Last week I distributed to my congregational e-mail list a message which directed interested readers to the website of PETA (People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to view an astonishingly offensive comparison between Holocaust victims and caged chickens awaiting slaughter. It was the opening salvo in a new shock campaign by PETA which they have named “The Holocaust On Your Plate” and which is centered around a traveling exhibition of large photos and text which juxtapose the Nazis’ victims and animals slaughtered for food.

Naturally the Jewish community was outraged by this offensive campaign and PETA was quickly deluged with angry e-mails (mine among them) condemning the organization for its callousness and for the inference that humans are, at all times and in all situations, to be equated with other species. PETA’s stock response was to inform us that the exhibit and campaign were created and backed by Jews, some of whom are reported to be supporters of Holocaust memorial institutions, as if to say, “Because some Jews were involved in this project it can’t possibly be considered offensive to Jews!” More realistically, I suspect that PETA’s leaders believe that any publicity is good publicity.

Sadly, this effort will serve to deflect attention from what is of growing interest to many in the Jewish community, namely the wealth of teachings and commentaries within Judaism which support, for many reasons, the choice of a vegetarian diet or one in which animal flesh occupies a diminishing portion of the whole.

Prof. Richard Schwartz is the foremost contemporary proponent of Jewish vegetarianism. He has written extensively on the subject and, in this recent PETA imbroglio, has found himself uncomfortably squeezed on both sides of the vociferous debate. As a Jew, he understands Jewish outrage over the comparison between death camp victims and poultry, yet he strives to keep the larger subject–the impact on our world of raising and eating animals–from getting lost in the heat of the debate.

In an article found at www.jewishveg.com (This is a link to the Jewish Vegetarian website.) , Prof. Schwartz cites six major Jewish reasons for vegetarianism:

1. The creator of the world first commanded humans to eat only from that which grows (Genesis 1:29) and this interpretation is agreed to by the major Torah commentators as well.

2. Permission to eat meat was granted to Noah and his descendants after the flood on a temporary basis only due to human frailty. The Bible connects meat eating with uncontrollable appetite (Deuteronomy 12: 20). In the days of the Messiah, all creatures will be vegan (based on "the wolf shall dwell with the lamb…… the lion will eat straw like the ox ……", Isaiah, 11:6-9).

3. The commandment not to cause grief to living creatures comes from the Torah and is therefore of greater significance than the ensuing commandments given by the Rabbis. The permission granted in the Bible to eat meat does not include abusing animals before they are slaughtered. Since modern animal farming severely abuses animals, meat eating constitutes [....] a transgression against the prohibition concerning animal abuse.

4. Care of the spirit and the concurrent care of one’s physical health that is a component of it, is an important Jewish commandment. Research testifies that consumption of meat and meat products increases the likelihood of cancer, heart disease, and other chronic degenerative diseases.

5. The prohibition against destroying the environment ("thou shall not destroy," bal tashchit) is a commandment from the Torah. It is based on Deuteronomy 20:19-20 which prohibits the destruction of fruit-bearing trees during wartime, and [on] extensions of the sages. Livestock agriculture causes pollution and destruction of the environment. It requires large agricultural plots, and huge amounts of water, energy, and other resources.

6. Aiding the hungry is another important mandate in Judaism. Farmers are required to leave the corners of the fields and the gleanings of their harvests for the hungry. However, 70% of the grain produced in the West is consumed by animals raised by the food industry. Part of the resources that are channeled to the meat industry could be utilized to feed the hungry in third world countries.

These citations are but the proverbial tip of the iceberg of information Prof. Schwartz has amassed on the subject of Judaism and vegetarianism. To the extent that we take our commitment to Judaism seriously and understand the demands it places upon us to be God’s partners in stewardship of this planet, this is a subject we should not and cannot avoid. I encourage you to visit Prof. Schwartz’s website or to read his book Judaism and Vegetarianism.( New York City: Lantern Books, 2000)

[In the interests of full disclosure, let me note that I am not a strict vegetarian. I do eat fish but eliminated all meat from my diet some years ago. My dietary choices do reflect, however, a serious commitment to the principles of kashrut.]

On a final note, Jewish vegetarians or those interested in the subject, might wish to track down a Passover haggadah entitled Haggadah for the Liberated Lamb (Roberta Kalechofsky).

Have a ziesen (sweet) Pesach!

Reb Elias

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