Join us on Sunday, September 18 at 1 p.m. EDT / 10 a.m. PDT / 8 p.m. Israel: “New Year’s Resolutions for the Upcoming Israeli Knesset Year” Get more information, additional meeting topics, schedules and RSVP here: https://aytzim.org/rsvp Please note: RSVPs accepted until two hours before the session start; links
Join us on Sunday, August 21 at 1 p.m. EDT / 10 a.m. PDT / 8 p.m. Israel: “What are the Needs of Olim in the 22nd Century?” Get more information, additional meeting topics, schedules and RSVP here: https://aytzim.org/rsvp Please note: RSVPs accepted until two hours before the session start;
Food For Thought: Planetary Healing Begins on Our Plate Camilla Perusello, PhD Lantern Publishing and Media 2022. Food For Thought That Can Heal the Planet At a time when animal-based diets are contributing very significantly to a potential climate catastrophe and other environmental threats, risks
by Richard Schwartz Take a look at the following 3 articles: 1. Freeing Ourselves at Passover From Diets That Hurt Us and the Planet 2. How Applying Passover Messages Can Help Heal Our Imperiled Planet 3. Passover and Vegetarianism or Veganism ============= 1. Freeing Ourselves at Passover From Diets That
There is increasing evidence that animal-based diets are causing an epidemic of life-threatening diseases, contributing to climate change and other environmental threats to humanity, and having other negative effects. Despite the increasing need for a shift toward veganism to counteract these problems, progress has been relatively slow. It is time
Some Jews commendably go to extraordinary lengths during Passover to avoid certain foods, in keeping with Torah mitzvot. But at the same time, many continue eating other foods that, by Torah standards, are far from ideal. On Passover, Jews are prohibited from eating, owning,
Shalom dear Rabbis, Because of your collective wisdom, dedication to Jewish values, and valuable contacts, you are in a position to help shift our imperiled planet onto a sustainable path. This would help leave a decent, habitable, environmentally sustainable world for future generations. To paraphrase Mordechai’s plea to
The French writer Victor Hugo famously wrote, “Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.” Vegan Voices: Essays by Inspiring Changemakers, through very insightful essays by dedicated vegan activists, provides many reasons why the time has come for a societal shift to veganism. These include: * There
This article was originally published in the February 18, 2022 Jerusalem Post There is a widely accepted aspect of modern life that contradicts many Jewish teachings and harms people, communities, and the planet — the mass production of meat and other animal products and their widespread consumption. Animal-based diets conflict
Judaism is all about performing mitzvot, carrying out God’s commandments. However, a mitzvah haba’ah b’aveirah – a mitzvah abetted by an aveirah (sin or “illegitimate means”) – is forbidden and is not considered a mitzvah. For example, if one uses a stolen lulav and esrog on Sukkot, it is
Shalom,I will be facilitating two Tu B’Shvat Seders using zoom:One, for Israelis and UK residents, will be on Sunday, January 16, from 9 PM to 10:30 PM, Israeli time.The other, for Americans, will be on Monday, January 17, from 1:30 PM to 3 PM, US eastern time.I have conducted many
by Richard Schwartz Tu Bishvat is the New Year for Trees. It honors trees, fruits and other aspects of nature. It is a Jewish holiday that is typically vegetarian or vegan as nuts and fruits are eaten as part of the ritual. To learn more take a look at the
Judaism stresses pikuach nefesh, the principle that everything possible must be done to save a life, even if Jewish law has to be violated to do so. Of the 613 Torah mitzvot (commandments), 610 of them can be violated if if it might help save a life. The
Please see excerpt below. Thanks.
It is vital to conduct respectful dialogues within the Jewish community on whether Jews should be vegetarians, or even vegans. In the spirit of this debate, I have imagined a dialogue as a means of encouraging readers to conduct such debates with local rabbis, educators, and other Jewish leaders. These
Below are 18 reasons why many of my fellow Jews think they should not be vegetarian or vegan (henceforth veg*an) and my rebuttals to the reasons: 1) The Torah teaches that humans are granted dominion over animals (Genesis 1:26), giving us a warrant to treat animals in any way we
The most critical issue facing the world today is the possibility of a climate catastrophe that threatens the viability of human civilization. This article discusses the seriousness of the threats, why it is likely to become far more severe in the future, and what needs to be done to avert the
Strategy ideas to get Veganism and related issues onto the agenda of the upcoming climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland I think it is urgent that shifts toward vegan diets as a way to reduce climate threats be on the UN Glasgow Climate Conference agenda, as part of efforts to make
Can a Climate Catastrophe Be Prevented? Food is Climate: A Response To Al Gore, Bill Gates, Paul Hawken, and the Conventional Narrative On Climate Change Glen Merzer ISBN: 9798507729623 Vivid Thoughts Press 2021; $10.95; Kindle copy, $5.95 Reviewed by Richard H. Schwartz Every once
Renewed themes in the commandment of the shmita, in light of the climate crisis This year 5782 is a shmita year – a special period in the Hebrew calendar that recurs once every seven years. This year we face a harsh reality – the IPPC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
