November 23, 2011

11/23/2011 JVNA Online Newsletter

November 23, 2011

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

1. JVNA has its own Google+ page

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


2. Chanukah and Vegetarianism

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


3. A Jew Confronts Her First Veg Thanksgiving

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



4. Rabbi Applies Jewish Values to Thanksgiving Turkey


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


5. Printed JVNA Newsletters from the 1990s Available


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



6. New Book: Jews Can Save the Planet

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


7. Paul McCartney Converts

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



8. Fur Free Friday and Judaism

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

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


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

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

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


10. Congratulations to Ricki Lake

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