368 results for tag: Food Justice

A Shavuot Message: Applying Torah Values To Our Diets

A Shavuot Message: Applying Torah Values To Our Diets By Richard H. Schwartz Since Shavuot is z'man matan Torateinu (the commemoration of the giving of the Torah to the Israelites on Mount Sinai), many dedicated religious Jews admirably stay up the entire first night of Shavuot to hear talks about and discuss Torah teachings. Among these Torah teachings are that Jews should preserve human health, treat animals with compassion, protect the environment, conserve natural resources, help hungry people, and pursue peace. By becoming vegetarians, and preferably vegans, Jews would be partaking in a diet that is most consistent with ...

Lag B’Omer and Vegetarianism

Lag B’Omer & Vegetarianism: Making Every Day Count Daniel Brook & Richard H. Schwartz Lag B’Omer, which begins after sundown on Saturday, April 27 in 2013, is considered a minor Jewish holiday, but even a minor holiday provides valuable lessons and is worth celebrating. A great way to celebrate Lag B’Omer is through vegetarianism, as Lag B’Omer has many vegetarian connections. Lag B’Omer represents the 33rd day of the counting of the omer, the 49 days from the second day of Passover and Shavuot, reminding us of the link between these two holidays. While Passover celebrates our freedom from ...

Parshat Tzav: How Meat Consumption Today Differs from 
The Time of the Mishkan (Sanctuary) in the Wilderness

Parshat Tzav: How Meat Consumption Today Differs from 
The Time of the Mishkan (Sanctuary) in the Wilderness Richard H. Schwartz, PhD And that which is left thereof [from the meal-offering] shall Aaron and his sons eat; it shall be eaten without leaven in a holy place; in the tent of meeting they shall eat it. . . . it is most holy as the sin-offering and the guilt-offering. 
Leviticus 6:9.10

 When the Jewish people were in the wilderness before they entered the land of Israel, the consumption of meat was associated with holiness. Every piece of meat consumed came from an animal sacrificed in the Mishkan (Sanctuary), an act meant to ...

The Challenge of Going Vegan?

The Beet-Eating Heeb is a voracious eater of veggies, fruits, and nuts (especially after a tough workout) and a voracious reader of blogs, newspapers, magazines and books (especially about food issues). Recently, two things The Beet-Eating Heeb read – one in The New York Times, one in a book called “The Pathfinder” – intersected in his mind and compelled him to think hard about the excuses people offer for rejecting veganism. New York Times health blogger Tara Parker-Pope captured BEH’s attention with a post last year titled “The Challenge of Going Vegan.” Parker-Pope examines – some might say exaggerates – several challenges, ...

Owning Rights to Nature

On Tuesday a very interesting case was argued in front of the Supreme Court regarding patents on seeds by Monsanto (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/business/justices-signal-a-monsanto-edge-in-patent-case.html?ref=earth) . Although it appears the court will likely side with Monsanto the case had me thinking about a topic I often discuss at home with my wife but have never blogged about on Jewcology. GMOs are an interesting topic and there are many different aspects that can bring out passionate debate between individuals. The following link to the World Health Organization discusses many of the potential issues and benefits related to GMOs. ...

A Vegetarian Purimshpiel

Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? A Vegetarian Purimshpiel Richard Schwartz Reb Henna taught: "Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Clearly, the chicken. How do we know this? We learn from the Book of Esther that when Mordecai asked Esther to go before King Ahashveros to plead for the Jewish people, she was 'chicken,' fearing for her life. Only when Mordecai 'egged' her on, telling her that perhaps she was enabled to be queen for just this EGGcelent purpose, did she muster the courage and 'scrambled' to appear before the king." Reb Roosta said, "Speaking of birds, I heard ...

He Has Clout in Washington and Klout in Social Media — And He’s Vegan

Vegans might feel virtually invisible within the Jewish community as a whole. But The Beet-Eating Heeb is here to deliver hope. One of the most visible Jews in the Social Media World – and these days, what other world is there? – has become a vegan. Or, as BEH likes to say, this person has joined the Great Jewish Vegan Conspiracy (1). If you're one of the few people who is not following William @Daroff on Twitter, you must be Amish. But, regardless, The Beet-Eating Heeb is pleased to introduce you. William Daroff at The Quiet Storm in Pittsburgh William Daroff has twice been named as one of ...

What’s New in the World of Emergency Food? Part 2

Stockbox: Saving the Endangered Neighborhood Grocer Post by Karin Fleisch, an independent food security consultant and Dean’s Scholar at NYU Wagner. She is a Kol Tzedek Fellow at AJWS and serves on the board of Uri L’Tzedek. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you live in the US? Do you live more than one mile from a grocery store? Do you lack access to a vehicle? If you answered 'yes' to all three questions, welcome to the club - you live in a food desert. It's not a particularly desirable club, unfortunately. Nor an exclusive one: In 2012, over 2.3 million American ...

Purim and Vegetarianism

Purim and Vegetarianism By Richard Schwartz There are many connections between the joyous holiday of Purim and vegetarianism: 1. According to the Talmud, Queen Esther, the heroine of the Purim story, was a vegetarian while she lived in the palace of King Achashverus. She was thus able to avoid violating the kosher dietary laws while keeping her Jewish identity secret. 2. During Purim it is a mitzvah to give "mat'not evyonim" (added charity to poor and hungry people). In contrast to these acts of sharing and compassion, animal-based diets involve the feeding of over 70 percent of the grain in the United States to animals, while an estima...

Tu B’Shvat and Vegetarianism

Tu B'Shvat and Vegetarianism Richard H. Schwartz Tu B'Shvat is arguably the most vegetarian of Jewish holidays, because of its many connections to vegetarian themes and concepts: 1. The Tu B'Shvat Seder in which fruits and nuts are eaten, along with the singing of songs and the recitation of biblical verses related to trees and fruits, is the only sacred meal where only vegetarian, actually vegan, foods, are eaten. This is consistent with the diet in the Garden of Eden, as indicated by God's first, completely vegetarian, dietary law: “And God said: ‘Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and ...

A Sex Therapist, A Book Called “Holy Eating,” and The Beet-Eating Heeb

If the Beet-Eating Heeb were to write a book, he might call it "Holy Eating." After all, what two words better describe Jewish veganism? So imagine The Beet-Eating Heeb's surprise (he won't say dismay) when he discovered a newly published book called "Holy Eating." And the author not only happens to be a fellow member of the Pittsburgh Jewish community, he is someone BEH is personally fond of -- Dr. Robert Schwartz. But wait a minute. The last time BEH checked, his friend Bob Schwartz was working as a sex therapist. Now he has written a book about eating? Upon hearing about this book, The Beet-Eat...

Tu Bishvat: Seasonal Fruit and the New Year for Trees

The month of Sh’vat (January 11-February 10, 2013) includes the holiday of Tu Bishvat (January 25-26, 2013), which is a particularly significant day for contemporary Jews who are passionate about nature, ecology and farming. Today, this relatively minor holiday has become a key celebration of our sacred connection with fruit trees, food and the natural world. However, amidst our delight in this bounty, we would do well to reflect critically on what fruits we enjoy, when we consume them and where they come from. Tu Bishvat is not a biblical holiday. In Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1, the early rabbis describe four different New Years occasio...

Canvassing for the Farm

As a part of Earth’s Promise work to establish an Urban Farm supported by Local Sustainable Economy, employees and volunteers took to the streets to interview local businesses. All of the businesses that we interviewed are located in neighborhood “Gimel” in Beer Sheva. Many of the businesses have been operating in the neighborhood for a many years. It is important when starting a Local Sustainable Economy to understand the needs of the local businesses. Earth’s Promise did a survey to learn about how an Urban Farm providing local organic produce could help them. When starting a door-to-door campaign, many of the activists are weary ...

Why Is This Night Different? Thoughts on Tu Bishvat

WHY IS THIS NIGHT DIFFERENT? THOUGHTS ON TU BISHVAT Richard H. Schwartz One of the highlights of the Passover Seder is the recitation of the four questions that consider how the night of Passover differs from all the other nights of the year. Many questions are also appropriate for Tu Bishvat, which starts on Friday evening, January 25 in 2013, because of the many ways that this holiday differs from Passover and all other days of the year. While four cups of red wine (or grape juice) are drunk at the Passover Seder, the four cups drunk at the Tu Bishvat Seder vary in color from white to pink to ruby to red. While Passover is a holiday of ...

Join Us! Houston’s Jewish Food Summit – January 27, 2013

Join us in Houston on Sunday, January 27th for a morning of learning and hands-on workshops at the intersection of sustainability and Jewish values! At Texas' first Jewish Food Summit, we'll explore how to integrate ancient wisdom into our contemporary lives. The program will feature guest speakers, informative workshops, and a tree-planting followed by a special Tu B'Shvat seder--a special meal to celebrate the Jewish New Year for the Trees. All are welcome! What: Houston Jewish Food Summit When: January 27, 2013, 9:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Where: Congregation Brith Shalom 4610 Bellaire Boulevard Bellaire TX 77401 713.667.9201 This program is ...

Should Jews be Vegetarians?

Should Jews Be Vegetarians? And God said: "Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree that has seed-yielding fruit -- to you it shall be for food." Genesis 1:29 I believe strongly that Jews should be vegetarians (and preferably vegans) today because of God’s strictly vegan dietary regimen above and because meat consumption and the ways in which meat is produced today conflict with Jewish teachings in at least six important areas: 1. While Judaism mandates that people should be very careful about preserving their health and ...

Urban Agriculture and Bringing Food Closer to Home

A trip to the supermarket or shuk is usually started by a stroll down the fruit and vegetable aisles. These are also the most impressive rows studded with colors and smells, a myriad of sensations for the senses to experience. While many people seem to be experts in how to pick the most quality produce on the shelf by checking texture, smell, and even knocking on some fruits to listen to the hollow sound, very few could tell you where this food comes from. If we did a survey to find out, many people would guess from somewhere in the country. The question is: does it matter where our food comes from? All around the world Urban Farms are ...

Celebrating Miracles: A Chanukah Message

Celebrating Miracles: A Chanukah Message Daniel Brook, Ph.D. & Richard H. Schwartz, Ph.D. [A longer version of this article can be found in the holidays’ section at JewishVeg.com/schwartz] Chanukah commemorates the single small container of pure olive oil — expected to be enough for only one day — which, according to the Talmud (Shabbat 21b), miraculously lasted for eight days in the rededicated Temple. A switch to vegetarianism would be using our wisdom and compassion to help inspire another great miracle: the end of the tragedy of world hunger, therefore ensuring the survival of tens of millions of people annually. Currently, from ...

FeastForward.org Releases a New Video with Sandor Katz

FeastFoward.org, an online web based video series powered by Jewish Farm School, released a new video today featuring fermentation revivalist Sandor Katz. Sandor shares his recipe for perfect sauerkraut, the favorite sustainable Jewish food used to preserve the winter vegetable harvest. Fermentation is more than just a preservation technique. It is a dance with micro-organisms that enables us to eat delicious, healthy, locally grown foods throughout the entire year. It is a practice that has been going on for millennia and is a crucial component of a sustainable food system. Sandor also shares some bigger picture thoughts about the ...

Reflections Before the Hazon Food Conference

We are getting ready to attend the Hazon Food Conference, which has brought about a bit of a reflection. I've been thinking this past fall, as we investigate our institutional role in the future, abou tthe futility I felt about going to farmer's markets last year. About how much work it took to grow everything. How much money we lost on our mistakes. All of the times we connected with people, and then lost those connections. Things like this get me down, but if I were to stop and reflect on what my thoughts were when I "joined" this movement, I would have said something like: 1. Individual consumers are the only ...