by
Richard H. Schwartz, Ph.D.
Jews should be actively involved
in ending the widespread abuses of animals
on factory farms and in other settings, not
because of anything PETA says or does, but
because Judaism mandates it.
There is much to criticize
PETA for in terms of its philosophy and actions.
While PETA is properly committed to the elimination
or at least major reduction of the mistreatment
of animals, many of its actions are insensitive
and turn people off to its cause. Its “Holocaust
on Your Plate” campaign, in comparing
the brutal slaughter of 6 million Jews and
millions of others to the horrible treatment
of farmed animals, failed to consider the
feelings of Holocaust survivors and others,
the dignity of Holocaust victims, and human
uniqueness and dignity, and its apology, while
a welcome step forward, failed to consider
some of the reasons for the widespread criticism.
The Jewish community should
continue to try to make PETA more aware of
why many Jews and others are extremely upset
by its actions, and one way to do this is
to make PETA aware of how changing their methods
and working together with the Jewish community
in addressing animal abuses is in their interest
and that of the animals they are trying to
help.
There are reasons to believe
that PETA and Jewish groups can find common
ground. Perhaps most important is a common
desire to improve conditions for animals.
Also, although it is not commonly known, PETA
has made statements and taken actions that
have been very positive re the Jewish community.
They have indicated that shechita, when properly
carried out, is a superior method of slaughter,
and they have praised Jewish teachings on
the proper treatment of animals. They have
produced a “Judaism and Vegetarianism”
DVD and a booklet, “A Jewish Case for
Vegetarianism,” both of which are filled
with positive Jewish teachings. They are giving
out free copies of the booklet in quantity
to all who request them. They also acted responsibly
and sensitively in the Postville kosher slaughterhouse
controversy by focusing on improving conditions
at that facility, rather than attacking shechita
or Judaism for the abuses of animals. These
are actions that the Jewish community should
appreciate and seek ways to build on.
It would be wonderful if somehow
PETA would make the changes that would enable
the Jewish community to work with PETA in
improving conditions for farmed animals and
other animals. But, no matter what, PETA’s
statements and actions should not be used
as a justification for not doing what the
Torah mandates.
Even if shechita (Jewish ritual
slaughter) is carried out perfectly and pain
and distress during slaughter are minimized,
can we ignore the many violations of Jewish
teachings on compassion to animals as billions
of animals on “factory farms”
in the United States and worldwide experience
pain, suffering, and agony for their entire
lives? If we do, are we carrying out our mandate
to be “rachmanim b’nei rachmanim”
(compassionate children of compassionate ancestors)?
Are we failing to properly imitate G-d, Whose
“tender mercies are over all His creatures”
(Psalms 145:9)?
If, as is recited at synagogue
services every Sabbath and Yom tov morning,
“the soul of every living creature shall
bless God’s Name,” can we expect
these cruelly treated animals to join in the
praise?
If “the righteous person
considers the life of his or her animal”
(Proverbs 12:10), how will we be judged, based
on our acceptance of the treatment of the
animals raised, trucked and slaughtered for
our tables?
And, can we ignore the many
other ways that animal-based diets and modern
livestock agriculture severely violate Jewish
values:
* While Judaism mandates that
people should be very careful about preserving
their health and their lives, numerous scientific
studies have implicated the products of modern
intensive livestock agriculture as significant
risk factors for coronary heart disease, stroke,
several forms of cancer, and other chronic
degenerative diseases.
* While Judaism teaches that
"the earth is the Lord's" (Psalm
24:1) and that we are to be God's partners
and co-workers in preserving the world, modern
intensive livestock agriculture is widely
recognized by independent scientists, including
the Union of Concerned Scientists, as an environmentally
unsustainable enterprise that grossly accelerates
soil erosion and depletion, air and water
pollution, overuse of chemical fertilizers
and pesticides, the destruction of tropical
rainforests and other habitats, global climate
change, and other forms of environmental damage.
* While Judaism mandates bal
tashchit, not to waste or unnecessarily destroy
anything of value, or use more than is needed
to accomplish a purpose, a diet based upon
animal agriculture instead of plant agriculture
(which provides protein from grains, beans,
tubers, nuts and seeds) wastes many times
more land, fresh water, fossil fuels, grain
and other resources. It takes up to sixteen
pounds of grain to produce just one pound
of feedlot-finished beef.
While Judaism stresses that
we are to assist the poor and share our bread
with hungry people, an estimated twenty million
human beings worldwide die each year because
of hunger and its effects, and nearly a billion
are chronically malnourished. While the solution
of widespread hunger is complex, it doesn't
help that over 70 percent of the grain grown
in the U.S. and almost 40 percent worldwide
is produced to fatten food animals, not to
feed the world's most impoverished human citizens,
many of whom are displaced from their land
by animal feed growers.
* While Judaism stresses that
we must seek and pursue peace and that violence
results from unjust conditions, the global
expansion of Western-style animal-centered
diets is increasing the gap between food security
"haves" and "have nots,"
a chronic injustice that can lead to political
unrest and violent conflict.
Clearly, Jewish values and
meat consumption are in serious conflict.
If Judaism is to remain relevant to many of
the great problems of today, it is my heartfelt
belief that all Jews should seriously consider
adopting a sustainable vegan, vegetarian,
or plant-based diet. In my view, it is a moral,
social and ecological imperative.
While Jews are a small percent
of the world’s people and thereby responsible
for only a small part of the problems related
to modern intensive livestock agriculture
and other current practices, it is essential,
in view of the many threats to humanity today,
that we strive to fulfil our challenge to
be a “light unto the nations,”
and to work for “tikkun olam,”
the healing, repair, and proper transformation
of the world. Besides having great benefits
for animals, such actions would greatly benefit
the health of the Jewish people and others,
move our precious, but imperiled planet to
a more sustainable path, and Judaism’s
relevance to the problems confronting the
world today.
