Judaism and Vegetarianism by Richard H Schwartz,
New Revised Edition, Lantern Books, $18.
I WAS INTRODUCED to Jewish vegetarianism in the early
1980s through Rose Friedman's Jewish Vegetarian Cooking
(Thorsons Publishers Ltd) which I've used ever since.
The mixture of East European Ashkenazi dishes with
those of the Middle Eastern Sephardim tradition is
a fascinating one and, in the concluding words of
the Foreword, the table of those consuming them 'will
not be marred by violence, but adorned with the peaceful
and goodly products of the land, thus hastening the
days when "they shall no longer hurt nor destroy".'
This connection between vegetarianism and the deepest
aspirations of religion is given thorough coverage
in this new edition of Professor Schwartz's Judaism
and Vegetarianism. It challenges all those for
whom Abraham is their 'father in faith' (see Eucharistic
Prayer I) to consider seriously converting to a vegetarian
diet. As one of the statements supporting the thesis
expresses:
'(Schwartz) shows us that to be a mensch today,
to be a whole and healthy and fully human being,
you have to bring your food choices into alignment
with your ethics, and that means, for anyone who
aspires towards peace and compassion, eating a plant-based
diet.'
Bristling with rabbinic endorsements and positive
reviews, this book should adorn the shelves of anyone
serious about religion and compassionate living. Such
compassion does not exclude the right treatment of
human beings - and it would be inconsistent with authentic
animal welfarism for it to do so. There are chapters
linking Judaism and vegetarianism with health, feeding
the hungry, ecology, and peace. All are scholarly
yet completely readable, with stories, facts and fresh
insights and nothing trite or hackneyed. Schwartz
makes much use of chapter subdivisions and lists which
give the text an immediacy and memorable quality.
Chapters also cover the biblical background and interpretation,
and the scriptural mandate tsa 'ar ba'alei chayim,
not to cause pain to any living creature, which 'is
part of the Jewish vision of what it means to be a
tzaddik (righteous individual) and to imitate
God's ways'.
But, you may be saying, how can all this square with
the Jewish sacrifice of animals in the Temple in biblical
times, and with the shechitah laws governing the slaughter
of animals? How can the Passover be celebrated without
the eating of lamb and has Judaism been morally wrong
in not advocating vegetarianism before now? These,
and other Jewish-oriented questions, are all posed
and given candid, honest answers. They are cleverly
followed by 'Questions for Vegetarians to Ask' to
enable veggies to take the offensive for once in conversations
with meat-eaters. Then there is a section on 'Questions
& Answers: General Issues' which apply to anyone
considering taking up the vegetarian way of life,
dealing with such things as nutrition and predation.
There is a slight American bias in some of the material,
but it is not too intrusive:
Question 27, for example, asks 'Doesn't humane legislation
ensure the welfare of farm animals?' and is answered
by 'On both state and federal levels, the raising
of animals for food is specifically exempted from
anti-cruelty laws and humane legislation. Strong opposition
from the powerful farm lobby has defeated legislative
efforts to even study the treatment of farm animals.'
(Hence the importance of the following book* to be
reviewed on this page.) The book concludes with a
useful index, after giving lists of Jewish Vegetarian
Groups and Activities, and short Biographies of Famous
Jewish Vegetarians (most I suspect are not too famous
for non-Jews, except for Franz Kafka and Isaac Beshevis
Singer). If you have trouble ordering the book, this
is its ISBN number: 1-930051-24-7.
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