Jewish Veg is an international 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to encourage and help Jews to embrace plant-based diets as an expression of the Jewish values of compassion for animals, concern for health, and care for the environment.
Jewish Veg was formerly called Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) and, prior to that, the Jewish Vegetarian Society of America.
History
The Jewish Vegetarian Society of America was founded in 1975 by Jonathan Wolf after a World Vegetarian Conference was held at the University of Maine in Orono, Maine. It was affiliated with the Jewish Vegetarians of England. Wolf stated in 1980: "In a real sense, vegetarianism is the highest form of Judaism... Intrinsic values in Judaism -- compassion for animals, concern about world hunger and ecology -- are exemplified by vegetarianism."
Wolf became the organization's first president. Other initial leaders of the organization included Charles Stahler, Debra Wasserman, Isaac Luchinsky, Florence Mitrani,
Richard H. Schwartz, and Rabbi Noach Valley. Israel Mossman and Eva Mossman assumed leadership of the organization in the mid-1980s.
Rabbi Noach Valley served as president in the 1990s and early 2000s. Richard H. Schwartz became president in 2002 and continues to serve as president emeritus.
Activities since 2013
In 2012, Jeffrey Cohan became executive director, and the organization's first professional staff member.
Under Cohan's leadership, the organization has added professional staff, built a Board of Directors, and assembled Rabbinic and Advisory councils.
In 2015, Jewish Veg created a Veg Pledge campaign to help people adopt plant-based diets. Pledge-takers have the option to be connected with a vegan mentor if they so choose.
Jewish Veg has forged partnerships with prominent Jewish organizations, including
Hazon,
Hillel International
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, also known as Hillel International or Hillel, is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, working with thousands of college students globally. Hillel is represented at more than 550 colle ...
, and
Birthright Israel
Taglit-Birthright Israel ( he, תגלית), also known as Birthright Israel or simply Birthright, is a not-for-profit educational organization that sponsors free ten-day heritage trips to Israel, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights for young adult ...
. In collaboration with Birthright Israel, Jewish Veg has organized vegan Israel tours.
Jewish Veg's speakers bureau gives numerous presentations in Jewish venues around the country. One of their most prominent speakers is Dr.
Alex Hershaft
Alex Hershaft is an American animal rights activist, Holocaust survivor, and co-founder and president of the Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM), the nation's oldest (1976) organization devoted exclusively to promoting the rights of animals not t ...
, a holocaust survivor and the founder of the animal advocacy organization
Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM).
Jewish Veg organized their first campus speaking tours in 2015 and 2016: Israeli vegan leader
Ori Shavit visited college campuses throughout the United States to speak to students about
Jewish veganism.
Jewish Veg currently has local chapters in Houston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. They are all-volunteer groups which are supported by staff at the national organization. The chapters serve to educate the local Jewish population about veganism and provide community for Jewish vegans.
Jewish Veg's website features plant-based versions of such traditional Jewish foods as
challah
Challah (, he, חַלָּה or ; plural: or ) is a special bread of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, usually braided and typically eaten on ceremonial occasions such as Shabbat and major Jewish holidays (other than Passover). Ritually acceptable ch ...
,
matzah ball soup and
kugel.
In 2017, Jewish Veg published a statement by 75 rabbis encouraging Jews to move towards a vegan diet.
Notable rabbis who signed the statement included
Jonathan Wittenberg,
Daniel Sperber
Daniel Sperber (Hebrew: דניאל שפרבר) is a British-born Israeli academic and centrist orthodox rabbi. He is a professor of Talmud at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, and an expert in classical philology, history of Jewish customs, Jew ...
,
David Wolpe
David J. Wolpe (born 1958) is the Max Webb Senior Rabbi of Sinai Temple. He previously taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York, the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, Hunter College, and UCLA.
Wolpe became the ...
,
Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Nathan Lopes Cardozo (born 1946) is a Dutch-Israeli rabbi, philosopher and scholar of Judaism. A sought-after lecturer on the international stage for both Jewish and non-Jewish audiences, Cardozo is known for his original and often controversial in ...
,
Kerry Olitzky
Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky is an Associate at Mersky, Jaffe & Associates, a firm that specializes in financial resource development and executive search solutions for the nonprofit community. He has previously been the Executive Director of Big Tent J ...
,
Shmuly Yanklowitz
Shmuly Yanklowitz (born 1981) is an Orthodox rabbi, activist, and author. In March 2012 and March 2013, Newsweek and ''The Daily Beast'' listed Yanklowitz as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in America.
Recognition
In 2022, Yanklowitz wa ...
,
Aryeh Cohen
Aryeh Cohen is an American rabbi and scholar who serves as a professor of Rabbinic Literature at American Jewish University. His scholarship focuses on the Talmud, Jewish ethics, and social justice.
Education
Cohen received his BA in Philosoph ...
,
Geoffrey Claussen
Geoffrey Claussen is an American rabbi and scholar who serves as a professor of Religious Studies at Elon University. His scholarship focuses on Jewish ethics, theology, and the Musar movement.
Education
Claussen received his BA in Classical Lan ...
,
Rami M. Shapiro,
David Rosen,
Raysh Weiss
Raysh Weiss (born 1984) is a Senior Co-Rabbi of Temple Israel of Natick, MA. Previously, Weiss served as Senior Rabbi of Beth El of Bucks County in Yardley, PA and as the spiritual leader of Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as well ...
,
Elyse Goldstein
Elyse Goldstein is a Canadian Reform rabbi. She is the first woman to be elected as president of the interdenominational Toronto Board of Rabbis and president of the Reform Rabbis of Greater Toronto.
Early life and education
Goldstein was bo ...
,
Shefa Gold, and
Yonassan Gershom.
See also
*
Jewish vegetarianism
Jewish vegetarianism is a commitment to vegetarianism that is connected to Judaism, Jewish ethics or Jewish identity. Jewish vegetarians often cite Jewish principles regarding Jewish ethics#Treatment of animals, animal welfare, Jewish ethics#Env ...
*
Vegetarianism and religion
The practice of vegetarianism is strongly linked with a number of religious traditions worldwide. These include religions that originated in India, such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. With close to 85% of India's billion-plus popu ...
*
Judaism and environmentalism
*
List of vegetarian organizations
References
External links
Official website*
{{Veganism and vegetarianism
Jewish organizations based in the United States
Jewish clubs and societies
Vegetarian organizations
Vegetarian publications and websites
Vegetarianism and religion
Vegetarianism in the United States
Jewish vegetarianism
Jewish organizations established in 1975
1975 establishments in the United States