Dan
http://www.vegparadise.com/otherbirds.html
Heart disease is the number one killer for both men and women in the U.S. (followed by cancer and stroke). It doesn't have to be that way.
Numerous scientific studies show that reducing your cholesterol, among other activities, is the best way to beat heart disease, cancer, stroke, and other deadly diseases. A major study by Kaiser Permanente and the University of Kuopio (Finland) also concluded in August 2009 that high cholesterol is associated with Alzheimer's Disease. Being such a grave concern, lowering cholesterol and improving heart health has been declared a "national health priority." It also needs to be a personal priority for all of us.
In general, your liver produces all the cholesterol you need, a necessary function for building cell membranes. Consuming cholesterol, however, can create an excess, which often leads to the clogging of arteries, causing heart disease (a blockage in the heart) and stroke (a blockage in the brain). In the U.S. and other western countries, there is, shockingly, widespread evidence of arterial clogging even in teenagers.
They all agree on this diet Many reputable health and science organizations -- including the American Cancer Society, American Dietetic Association, American Heart Association, American Institute for Cancer Research, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, National Cancer Institute, National Heart Foundation, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Union of Concerned Scientists, World Health Organization, and others -- all agree that a diet centered around fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as well as beans, nuts, and seeds, can significantly reduce your incidence of heart disease and heart attacks as well as cancer, stroke, obesity, hypertension, osteoporosis, diabetes, arthritis, endometriosis, Alzheimer's, gout, and other major maladies.
Further, what's best for your heart turns out to be good for your brain -- and also good for the environment! "People tend to think of the brain and the heart as totally separate, but they are not," Rachel A. Whitmer, Ph.D. of Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif., told WebMD. "We are learning that what is good for the heart is also good for the brain -- and that midlife is not too soon to be thinking about risk factors for dementia." It's vital that both our heart spans and our brain spans are as long, healthy, and happy as our maximum life spans.
High-protein, low-carbohydrate fad diets (i.e., Atkins-style diets) may lead to temporary weight loss, but they are often a health disaster. A Northwestern University study reports that increases in the consumption of animal protein is correlated with, over time, increases in a person's weight and a greater risk to a person's health. The evidence is in; these fad diets should be out.
Eating the right foods, and avoiding the wrong ones, is the key to achieving both your appropriate weight and great health. Doing so will help lower your cholesterol and can prevent or reverse heart disease and other major maladies. Take control of your life!
There are many plant foods that are heart-healthy and could be beneficial for lowering your cholesterol, especially these that are high in antioxidants, vitamins, or fiber:
turmeric
fenugreek seeds
cinnamon
lecithin
moderate amounts of red wine
tea and coffee in moderation
That said, some foods are, to paraphrase George Orwell, more equal than others. Various plant food sterols can very effectively block cholesterol and also help reduce LDL (low-density lousy cholesterol), while increasing the body's HDL (high-density healthy cholesterol).
Top ten cholesterol reducers Here are the top ten most effective foods known for lowering cholesterol and beating heart disease. Whenever possible, you should eat them in their unprocessed form and in combination with each other, consuming them regularly, even daily, for your optimum health:
soy products (including miso, soybeans, soy flour, soy milk, soy nuts, tempeh, tofu, and TVP)
colorful fruits and vegetables (ones that are red, orange, yellow green, blue, purple -- eat the rainbow!)
whole grains (including barley, brown rice, corn, oats and oat bran, whole wheat, and the less common amaranth, kamut, millet, quinoa, red rice, rye, spelt, teff, triticale, and others)
beans (including black, chickpea, kidney, lentils, navy, peas, pinto, and, of course, soy)
berries (including blackberries, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, currants, strawberries, and raspberries)
garlic (preferably raw, and others in the allium family, including chives, leeks, onions, scallions, and shallots)
nuts (including almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts)
seeds (including hemp, flax, pumpkin, psyllium, sesame, and sunflower)
olive oil (preferably extra virgin)
tea (especially green, but also black, oolong, and white)
As a special bonus, cocoa could be #11, which is likewise rich in natural phytonutrients, as it is also good for lowering cholesterol. Needless to say, chocolate is also delicious! The higher the cocoa level -- meaning dark chocolate -- and the lower the amount of dairy and sugar, the better for your health.
Cholesterol sinner list Besides eating the right foods, it is similarly important for you to avoid certain things. The seven most deadly sins are:
cholesterol (exclusively found in animal products)
saturated fats (disproportionately found in animals products and other rich foods)
hydrogenated oils or trans fats (often found in prepared processed, fast, and other junk foods, these are unhealthy and unnecessary)
smoking (especially yours, but also of those around you)
stress (which makes everything worse!)
processed foods and refined flour (these foods tend to be empty calories)
unscientific and faddish "miracle" cures (especially when it comes to health, stick with the science!)
In addition to eating healthy foods, and avoiding the "deadly sins," scientific studies indicate that it is beneficial to:
exercise (especially aerobic exercise to strengthen our hearts and bodies)
eat lots of small meals instead of a small number of large ones (for better metabolism)
lose weight (to reduce the pressure on our hearts and bodies)
meditate (to reduce and control stress)
It is important to recognize that the human body produces all the cholesterol it needs. If you consume cholesterol, your body will then likely have an excess amount of it, too often leading to clogged arteries and heart disease. Regardless of genetics and other factors, your diet is usually the biggest factor determining your cholesterol level and health risk -- despite the fact that the pharmaceutical industry spends billions of dollars claiming otherwise.
Indeed, according to the research conducted by Dean Ornish, M.D., 82% of those who switched to a low-fat plant-based diet, along with increasing exercise and engaging in stress management, were able to arrest and even reverse their heart disease.
Statins are not the only answer While cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may reduce cholesterol levels, there is little evidence that they help prevent heart disease, probably because they do not address underlying issues, but rather only the symptoms. Further, as with many other drugs, cholesterol-lowering drugs may, at some later time, be determined to have serious side effects.
In very stark contrast, there is overwhelming long-term, cross-cultural, multi-national evidence that a plant-based diet is not only safe and healthy, but indeed capable of preventing or reversing heart disease as well as preventing other diseases (e.g., cancer, diabetes, gout, and others) and being beneficial for all-around good health and nutrition.
Generally, foods rich in vitamins and fiber are good for reducing your cholesterol; in contrast, foods without significant amounts of vitamins and fiber are unhealthy. Animal products often contain saturated fat and cholesterol, but never fiber or antioxidants. Plant foods often contain fiber and antioxidants, and never cholesterol and typically little or no saturated fat.
Organic fruits, vegetables, and grains tend to have higher nutritional levels than those produced through chemical agriculture, as the chemical pesticides may suppress the plants' innate abilities to properly protect themselves, therefore making organic produce a better choice for you as well as the environment.
Vegetarians have lower cholesterol Numerous scientific studies show that, overall, vegetarians have much lower cholesterol levels than meat-eaters -- and vegans, who eat no animal products at all, even more so -- and a much lower incidence of heart disease and heart attacks, as well as lower rates of various forms of cancer, stroke, hypertension/high blood pressure, diabetes, gout, and other very serious and deadly diseases. It's not too late to take back control of your life and reverse the ill effects of high cholesterol.
We should note that some foods and herbs may interact, either positively or negatively, with some medicines (e.g., antibiotics, antidepressants, anti-clotting/blood thinning medications, birth control pills, cholesterol-lowering drugs, etc.). If you are taking any medicine, herb, or drug, for any reason, be sure to learn about that medicine and with what it may interact. Likewise if you have any disease, medical condition, or are pregnant. In addition to doing your own research, check in with your doctor, pharmacist, and other trained medical professionals.
In a nutshell, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, the ten basic facts to know about cholesterol reduction are:
"Cholesterol is found only in animal products."
"Cholesterol in foods raises the cholesterol level in one's blood."
"There is no 'good cholesterol' in any food."
"There is no fiber in any animal products."
"A diet including fish is not as beneficial as a pure vegetarian diet."
"Making only modest changes yields only modest results."
"The best thing to do is to keep one's fat intake very low and to avoid any animal products."
"Basing one's diet on plant foods -- grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits -- is the best way to keep saturated fat intake low and to avoid cholesterol."
"A low-fat, vegetarian diet coupled with exercise, smoking cessation, and stress reduction program[s] is the best way to lower one's cholesterol levels and can even reverse heart disease."
The choice is yours.
If you're ready to take control of your life, by controlling cholesterol and beating the top three killers, including heart disease, now's the time. Dr. Susan Bennett, director of the Women's Heart Program at George Washington University Medical Center, reminds us that "It's never too late to take action to prevent and control the risk factors for heart disease."
Now's the time. Live long, healthy, and happy!
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5. Video of JVNA Advisor Rabbi Adam Frank Discussing Jewish Teachings on Animals
Part II -- Does Torah Intend to Protect Animals?
Video: in this second round of chevrutah [scholarly dialogue] with Pardes Institute Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Danny Landes, Rabbi Adam Frank uses traditional sources to show that Torah includes emotional pain in the definition of Tsa'ar Ba'alei Chaim (pain of living creatures).
---------------------------------
Rabbi Adam Frank
Congregation Moreshet Yisrael
Jerusalem, Israel
02-625-3539
www.moreshetyisrael.com">http://www.moreshetyisrael.com">www.moreshetyisrael.com
www.adamfrank.typepad.com">http://www.adamfrank.typepad.com">www.adamfrank.typepad.com
http://adamfrank.typepad.com/adam_frank/2011/03/does-torah-intend-to-protect-animals-part-ii.html
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6. JVNA Advisor Rabbi Yonassan Gershom’s Blog on Judaism and Ecological Stewardship
Blog: Notes from a Jewish Thoreau
Post: On God, ecological stewardship, and imitating an ostrich
Link: http://rooster613.blogspot.com/2011/02/on-god-ecological-stewardship-and.html
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2011
On God, ecological stewardship, and imitating an ostrich
News item: Minnesota State Representative Mike Beard (R-Shakopee) says he wants more coal-burning power plants in Minnesota because God will fix global warming, so we don't need to worry about it. (read more on him). He believes God will prevent the planet from running out of fossil fuels while also eliminating the harms associated with climate change, and that it is "arrogant" of us to think we can do anything to harm God's Creation or destroy the Earth unless God wills it.
This guy happens to be a Christian, but I have run into similar attitudes among religious Jews recently, most notably an email that claimed Israel was never under water during the Great Flood (based on an ancient story about Noah's dove getting the olive branch from there) so Israelis needn't worry if the ocean rises from polar ice melting. The Holy Land, this email claimed, will always stay high and dry. So not to worry about climate change.
These are not, of course, the opinions of all religious people. Not everyone is sticking their head in the sand (which ostriches really don't do, they are actually lowering their heads to guard their eggs -- but the metaphor has entered the English language, so you all know what I mean.) A lot of denominations have come out with more responsible directives concerning our stewardship of the Earth. (See for example Interfaith Power and Light, an org working to educate congregations about environmental issues.)
As for the possibility of Humans harming the Earth, there is an ancient rabbinical teaching (at least 2000 years old) which disagrees with Representative Beard. Jewish tradition says:
"When God created the first human beings, God led them around the Garden of Eden and said: “Look at my works! See how beautiful they are—how excellent! For your sake I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it.” (Midrash Kohelet Rabbah 7:13)
So, on the one hand, Judaism teaches that God created the Earth and everything in it for us. But on the other hand, we are charged with taking care of it and not destroying it. The fact that God tells us not to destroy it means that we do have that ability. It comes along with our free will. God has set the stage, but the choice is ours whether to act responsibly or not. And to face the consequences of our actions.
The Jewish interpretation of having "dominion" over the world is one of stewardship, not exploitation. And our tradition goes even further. Another midrash says:
"Last and first You created me" (Psalms 139:5) ... If man is worthy, he is told: You are first among the works of creation. If he is not worthy, he is told: The flea preceded you, the earthworm preceded you." (Midrash Rabbah, Vayikra 14:1)
From this we learn that our "dominion" is not absolute. It is dependent on our behavior. We were created last, and that can either mean we are the "crown of creation," or it can mean that we came after the worms and fleas. ( I remember being told back in the 1960s that if we ever had a nuclear war, the cockroaches would be the most likely to survive the radiation.) Genesis 2:15 says:
The Lord (YHVH) God put the human being (literal meaning of "Adam") in the Garden of Eden, to work it and guard it."
Yes, we are allowed to use the resources of the Earth ("to work it") but we must also guard and care for it. Even in the innocence of Eden, we are charged to protect the environment. But I suppose that even in the time of Noah there were people like Beard who said, "What? A flood in the desert? Impossible!" And we all know what happened to that generation...
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7. Trailer for Gala Event Hosted by Lionel Friedberg in Cancun, Mexico on Responding to Climate Change
Forwarded message from JVNA advisor and producer of JVNA’s documentary “A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World”:
I was privileged to be part of the Supreme Master Television Channel's 'Greenest Heroes' celebration and show that coincided with the Global Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico in November.
SMTV does a terrific job in promoting awareness of global warming and climate change and are fervent promoters of a vegan diet and green lifestyle. The show featured performers from all over the world and recognized a number of people who advocate a green lifestyle. It was a very exciting and worthwhile occasion, attended by scientists, environmentalists and politicians from many countries. Guests of honor included the President of Costa Rica, the past President of Ireland and the mayor of Cancun.
SMTV's leader, Ching Hai, was also present and spoke eloquently about the imperative need to adapt a vegan lifestyle to help save the planet. She sets a great example of the potential power of the human spirit. My co-host was animal activist, environmentalist and actress Mariana Tosca. It was a wonderful evening and the show went out on TV and the internet, reaching an audience of millions worldwide. I feel proud to have been part of it.
http://www.twitvid.com/ME8DD
[We are proud of Lionel for this very great, well-deserved honor, and wish him much continued success. We owe a great debt to Lionel for his wonderful work producing “A Sacred Duty” as a labor of love and dedication to the vegetarian cause.]
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8. Anyone Interested in Creating a Jewish Vegetarian App?
I decided to ask after seeing the message below. Producing such an app would be very helpful to our cause.
Apps are now the favorite cell phone communications tool
People with cell phones are now using apps more than they are surfing the web or talking on the phone. This is a good reminder to me to create a public speaking and media training app for the iTunes stores ASAP. If you don’t have an app to demonstrate your expertise or your business’s strengths, what are you waiting for?
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9. Announcements from Vegan Group “Wings of Wellness”
NEEDED: 2 vegan young men for 2 vegan young women. Prefer they are fluent in Hebrew. Women are excellent vegan cooks, committed to G-d and family, well skilled in homemaking and healthy living. To make contact: email with subject “Attention Matchmaker” to JVNANewsletter@gmail.com
_________________________
Wings of Wellness, a team of three vegan health and wellness educators, will be coming soon for a short time to the St Paul, MN area. If you are an individual, family, or small group who would be interested in gaining knowledge and skill, they offer instruction in the following areas:
Health & Wellness Classes
Raw & Vegan Food Preparation
Detoxification & Cleansing of the Body and Home
Nutritional Counseling
Lifestyle Coaching
Reversing Dis-ease Within Yourself
Label Reading & Grocery Shopping
Optimal Weight for Life
Hydrotherapy, Essential Oils, & Herbs
Oxygenating on a Cellular Level
Creating Healthy Personal Care Products & Clothing
Applying Torah to Your Daily Life
Please contact them at WingsOfWellness@live.com 620-214-1108.
If you would be interested in having Wings of Wellness come to your area, please contact them to make arangements.
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10. Paul McCartney Video on Mistreatment of Animals
Great summary of factory Farming Abuses of Animals
http://www.meat.org/
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11. Producers of Feature Documentary on Milk Hazards Seeking Support
Forwarded message:
Hello fellow animal lovers!
Got the facts on Milk?’ Also known as the Milk Documentary (a feature documentary that questions the health benefits of milk and dairy products), has been in the making for nearly 5 years, and is complete apart from some remaining funds needed for the distribution of it so we have collaborated with Kickstarter, the startup, to conduct an experiment in community-funded film releasing. With your help by pledging to buy a DVD we can get the film out there now, we have only 20 days!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1730342331/got-the-facts-on-milk-the-milk-documentary
Kickstarter is all or nothing: If we cannot secure at least $25,000 in pre-orders by March 25th, release of the film will not go ahead, and you will not be charged. The funds go towards our releasing obligations that have been holding up the film up until now. With your help by pledging to buy a DVD we can get the film out there now!
Thank you
For all you do for the animals
All the best
Shira Lane
Unleashed Productions
A Green Media Production Company
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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.
02/28/2011 JVNA Online Newsletter
Shalom everyone,
This update/Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) Online Newsletter has the following items:
1. Happy Purim
2. Does Snowy Winter Disprove Climate Change Theory
3. Israeli Vegan Activist Rabbi Adam Frank Interviewed on Jewish Teachings on Veganism and Animal Issues
4. Review of A Sacred Duty in Vegetarians in Paradise Publication
5. Major Article on Judaism and Vegetarianism Now Available in Hebrew
6. World has a Natural Debt Crisis as Well as a Financial Debt Crisis
7. Animal Activist Argues for Support of Incremental Improvements in Conditions for Animals
8. An Orthodox Jew Explains Why He Is a Vegetarian
9. French Vegetarian Man Seeks Soul Mate
10. Marvelous Video Spoof About Meat
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
=========================
1. Happy Purim
The joyous holiday of Purim begins this year on Saturday evening, March 19. This and other Jewish holidays provide opportunities to show Jewish teachings related to vegetarianism. Please see my article “Purim and Vegetarianism” at the holidays section at JewishVeg.com/Schwartz. Suggestions welcome, and please feel free to share the article with others.
Many thanks.
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2. Does Snowy Winter Disprove Climate Change Theory
If the Earth is warming up, why are we getting so much snow?
Blog entry by Breslov Hasid and JVNA advisor Rabbi Yonassan Gershom
http://rooster613.blogspot.com/2011/02/if-earth-is-warming-up-why-are-we.html
Climate change deniers have been having a field day with all the snow this winter. If global warming is real, they say, then why are we getting buried in so much snow? Sunday, February 20, 2011 was the largest snowfall in a single 24-hour period ever recorded in Minneapolis, and in Minnesota overall, this has been the second snowiest February on record -- and the month isn't over yet. So, the skeptics say, how can it be getting warmer if we are buried in blizzards? And even if it is getting warmer, how can a few degrees make any difference?
Apparently it is making a big difference. Normally, we get cold weather in January and February here, but not much snow until March-April. But this winter, it has been as if the calendar moved up a month or two, and we are getting April's weather in February. And this, the scientists say, is indeed due to global warming.
To understand how global warming can produce more snow, we need to understand a basic fact of physics: warmer air holds more moisture! More moisture can mean more precipitation, either as snow or as rain. If you look at the Jet Stream on recent weather maps, you will see that it has repeatedly dipped way down south toward the Gulf of Mexico -- where the air is very warm and moist -- then it swings back up north, dragging all that extra moisture with it. The warm damp air hits the cold arctic air and whammo! Lots of snowfall on the good ol' USA.
But hasn't the Jet Stream always done this? To some extent, yes. But I'm over 60 years old and I can't ever remember it going down way into Texas like it has done recently. In the past, the Jet Stream remained pretty much up in Canada, with an occasional dip into Minnesota. It formed a relatively stable circle of air flowing around the arctic that fenced in the really cold air up there. Now, however, the Jet Stream has become unstable and is moving up and down the northern hemisphere rather erratically, causing extreme temperature swings (here in Minnesota, we have had a range of 35 below zero (F) to 60 above in a period of a mere two weeks) and a lot more precipitation.
Why is it doing this? According to a recent study released in January 2011, the melting of ice in the arctic is allowing the Earth to absorb more heat from the sun instead of reflecting it back into space like it used to. (Second basic physics fact: dark ocean water absorbs more sunlight that light snow and ice.) And it is doing this at a much higher rate than previously thought. Now, 32-degree seawater might not seem very warm to you and I, but it is a heck of a lot warmer than the below-zero snow and ice that used to be there. And once it absorbs that sunlight, it holds the heat, melting still more ice. This warming of the arctic is destabilizing the Jet Stream, which, as I explained above, results in more snow further south.
So, although it may seem paradoxical for warmer air to produce bigger snowstorms, the phenomenon is scientifically sound. You can't just look at a few local storms; you have to take into account the whole pattern of changes globally. And while a few degrees might not seem like much, we are not really talking about the difference between a 70-degree day and a 74-degree day. We are talking about the overall warming of the entire planet. It doesn't take much to alter the ocean and wind currents. Scientists say an overall change of 6 degrees can be disastrous. Already there has been a rapid increase in volcanic activity, earthquakes, severe hurricanes and other storms -- including snow! -- Yet so many of us are still in denial about this!
How much do we humans contribute to climate change? Quite a lot, according to most climate scientists. Yes, the earth goes through natural cycles, but since the Industrial Revolution the greenhouse effect has accelerated at an unprecedented rate. The science is pretty firm now, with the vast majority of climate scientists agreeing there is a rapidly accelerating problem. Yet I am often appalled at how many of people not only don't believe the science, they think it is merely a matter of politics, a sort of left-wing hoax perpetrated by the Democrats. (If Ronald Reagan had produced An Inconvenient Truth instead of Al Gore, would the right-wingers take global warming more seriously today? I wonder.)
James Hoggan, in his book Climate Cover-Up, presents a well-researched argument that from the 1980s onward, there has been an organized campaign on the part of Big Oil and Big Coal to convince us that global warming is a hoax. (Remember that notorious ad trying to convince us that excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was good?) I'm not normally into conspiracy theories, but this one is pretty convincing. Unfortunately, a lot of people have bought that argument, which delayed us doing anything about changing our lifestyles or lowering our carbon footprints. But I think it is becoming pretty evident that global warming is real -- even if is does produce more snow sometimes. Next time you are shoveling the stuff, blame it on that melting arctic ice.
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3. Israeli Vegan Activist Rabbi Adam Frank Interviewed on Jewish Teachings on Veganism and Animal Issues
http://www.abolitionist-online.com/_06frank.html
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4. Review of A Sacred Duty in Vegetarians in Paradise Publication
A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World
Written, Produced, Directed, Photographed, and Narrated by Lionel Friedberg
Co-Produced by Richard Schwartz
Presented by Jewish Vegetarians of North America
Available free at http://www.jewishveg.com
Don't look behind you, Al Gore. You may have that Nobel Prize, but there's one area you haven't dared to broach: livestock production and the havoc it creates in the environment and with human health. If you do look behind you, you'll find Professor Richard Schwartz who has been delivering the message for many years in books like Judaism and Vegetarianism and Judaism and Global Survival.
But reading the message is not like seeing it on the screen as Gore learned with An Inconvenient Truth. Now Schwartz has found the person who can transfer to film the thoughts he and others have been trumpeting for years. The filmmaker is Lionel Friedberg, an award-winning documentary cinematographer and director.
In making the film, Friedberg interviewed prominent rabbis, environmentalists, and activists, but the emphasis was on A Sacred Duty of Jews to apply Jewish teachings in obtaining food, conserving natural resources, and protecting non-human creatures.
Although the film emphasizes Judaism and Jewish teachings, the information and call to action are universal. Among the rabbinical leaders participating are Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Haifa, and Rabbi David Rosen, Former Chief Rabbi of Ireland.
A Sacred Duty begins and ends with a biblical statement from Deuteronomy 30:19 read by Theodore Bikel"
"I call heaven and earth today to bear witness against you today. I have placed before you life and death, blessing and curse, and you shall choose life so that you may live, you and your offspring."
As Rabbi Yonassan Gershom tells viewers, this choice is represented symbolically. Life is seeing our planet from outer space as one globe with no national boundaries. Death is revealed in the mushroom cloud of an atomic bomb explosion. Both choices affect the entire planet. What happens in one part of the world affects everyone on earth.
The filmmaker chooses to focus on Israel because that tiny country is a microcosm of the earth itself. In this relatively small nation are many of the natural features found on the entire earth. A burgeoning population has led to pollution as revealed in scenes showing litter in the countryside as well as despoiled rivers, none safe for swimming or drinking water, and a Dead Sea that is rapidly dying, starved by a trickle of water from the Jordan River.
Like so many countries of the world, Israel has serious environmental problems, most noticeably air pollution. Quite startling is to learn that 17% of children have asthma. One in seven women in Haifa are plagued by breast cancer.
The heart of the film presents information that many vegetarians are cognizant of, the toll of animal agriculture on the health of the planet and the people inhabiting it. Referenced is the statement by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization that 18% of the greenhouse gases are from animal livestock production. The film also emphasizes the cruelty involved in factory farm food production in footage that makes necessary the cautionary note at the opening that there are graphic scenes that may be disturbing for some viewers.
Truly remarkable is the amount of information and ideas presented in this documentary that is slightly less than one hour in viewing time. Friedberg has assembled colorful footage that is highlighted by a stirring musical score composed and conducted by Andrew Keresztes
Combining his writing, photographic, and narrative skills, Friedberg has created a visual message that convincingly reveals that vegetarianism plays a vital role in alleviating global warming and pollution. A Sacred Duty emphasizes the need to apply Jewish values and teachings in the production of food and the utilization of natural resources. This film dares to tread where so many environmentalists fear to go--recognizing that using animals for food is wasteful and cruel and is responsible for the destruction of the planet and human health at the same time.
A Sacred Duty is a tribute to Professor Richard Schwartz who is a living incarnation of Jewish values. He has worked tirelessly and diligently for many years to bring the information in this film into public consciousness.
[Thanks to author, philosopher, and JVNA advisor Rabbi Yonassan Gershom for forwarding the link to this review to us.]
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5. Major Article on Judaism and Vegetarianism Now Available in Hebrew
Message from Israeli Rabbi and JVNA advisor Simcha Roth:
I have completed editing my article in Hebrew, and it is now available here: http://www.bmv.org.il/v/h-vegan.html. I would be grateful if you would pass this news on to anyone and everyone whom you think should know - and also asking them, in turn, to bring it to the attention of others.
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6. World has a Natural Debt Crisis as Well as a Financial Debt Crisis
GOING GREEN
The Natural Debt Crisis: Learning to Live Within Our Planet's Means
Time magazine 2/22/11
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2052930,00.html
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7. Animal Activist Argues for Support of Incremental Improvements in Conditions for Animals
Bruce Friedrich: Getting from A to Z: Why Animal Activists Should Support Incremental Reforms to Help Animals
[Bruce is a long-time Bruce Friedrich, peace, justice and animal rights advocate and author of The Animal Activist's Handbook]
Excerpt:
The Golden Rule: Considering the Animals' Point of View
Social justice advocates working for others' rights (as opposed to their own rights) must put themselves in the shoes of those on whose behalf they're working. And when we put ourselves in the animals' place, it is easy to see the importance of welfare reforms: If you were destined to be killed, wouldn't you still have a strong preference to spend your life in a large barn, rather than a tiny wire cage where you couldn't spread one wing for your entire life? Given the choice to have your throat slit open while you were completely conscious, or to be put to sleep first, wouldn't you strongly prefer the latter option? None of us would say, "Well, I'm just going to die anyway. Please only fight for my complete release!" And of course, if these were human beings, not one of us would say -- let them suffer; we want complete liberation! (...)
Second, meat eating continues in part because people are divorced from meat as living, breathing animals. On Oprah recently, Michael Pollan commented on the how Oprah's audience cringed to have to watch farmed animals at all, and he pointed out 1) that the scene that upset them was far from the worst they were supporting as meat eaters; and 2) that if they couldn't watch animals being slaughtered, they shouldn't eat meat. Basically, anything that draws attention to the fact that meat is animal corpses, and that these animals have interests, will be good for the animal rights movement.
Recent science backs up these intuitive observations, including a Kansas State study, which found that media attention on animal issues in the U.S. has had "significant, negative effects" on meat demand. Vegetarian author and researcher Norm Phelps elaborated on this point in an article for the European Vegetarian and Animal News Alliance: http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=63506
The Slave Analogy: Why Welfare Reformers are Abolitionists
Of course advocating for better conditions and for the end of an abusive system altogether are not mutually exclusive. In the case of slavery, it was reasonable to argue, "While we ought to abolish slavery altogether, until that happens, we shouldn't allow slave-owners to whip and rape slaves." Any abolitionist who seriously suggested at the time "the worst slave owners were those who were kind to their slaves" would have been laughed at (derisively)....
The full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-friedrich/getting-from-a-to-z-why-p_b_825612.html
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8. An Orthodox Jew Explains Why He Is a Vegetarian
Dear Richard,
I can sum up "my" views regarding the relationship of Human Beings to non-Human life, nature and the environment simply.
[Of course, there are other valid paths to becoming a vegetarian.]
It is simple for me because I accept the following (Torah) axioms:
1) Ha'Shem (G-D) is the eternal, infinite, almighty. omniscient, all-merciful (compassionate/loving) Source of ALL there is.
2) HIS attribute of love motivates HIM to create a Being (Human by virtue of the DIVINE gift of free moral choice) less than HIM (necessarily) to choose to (lovingly) seek HIM. Any student of psychology will affirm that "love" is a benevolent emotional relationship chosen between two FREE participants.
3) Nature and the animal world are created to be Man's assistants in this quest. The non-Human creatures are (like Man) BEINGS not THINGS. They (like Man) belong ONLY to G-D. Each (like Man) has a unique soul and mission, which will be fulfilled. ALL (like Man) are rewarded by G-D for this service.
4) Humans are commanded to emulate G-D's attributes of loving kindness. mercy and compassion.
5) Man's survival has the highest priority in G-D's plan.
From the above, one may conclude that Man's behavior towards the animal world is explicitly/stringently dictated and regulated by the commandments just as it is towards his fellow men. Man may not act in a whimsical self-centered fashion towards non-Humans. Man must protect and conserve the world created for his benefit.
Man may take non-Human life ONLY IF it is necessary to ensure his survival. Humane methods are demanded by G-D. Failure to recognize these principles with the frivolous use of G-D's creatures as objects/commodities is cruel abuse. This is expressly forbidden and condemned by G-D. We do so at our peril.
Thank you Richard,
Jerry Terdiman
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9. French Vegetarian Man Seeks Soul Mate
Shalom Richard,
Here is a paragraph about me and the type of woman I'm looking for:
31-year-old French Jew, lives in Nice (south-east French city
by the sea near the Italian border), has been vegetarian for
fifteen years now, shomer Shabbat, is looking for 25-30 year-old Jewish woman in order to found a healthy,
vegetarian Jewish family.
Kol touv,
Guershom Le Boëtté
[If interested, please contact me, and I will pass your message on to Guershom.. Thanks.]
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10. Marvelous Video Spoof About Meat
http://vegan.com/blog/2011/02/26/youtube-ask-your-doctor-about-meat
Thanks to JVNA web coordinator Moida Genser for forwarding this link to me.
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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. Happy Purim
2. Does Snowy Winter Disprove Climate Change Theory
3. Israeli Vegan Activist Rabbi Adam Frank Interviewed on Jewish Teachings on Veganism and Animal Issues
4. Review of A Sacred Duty in Vegetarians in Paradise Publication
5. Major Article on Judaism and Vegetarianism Now Available in Hebrew
6. World has a Natural Debt Crisis as Well as a Financial Debt Crisis
7. Animal Activist Argues for Support of Incremental Improvements in Conditions for Animals
8. An Orthodox Jew Explains Why He Is a Vegetarian
9. French Vegetarian Man Seeks Soul Mate
10. Marvelous Video Spoof About Meat
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
=========================
1. Happy Purim
The joyous holiday of Purim begins this year on Saturday evening, March 19. This and other Jewish holidays provide opportunities to show Jewish teachings related to vegetarianism. Please see my article “Purim and Vegetarianism” at the holidays section at JewishVeg.com/Schwartz. Suggestions welcome, and please feel free to share the article with others.
Many thanks.
Return to Top
=========================
2. Does Snowy Winter Disprove Climate Change Theory
If the Earth is warming up, why are we getting so much snow?
Blog entry by Breslov Hasid and JVNA advisor Rabbi Yonassan Gershom
http://rooster613.blogspot.com/2011/02/if-earth-is-warming-up-why-are-we.html
Climate change deniers have been having a field day with all the snow this winter. If global warming is real, they say, then why are we getting buried in so much snow? Sunday, February 20, 2011 was the largest snowfall in a single 24-hour period ever recorded in Minneapolis, and in Minnesota overall, this has been the second snowiest February on record -- and the month isn't over yet. So, the skeptics say, how can it be getting warmer if we are buried in blizzards? And even if it is getting warmer, how can a few degrees make any difference?
Apparently it is making a big difference. Normally, we get cold weather in January and February here, but not much snow until March-April. But this winter, it has been as if the calendar moved up a month or two, and we are getting April's weather in February. And this, the scientists say, is indeed due to global warming.
To understand how global warming can produce more snow, we need to understand a basic fact of physics: warmer air holds more moisture! More moisture can mean more precipitation, either as snow or as rain. If you look at the Jet Stream on recent weather maps, you will see that it has repeatedly dipped way down south toward the Gulf of Mexico -- where the air is very warm and moist -- then it swings back up north, dragging all that extra moisture with it. The warm damp air hits the cold arctic air and whammo! Lots of snowfall on the good ol' USA.
But hasn't the Jet Stream always done this? To some extent, yes. But I'm over 60 years old and I can't ever remember it going down way into Texas like it has done recently. In the past, the Jet Stream remained pretty much up in Canada, with an occasional dip into Minnesota. It formed a relatively stable circle of air flowing around the arctic that fenced in the really cold air up there. Now, however, the Jet Stream has become unstable and is moving up and down the northern hemisphere rather erratically, causing extreme temperature swings (here in Minnesota, we have had a range of 35 below zero (F) to 60 above in a period of a mere two weeks) and a lot more precipitation.
Why is it doing this? According to a recent study released in January 2011, the melting of ice in the arctic is allowing the Earth to absorb more heat from the sun instead of reflecting it back into space like it used to. (Second basic physics fact: dark ocean water absorbs more sunlight that light snow and ice.) And it is doing this at a much higher rate than previously thought. Now, 32-degree seawater might not seem very warm to you and I, but it is a heck of a lot warmer than the below-zero snow and ice that used to be there. And once it absorbs that sunlight, it holds the heat, melting still more ice. This warming of the arctic is destabilizing the Jet Stream, which, as I explained above, results in more snow further south.
So, although it may seem paradoxical for warmer air to produce bigger snowstorms, the phenomenon is scientifically sound. You can't just look at a few local storms; you have to take into account the whole pattern of changes globally. And while a few degrees might not seem like much, we are not really talking about the difference between a 70-degree day and a 74-degree day. We are talking about the overall warming of the entire planet. It doesn't take much to alter the ocean and wind currents. Scientists say an overall change of 6 degrees can be disastrous. Already there has been a rapid increase in volcanic activity, earthquakes, severe hurricanes and other storms -- including snow! -- Yet so many of us are still in denial about this!
How much do we humans contribute to climate change? Quite a lot, according to most climate scientists. Yes, the earth goes through natural cycles, but since the Industrial Revolution the greenhouse effect has accelerated at an unprecedented rate. The science is pretty firm now, with the vast majority of climate scientists agreeing there is a rapidly accelerating problem. Yet I am often appalled at how many of people not only don't believe the science, they think it is merely a matter of politics, a sort of left-wing hoax perpetrated by the Democrats. (If Ronald Reagan had produced An Inconvenient Truth instead of Al Gore, would the right-wingers take global warming more seriously today? I wonder.)
James Hoggan, in his book Climate Cover-Up, presents a well-researched argument that from the 1980s onward, there has been an organized campaign on the part of Big Oil and Big Coal to convince us that global warming is a hoax. (Remember that notorious ad trying to convince us that excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was good?) I'm not normally into conspiracy theories, but this one is pretty convincing. Unfortunately, a lot of people have bought that argument, which delayed us doing anything about changing our lifestyles or lowering our carbon footprints. But I think it is becoming pretty evident that global warming is real -- even if is does produce more snow sometimes. Next time you are shoveling the stuff, blame it on that melting arctic ice.
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3. Israeli Vegan Activist Rabbi Adam Frank Interviewed on Jewish Teachings on Veganism and Animal Issues
http://www.abolitionist-online.com/_06frank.html
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4. Review of A Sacred Duty in Vegetarians in Paradise Publication
A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World
Written, Produced, Directed, Photographed, and Narrated by Lionel Friedberg
Co-Produced by Richard Schwartz
Presented by Jewish Vegetarians of North America
Available free at http://www.jewishveg.com
Don't look behind you, Al Gore. You may have that Nobel Prize, but there's one area you haven't dared to broach: livestock production and the havoc it creates in the environment and with human health. If you do look behind you, you'll find Professor Richard Schwartz who has been delivering the message for many years in books like Judaism and Vegetarianism and Judaism and Global Survival.
But reading the message is not like seeing it on the screen as Gore learned with An Inconvenient Truth. Now Schwartz has found the person who can transfer to film the thoughts he and others have been trumpeting for years. The filmmaker is Lionel Friedberg, an award-winning documentary cinematographer and director.
In making the film, Friedberg interviewed prominent rabbis, environmentalists, and activists, but the emphasis was on A Sacred Duty of Jews to apply Jewish teachings in obtaining food, conserving natural resources, and protecting non-human creatures.
Although the film emphasizes Judaism and Jewish teachings, the information and call to action are universal. Among the rabbinical leaders participating are Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Haifa, and Rabbi David Rosen, Former Chief Rabbi of Ireland.
A Sacred Duty begins and ends with a biblical statement from Deuteronomy 30:19 read by Theodore Bikel"
"I call heaven and earth today to bear witness against you today. I have placed before you life and death, blessing and curse, and you shall choose life so that you may live, you and your offspring."
As Rabbi Yonassan Gershom tells viewers, this choice is represented symbolically. Life is seeing our planet from outer space as one globe with no national boundaries. Death is revealed in the mushroom cloud of an atomic bomb explosion. Both choices affect the entire planet. What happens in one part of the world affects everyone on earth.
The filmmaker chooses to focus on Israel because that tiny country is a microcosm of the earth itself. In this relatively small nation are many of the natural features found on the entire earth. A burgeoning population has led to pollution as revealed in scenes showing litter in the countryside as well as despoiled rivers, none safe for swimming or drinking water, and a Dead Sea that is rapidly dying, starved by a trickle of water from the Jordan River.
Like so many countries of the world, Israel has serious environmental problems, most noticeably air pollution. Quite startling is to learn that 17% of children have asthma. One in seven women in Haifa are plagued by breast cancer.
The heart of the film presents information that many vegetarians are cognizant of, the toll of animal agriculture on the health of the planet and the people inhabiting it. Referenced is the statement by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization that 18% of the greenhouse gases are from animal livestock production. The film also emphasizes the cruelty involved in factory farm food production in footage that makes necessary the cautionary note at the opening that there are graphic scenes that may be disturbing for some viewers.
Truly remarkable is the amount of information and ideas presented in this documentary that is slightly less than one hour in viewing time. Friedberg has assembled colorful footage that is highlighted by a stirring musical score composed and conducted by Andrew Keresztes
Combining his writing, photographic, and narrative skills, Friedberg has created a visual message that convincingly reveals that vegetarianism plays a vital role in alleviating global warming and pollution. A Sacred Duty emphasizes the need to apply Jewish values and teachings in the production of food and the utilization of natural resources. This film dares to tread where so many environmentalists fear to go--recognizing that using animals for food is wasteful and cruel and is responsible for the destruction of the planet and human health at the same time.
A Sacred Duty is a tribute to Professor Richard Schwartz who is a living incarnation of Jewish values. He has worked tirelessly and diligently for many years to bring the information in this film into public consciousness.
[Thanks to author, philosopher, and JVNA advisor Rabbi Yonassan Gershom for forwarding the link to this review to us.]
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5. Major Article on Judaism and Vegetarianism Now Available in Hebrew
Message from Israeli Rabbi and JVNA advisor Simcha Roth:
I have completed editing my article in Hebrew, and it is now available here: http://www.bmv.org.il/v/h-vegan.html. I would be grateful if you would pass this news on to anyone and everyone whom you think should know - and also asking them, in turn, to bring it to the attention of others.
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6. World has a Natural Debt Crisis as Well as a Financial Debt Crisis
GOING GREEN
The Natural Debt Crisis: Learning to Live Within Our Planet's Means
Time magazine 2/22/11
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2052930,00.html
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7. Animal Activist Argues for Support of Incremental Improvements in Conditions for Animals
Bruce Friedrich: Getting from A to Z: Why Animal Activists Should Support Incremental Reforms to Help Animals
[Bruce is a long-time Bruce Friedrich, peace, justice and animal rights advocate and author of The Animal Activist's Handbook]
Excerpt:
The Golden Rule: Considering the Animals' Point of View
Social justice advocates working for others' rights (as opposed to their own rights) must put themselves in the shoes of those on whose behalf they're working. And when we put ourselves in the animals' place, it is easy to see the importance of welfare reforms: If you were destined to be killed, wouldn't you still have a strong preference to spend your life in a large barn, rather than a tiny wire cage where you couldn't spread one wing for your entire life? Given the choice to have your throat slit open while you were completely conscious, or to be put to sleep first, wouldn't you strongly prefer the latter option? None of us would say, "Well, I'm just going to die anyway. Please only fight for my complete release!" And of course, if these were human beings, not one of us would say -- let them suffer; we want complete liberation! (...)
Second, meat eating continues in part because people are divorced from meat as living, breathing animals. On Oprah recently, Michael Pollan commented on the how Oprah's audience cringed to have to watch farmed animals at all, and he pointed out 1) that the scene that upset them was far from the worst they were supporting as meat eaters; and 2) that if they couldn't watch animals being slaughtered, they shouldn't eat meat. Basically, anything that draws attention to the fact that meat is animal corpses, and that these animals have interests, will be good for the animal rights movement.
Recent science backs up these intuitive observations, including a Kansas State study, which found that media attention on animal issues in the U.S. has had "significant, negative effects" on meat demand. Vegetarian author and researcher Norm Phelps elaborated on this point in an article for the European Vegetarian and Animal News Alliance: http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=63506
The Slave Analogy: Why Welfare Reformers are Abolitionists
Of course advocating for better conditions and for the end of an abusive system altogether are not mutually exclusive. In the case of slavery, it was reasonable to argue, "While we ought to abolish slavery altogether, until that happens, we shouldn't allow slave-owners to whip and rape slaves." Any abolitionist who seriously suggested at the time "the worst slave owners were those who were kind to their slaves" would have been laughed at (derisively)....
The full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-friedrich/getting-from-a-to-z-why-p_b_825612.html
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8. An Orthodox Jew Explains Why He Is a Vegetarian
Dear Richard,
I can sum up "my" views regarding the relationship of Human Beings to non-Human life, nature and the environment simply.
[Of course, there are other valid paths to becoming a vegetarian.]
It is simple for me because I accept the following (Torah) axioms:
1) Ha'Shem (G-D) is the eternal, infinite, almighty. omniscient, all-merciful (compassionate/loving) Source of ALL there is.
2) HIS attribute of love motivates HIM to create a Being (Human by virtue of the DIVINE gift of free moral choice) less than HIM (necessarily) to choose to (lovingly) seek HIM. Any student of psychology will affirm that "love" is a benevolent emotional relationship chosen between two FREE participants.
3) Nature and the animal world are created to be Man's assistants in this quest. The non-Human creatures are (like Man) BEINGS not THINGS. They (like Man) belong ONLY to G-D. Each (like Man) has a unique soul and mission, which will be fulfilled. ALL (like Man) are rewarded by G-D for this service.
4) Humans are commanded to emulate G-D's attributes of loving kindness. mercy and compassion.
5) Man's survival has the highest priority in G-D's plan.
From the above, one may conclude that Man's behavior towards the animal world is explicitly/stringently dictated and regulated by the commandments just as it is towards his fellow men. Man may not act in a whimsical self-centered fashion towards non-Humans. Man must protect and conserve the world created for his benefit.
Man may take non-Human life ONLY IF it is necessary to ensure his survival. Humane methods are demanded by G-D. Failure to recognize these principles with the frivolous use of G-D's creatures as objects/commodities is cruel abuse. This is expressly forbidden and condemned by G-D. We do so at our peril.
Thank you Richard,
Jerry Terdiman
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9. French Vegetarian Man Seeks Soul Mate
Shalom Richard,
Here is a paragraph about me and the type of woman I'm looking for:
31-year-old French Jew, lives in Nice (south-east French city
by the sea near the Italian border), has been vegetarian for
fifteen years now, shomer Shabbat, is looking for 25-30 year-old Jewish woman in order to found a healthy,
vegetarian Jewish family.
Kol touv,
Guershom Le Boëtté
[If interested, please contact me, and I will pass your message on to Guershom.. Thanks.]
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10. Marvelous Video Spoof About Meat
http://vegan.com/blog/2011/02/26/youtube-ask-your-doctor-about-meat
Thanks to JVNA web coordinator Moida Genser for forwarding this link to me.
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