USA: Jewish group claims vegetarianism essential for planetary sustainability

PRESS RELEASE

July 13, 2008
Contact:
Richard H. Schwartz, President of the Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA)
President@JewishVeg.com
Phone: (718) 761-5876

Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) announced plans today to inform Jews and others that a major shift toward vegetarianism is essential to avoid an unprecedented catastrophe from global warming and other environmental threats.

“We are receiving so many wake-up calls, in terms of massive floods, severe droughts, widespread wild fires and much more,” asserted JVNA president Richard H. Schwartz. “It is time that we applied Judaism's splendid environmental teachings in efforts to shift our imperiled planet to a sustainable path.”

JVNA plans to widely publicize the following key relations between animal-based diets and current environmental threats:

* While the world is increasingly threatened by global warming, according to a 2006 UN report, animal-based agriculture emits more greenhouse gases (in CO2 equivalents) than all the cars and other means of transportation worldwide combined (18 percent vs. 13.5 percent).

* At a time when food prices are skyrocketing, food riots are occurring in many areas and an estimated 20 million people are dying annually worldwide from hunger and its effects, over 70 percent of the grain produced in the United States and over 40 percent produced worldwide are fed to farmed animals.

* In an increasingly thirsty and energy-dependent world, animal-based diets require up to 14 times as much water and 10 times as much energy as vegan (all plants) diets.

Additional reasons for Jews to consider a switch toward vegetarianism, and preferably veganism, include:

* Animal-centered diets are contributing to an epidemic of heart disease, several types of cancer and other diseases in the Jewish and other communities;

* Even if animals are slaughtered strictly according to Jewish law, with minimum pain, billions of animals still suffer greatly from cruel treatment on factory farms.

* Making all of the above points more serious, the consumption of animal products is projected to double in 50 years. If this happens, it will make it very difficult, if not impossible, to reduce greenhouse emissions enough to avoid very severe effects from global climate change.

To increase the campaign's impact in the Jewish community, JVNA plans to stress the great threats to Israel from global warming. A recent report by the Israel Union for Environmental Defense indicated that, unless major changes occur in Israel and worldwide, Israel will suffer from severe heat waves, a reduction of rainfall of up to 30 percent, major storms and a rise in the Mediterranean Sea that would flood much of the country. Israel is currently suffering from its worst drought in 80 years.

It is essential that our rabbis and other Jewish leaders recognize that a major shift toward plant-based diets is essential to avoid the unprecedented catastrophe that the world is rapidly approaching and to move our precious, but imperiled, planet to a sustainable path.

It is urgent that tikkun olam-the healing and repair of the world -- be a central issue in synagogues, Jewish schools and other Jewish institutions. Judaism has splendid teachings on environmental conservation and sustainability, and it is essential that they be applied to respond to the many current environmental threats.

JVNA urges rabbis and other Jewish leaders to make Jews aware of how animal-based diets and agriculture violate basic Jewish mandates to preserve human health, treat animals compassionately, protect the environment, conserve natural resources and help hungry people.

Further information about these issues can be found at the JVNA web site JewishVeg.com. JVNA will provide complimentary copies of its new documentary A SACRED DUTY: APPLYING JEWISH VALUES TO HELP HEAL THE WORLD rabbis and other Jewish leaders who will contact them (president@JewishVeg.com) and indicate how they will use them to involve their congregations on the issues. The entire movie can be seen and further information about it can be found at ASacredDuty.com.

Richard H. Schwartz, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, College of Staten Island
Author of "Judaism and Vegetarianism," "Judaism and Global Survival," and "Mathematics and Global Survival," and over 130 articles at www.JewishVeg.com/schwartz
President of Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA)
and Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians (SERV)
Associate Producer of A SACRED DUTY (asacredduty.com)
president@JewishVeg.com

Source: Jewish Vegetarians of North America

Link: Israel facing water crisis
Link: THE 11th HOUR is the last moment when change is possible. The film explores how we've arrived at this moment -- how we live, how we impact the earth's ecosystems, and what we can do to change our course. Produced and hosted by Leonardo DiCaprio...


Other EVANA-articles about this topic:
Jewish Group urges dietary shifts on 'World Water Day' to alleviate severe Israeli drought (en)
World Water Day - 22 March 2009 (en)
JVNA: Changing diet can protect Israel from climate catastrophe (en)