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PEACEANIMAL PeacePen Webinar Series Featuring those whose writing changes the world

PEACEANIMAL PeacePen Webinar Series Featuring those whose writing changes the world. Professor Richard H. Schwartz Presented by Dr. Kris Lecakes Haley & Dr. Craig Haley Co-Founders, PEACEANIMAL WWW.PEACEANIMAL.COM. What’s On The Agenda?. Meet Professor Richard H. Schwartz

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PEACEANIMAL PeacePen Webinar Series Featuring those whose writing changes the world

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  1. PEACEANIMAL PeacePen Webinar SeriesFeaturing those whose writing changes the world Professor Richard H. Schwartz Presented by Dr. Kris Lecakes Haley & Dr. Craig Haley Co-Founders, PEACEANIMAL WWW.PEACEANIMAL.COM

  2. What’s On The Agenda? • Meet Professor Richard H. Schwartz • Embark on an amazing journey through the Jewish scriptural texts, interpretations and philosophies that illuminated the path toward the groundbreaking documentary, “A SACRED DUTY” • Hear more about Prof. Schwartz’s other books, articles and offerings • Q & A

  3. Meet Professor Richard Schwartz • Professor Emeritus • College of Staten Island • President, Jewish • Vegetarians of North • America (JVNA) & Society • of Ethical Religious • Vegetarians (SERV) • Associate Producer, • “A SACRED DUTY” • Director, Veg Climate • Alliance • Co-author of “A Religious • Proclamation for Animal • Compassion”

  4. Professor Schwartz’s Body of Work • Author, “Judaism and Vegetarianism” • Author, “Judaism and Global Survival” • Author, “Mathematics and Global • Survival” • Author of over 140 articles at www.jewishveg.com/schwartz • Creator of a free, online course on • Judaism and Vegetarianism located at www.jewishveg.com/schwartz

  5. Why This Discussion Is Important • 1. World heading toward unprecedented • catastrophe    a. global warming • b. widening water shortages • c. extinction of species • d. destruction of tropical rain forests • e. Many more threats • Impacts of vegetarian diets • a. UN FAO Report • b. World Watch Magazine • Switch toward vegetarianism essential • a. a societal imperative

  6. Jewish Case For Vegetarianism • 1. Biblical Case • Six Basic Jewish Mandates

  7. The Biblical CaseGod’s First Dietary Regimen And God said: "Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree that has seed-yielding fruit -- to you it shall be for food."                                    ~ Genesis 1:29 

  8. The Biblical CaseThe Second Vegetarian Experiment • Manna from heaven • People not satisfied • Lusted for meat • Great plague - “Graves of Lust”

  9. The Biblical CaseThe Second Vegetarian Experiment • Permission to eat meat reluctantly given • Associated with lust • Many stipulations/kashrutlaws • “A Hidden Reprimand”/Rav Kook

  10. The Biblical CaseMessianic Period Vegetarian And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb,And the leopard shall lie down with the kid;And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;And a little child shall lead themAnd the cow and the bear shall feed;Their young ones shall lie down together,And the lion shall eat straw like the ox....They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain...                                       ~ Isaiah 11:6-9

  11. Six Basic Jewish Mandates 1.    Treat Animals Compassionately2.     Preserve Human Health3.     Protect the Environment4.     Conserve Natural Resources5.     Help Hungry People6.     Seek and Pursue Peace

  12. 1. Treat Animals Compassionately While Judaism forbids tsa'ar ba'alei chayim, inflicting unnecessary pain on animals, most farm animals -- including those raised for kosher consumers -- are raised on "factory farms" where they live in cramped, confined spaces, and are often drugged, mutilated, and denied fresh air, sunlight, exercise, and any enjoyment of life, before they are slaughtered and eaten.

  13. 1. Treat Animals Compassionately “God's mercies over all of his creations.” ~ Psalms 145:9 “The righteous person considers the lives of his animals.” ~ Proverbs 12:10 Part of Ten Commandments Torah commandmentsFeed animals firstTest for leadership and choosing a spouse

  14. 2. Preserve Human Health • While Judaism mandates that people should be very careful about preserving their health and their lives, numerous scientific studies have linked animal-based diets directly to heart disease, stroke, many forms of cancer, and other chronic degenerative diseases. • Most important Jewish mitzvot? • Overrides other mitzvot

  15. 2. Preserve Human Health • Migration Studies • Wartime Studies • Epidemiological Studies • Dean Ornish Studies

  16. 2. Preserve Human Health • The protein myth • The calcium myth

  17. 3. Protect the Environment 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 contributes substantially to global warming, soil erosion and depletion, air and water pollution, overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the destruction of tropical rain forests and other habitats, and other environmental damage.

  18. 3. Protect the Environment Weren't we given dominion? - Responsible stewardship - Genesis 1:29: Limits human diet - Genesis 2:15: Human role: To work land and to guard it - Midrash: ancient rabbinic warning

  19. 4. Conserve Natural Resources While Judaism mandates bal tashchit, that we are not to waste or unnecessarily destroy anything of value, and that we are not to use more than is needed to accomplish a purpose, animal agriculture requires the wasteful use of grain, land, water, energy, and other resources.

  20. 4. Conserve Natural Resources Jewish sages extended Deuteronomy 20:19, 20 to a general prohibition against wastingOur society based on waste; buy-use-dispose, rather than reduce-reuse-recycleWater: 4,200 gallons vs. 1,400 gallons vs. 300 gallons

  21. 5. Help Hungry People While Judaism stresses that we are to assist the poor and share our bread with hungry people, over 70% of the grain grown in the United States is fed to animals destined for slaughter, while over a billion of the world’s people are chronically hungry and an estimated 20 million people worldwide die because of hunger and its effects each year.

  22. 5. Help Hungry People Leave corners of the field and gleanings of the harvest for the poorTrue purpose of fasting - end oppression, share with hungry people

  23. 6. Seek and Pursue Peace While Judaism stresses that we must seek and pursue peace and that violence results from unjust conditions, animal-centered diets, by wasting valuable resources, help to perpetuate the widespread hunger and poverty that eventually lead to instability and war.

  24. 6. Seek and Pursue Peace Lechem and milchamahSame slogan for peace movement and vegetarian movementGlobal warming's effects on instability, violence, terrorism and war

  25. Six Basic Jewish Mandates - Summary In view of these important Jewish mandates to preserve human health, attend to the welfare of animals, protect the environment, conserve resources, help feed hungry people, and pursue peace, and since animal-centered diets violate and contradict each of these responsibilities, committed Jews (and others) should sharply reduce or eliminate their consumption of animal products. Respectful challenge to rabbis and other Jewish leaders.

  26. Jewish Vegetarians of North America A Place To Read And Learn About The Growing Jewish Vegetarian Movement Website: www.JewishVeg.comNewsletters: contact me at president@JewishVeg.com Articles: www.JewishVeg.com/schwartz

  27. Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians An Interfaith Peace Effort Pursuing Plant-based, Nonviolent Nutrition Website: www.serv-online.orgYahoo Group: www.groups.yahoo.com SERV USA: Richard Schwartz, Stephen Kaufman SERV Canada

  28. A SACRED DUTYAn Opportunity To Move Our Imperiled PlanetTo A Sustainable Path Website: www.asacredduty.comMay be viewed on www.youtube.com Complimentary Copies Available A Major Documentary on Current Environmental Threats and How Applying Jewish Teachings Can Help Heal The World

  29. Richard Schwartz & Producer Lionel Friedberg

  30. Richard’s Other Efforts • Letters • Articles • Press Releases • Talks • Resolutions

  31. THE FUTURE – A Call To Action! • Challenge Rabbis And Others • Stage Debates: Should Jews Be Vegetarians? • Stress That Vegetarianism Is A Societal Imperative

  32. CONTACT INFORMATION Richard Schwartz president@JewishVeg.com Kris Lecakes Haley & Craig Haley Co-founders, PEACEANIMAL peaceanimal@cox.net

  33. What Do YOU Think?? • Your questions and comments • are welcome and encouraged • THANK YOU FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

  34. www.peaceanimal.com

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