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Jewish Group urges a 'Global Warming-Response Shabbat'

PRESS RELEASE

November 27, 2008

Contact Person: Richard H. Schwartz, Ph.D.,
President, Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA)
President@JewishVeg.com
(718) 761-5876


Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) announced today a major campaign to make December 5 -6, 2008 a “Global Warming-Response Shabbat,” in conjunction with a “Global Day of Action - International Demonstrations on Climate Change,” on Saturday, December 6, which is midway through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Poznan, Poland, from December 1st to 12th 2008.

Promoting this Shabbat does not necessarily imply agreement with all statements and actions related to the “Global Day of Action.”

Organizers of the “Global Day of Action” are planning synchronized demonstrations around the world on Saturday, December 6th in many places to call on world leaders to take urgent action on climate change.

The 'Call to Action' for these demonstrations and related events that will take place on December 6th 2008 is in the supplementary material below this press release.

JVNA urges the Jewish community to plan events for the “Global Warming Response Shabbat” that will increase the awareness of the importance of applying Jewish environmental teachings at a time when several climate experts are predicting catastrophic results from global climate change and other environmental threats unless major changes soon occur.

"Creation is endangered as perhaps never before by global climate change and many other environmental problems," said JVNA President Richard Schwartz, "and it is essential that Jews play our role as co-workers with God in addressing these threats. We should make tikkun olam, the repair and healing of the planet, a central focus in Jewish life today, thereby helping to move our imperiled planet to a sustainable path.”

Among the Shabbat-consistent activities suggested by JVNA are sermons, divrei Torah, talks, panel discussions and debates on Jewish responses to global warming and other environmental threats, environmentally-friendly meals and kiddushes, classes devoted to the issues, considerations of methods of greening synagogues and reducing individuals' impacts on the environment by using more efficient light bulbs, reducing driving through walking, biking and carpooling, etc., planning of letter writing campaigns, picture exhibits and nature walks and explorations. When Shabbat is over, there can be showings of relevant videos, including the JVNA video mentioned below.

JVNA will contact Jewish environmental groups, rabbis and Jewish institutions to inform them about this initiative and to suggest ways they can get involved.

Based on a 390-page report issued by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2006, indicating animal-based agriculture contributes more to greenhouse gas emissions (in carbon dioxide equivalents) than all forms of transportation worldwide combined, JVNA urges a consideration of shifts toward plant-based diets as an essential component of Jewish responses to current environmental threats.

Much valuable background material on environmental issues and Jewish teachings on conservation and environmental stewardship may be found at the following web sites:
--www.coejl.org/index.php
--www.canfeinesharim.org/
--http://www.shalomctr.org/taxonomy_menu/1/128/5
[This does not imply that these groups support this initiative.]

More information about JVNA and dietary connections to environmental issues can be found at the JVNA web site (www.JewishVeg.com) and the over 130 related articles by Richard Schwartz at www.JewishVeg.com/schwartz. JVNA will send a complimentary DVD of its one-hour documentary “A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World” to all who request one at ASacredDuty.com, where the complete movie can also be seen, including a version with Hebrew subtitles.

=========================
Supplementary material:

The 'Call to Action' by the organizers of the “Global Day of Action” for the demonstrations and related events that will take place on December 6th 2008 is below.

“We demand that world leaders take the urgent and resolute action that is needed to prevent the catastrophic destabilization of global climate, so that the entire world can move as rapidly as possible to a stronger emissions reductions treaty which is both equitable and effective in minimizing dangerous climate change.

We demand that the long-industrialized countries that have emitted most greenhouse gases currently in the atmosphere take responsibility for climate change mitigation by immediately reducing their own emissions as well as investing in a clean energy revolution in the developing world. Developed countries must take their fair share of the responsibility to pay for the adaptive measures that have to be taken, especially by low-emitting countries with limited economic resources.

Climate change will hit the poorest first and hardest. All who have the economic means to act, must therefore urgently and decisively do so.”

We feel that there is an overwhelming need to create a groundswell of global opinion to push for the urgent and radical action on climate change, without which we risk a global catastrophe of unimaginable proportions.

To help build for these demonstrations please find the contact for your country, below, or if there is not yet one listed there contact us at info@globalclimatecampaign.org

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 (JVNA)
Author: JVNA


Date: 2008-11-28