(1) Judaism mandates that people be very careful
about preserving their health and their lives ("v`nishmartem
me`od l`nafshotechem", Deut. 4:15), but the typical
American high-fat, high-cholesterol animal-centered
diet has been linked to the three most frequent American
killers - heart disease, stroke, and various types
of cancer - and other degenerative diseases, and a
former U. S. Surgeon General has stated that 68% of
diseases in this country are diet related; and
(2) Judaism stresses that we are to share our bread
with hungry people, but over 70% of the grain consumed
in the United States and 2/3rd of the grain exported
by the United States is fed to animals destined for
slaughter, as an estimated 20 million people (primarily
children) die annually from hunger and its effects;
and
(3) Judaism teaches that "the earth is the L-rd's"
and that we are to be partners with G-d in preserving
the world, but animal-centered diets and the current
factory farming associated with it have major negative
ecological effects, including soil erosion and depletion,
water and air pollution related to the production
and use of pesticides, fertilizer, and other chemical
inputs, the destruction of tropical rainforests and
other habitats, and potential global warming through
the destruction of forests to create land for grazing
and the production of feed crops, and the emission
of large amounts of methane during the digestive process
of cattle; and
(4) Judaism mandates that we are not to waste or
unnecessarily destroy anything of value (bal tashchit
(Deut. 20: 19,20)), or use more resources than is
necessary to accomplish a purpose, but animal- based
agriculture requires up to 20 times as much land and
10 times as much energy and water as the production
of vegetarian foods, as well as vast amounts of pesticides,
fertilizer, and other resources; and
(5) Judaism emphasizes compassion for animals (tsa`ar
ba`alei chayim), but animals are raised for food today
under cruel conditions, in crowded, confined cells,
denied fresh air, exercise, and any emotional stimulation,
and fed and injected with chemicals and hormones;
and
(6) Judaism stresses that we must seek and pursue
peace and that violence results from unjust conditions,
but animal-centered diets, by wasting valuable resources,
help to perpetuate the widespread hunger and poverty
that eventually lead to instability and war; and
(7) G-d`s first dietary law was vegetarian (Genesis
1:29), and this is agreed to by the most highly respected
Torah commentators, including Rashi, the Rambam, and
the Ramban; and
(8) according to the Talmud (Pesachim 109a}, since
the destruction of the Temple, Jews need not eat meat
in order to rejoice on festivals; and
(9) Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hakohen Kook, the first
Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel, stated
that in the Messianic period people will again be
vegetarians, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah: "The
wolf shall dwell with the lamb...the lion shall eat
straw like the ox... and none shall hurt nor destroy
in all of G-d's holy mountain"; and
(10) over 1700 of the world's scientists, including
104 Nobel laureates in scientific fields, have signed
a "Scientists Warning To Humanity", which states that
major changes are necessary if civilization is to
move away from its present unsustainable path; and
(11) the powerful meat, dairy, and egg lobbies have
promoted food habits that have been linked to many
degenerative diseases (for example, the "Basic Four
Food Groups" that these groups strongly supported
for many years involves up to 50% animal products
in the diet); and
(12) the pharmaceutical industry and other lobbies
have stressed cures for diseases rather than preventive
approaches through dietary and other lifestyle changes;
and
(13) many people in the Jewish community (and other
communities) base their dietary choices on myths that
are part of the conventional wisdom; (for example,
(1) it is commonly believed that large amounts of
protein are necessary for a nutritious diet, but recent
research has shown that sufficient protein can be
easily obtained on a well-balanced plant-based diet
(human mothers' milk has only 5% of its calories as
protein, compared to 48% in a rat's mother's milk),
and (2) it is commonly believed that large amounts
of dairy products are necessary in order to avoid
osteoporosis, but recent medical research has shown
that countries such as the United States and Scandinavian
countries where people consume the highest amounts
of dairy products have the highest rates of osteoporosis,
and other countries, such as China, where the people
are largely lactose intolerant, have low rates of
osteoporosis (the reason is that the consumption of
large amounts of animal protein causes calcium to
be excreted from the body; and
(14) the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine
has been actively promoting their "New Four Food Groups",
composed of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and
legumes as the best way to improve the health of the
American people, and their proposal that the U. S.
Department of Agriculture modify their nutrition guidelines
so that it is based on their "New Four Food Groups"
has been endorsed by 24 prestigious physicians; and
(15) the realization of Judaism's vision and the
welfare and survival of the world require more than
ever that Jews be "a light unto the nations", with
regard to such issues as ecology, human health, world
hunger, conservation of resources, treatment of animals,
and vegetarianism is the diet most consistent with
this; and
(16) for too long the Jewish community has generally
paid insufficient attention to ways in which meat-based
diets deviate from basic Jewish teachings and threaten
human health, hungry people worldwide, and our environmental
future; and
(17) our actions based on the above considerations
would be an important step in showing that Jews are
still "rachamanim b'nei rachamanim", compassionate
children of compassionate parents, and that Jewish
values can result in actions necessary for the improvement
of individuals and society; and hence
1. to set up a committee to look more deeply into
the above considerations from a positive Jewish perspective;
2. to sharply reduce or eliminate animal products
at events sponsored by the Synagogue and Synagogue-related
groups;
3. to take steps to educate members of our congregation
as well as the entire Jewish community about realities
and moral issues related to typical American diets,
and the ways that plant-centered diets reflect and
embody central Jewish values;
4. to prominently display in a suitable location
nutritional information about the food served at the
Synagogue;
5. to convey this resolution to other synagogues
and other Jewish groups, so that they can consider
it and also take appropriate actions if they so desire;
6. to encourage rabbis to explore these issues,
to discuss them with their congregations, students,
colleagues, and families, and to bring up similar
rsolutions at rabbinic and congregational conferences;
7. to encourage principals of yeshivas, day schools,
and Talmud Torahs to see that these issues are included
in their curricula;
8. to encourage Jewish groups to refrain from serving
meat at communal functions;
9. to encourage Jewish families to celebrate their
simchas with vegetarian meals;
10. to encourage directors of Jewish camps to see
that vegetarian options are available at all meals;
11. to encourage the Jewish media to give extensive
coverage to the many moral issues related to our diets;
12. to urge the formation of a commission composed
of rabbinic, health, nutritional, and environmental
experts to study the effects of current animal-based
agriculture and diets, with special concern to the
impacts with regard to Jewish law and values.
13. to evaluate progress toward these goals periodically
and to consider ways to improve our efforts.
