The Blogs: Message to rabbis urging support of plant-based diets

Shalom, dear rabbi,

As a respected community leader, you are in an excellent position to help create a habitable, healthy, environmentally sustainable world for future generations in a way that will promote Jewish teachings and significantly enhance the image of Judaism worldwide.

It has become increasingly apparent that the world is rapidly approaching a climate catastrophe.

In early November, 2024 was already declared the hottest year worldwide in recorded history, surpassing the record established in 2023. Amazingly, all 23 consecutive months, from June 2023 to June 2024, broke monthly temperature records. There has been a significant increase in the frequency and severity of droughts, wildfires, storms, and floods. Climate experts warn that the world may soon reach an irreversible tipping point when climate spins out of control with disastrous consequences.

Israel is especially threatened by climate change. A rising Mediterranean Sea could inundate the coastal plain that contains much of Israel’s population and infrastructure. And the future hotter and drier Middle Eat makes instability, terrorism and war more likely.

Everything possible must be done to reduce climate threats. Most important are shifts away from animal-based diets for two essential reasons.

First, it would reduce the emissions from cows of methane, a very potent greenhouse gas.

More importantly, it would enable the reforestation of the over 40% of the world’s ice-free land now used for grazing and growing feed crops for animals. The additional trees would sequester much atmospheric CO2, reducing it from its current hazardous level to a much safer one, significantly reducing climate threats.

It is also consistent with Jewish values, as animal-based diets and agriculture seriously violate Jewish teachings on preserving our health, treating animals compassionately, protecting the environment, conserving natural resources, reducing hunger, and pursuing peace.

It is also much easier to adopt a plant-based diet today because of the increasing abundance of plant-based substitutes with appearances, textures, and tastes very similar to meat and other animal products.

So, please consider the points in this message with your congregation and colleagues, and please consider with them shifting to a plant-based diet.

If you have comments or suggestions, would like more information, and/or would like to be actively involved in this initiative, please respond to this email.

Below are URLs for organizations’ websites and links to articles that provide further information.

KOL tuv,

Richard (Schwartz)

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Center for Jewish Food Ethics JewishFoodEthics.org

Jewish Vegan Life JewishVeganLife.org

Shamayim: Jewish Animal Advocacy shamayim.us

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Why Jews Should Be Vegans or at least Vegetarians

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/why-jews-should-be-vegans-or-at-least-vegetarians/

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Is Eating Meat and Other Animal Products Halachically Justifiable Today?