Hom Jay Dinshah (November 2, 1933 – June 8, 2000) was an American

veganism Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet (nutrition), diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is kn ...

activist and natural hygiene proponent who was the founder and president of the

American Vegan Society The American Vegan Society (AVS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes veganism in the United States. It was founded in 1960 by H. Jay Dinshah. The date of the earlier The Vegan Society (UK)'s founding, November 1, is now cele ...

and the editor of its publication the ''Ahimsa'' magazine (1960–2000).

Life

H. Jay Dinshah was born in the Malaga section of

Franklin Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey Franklin Township is a township in Gloucester County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 16,820, reflecting an increase of 1,354 (+8.8%) from the 15,466 counted in the 2000 census. Franklin Township was fo ...

, United States, where he lived his entire life. His father was a US citizen of

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

ancestry who was born in India, and his mother was a US citizen of German ancestry. A lifelong

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetariani ...

, Dinshah became

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

in 1957.Dinshah HJ, Song of India, 1973 He and his younger brother Noshervan—then aged 23 and 20 respectively—visited a Philadelphia slaughterhouse in 1957, after which he vowed to "work every day until all the slaughterhouses are closed!"Dinshah HJ, Dinshah A, Powerful Vegan Messages, 2014 He married the English-born Freya Smith in 1960. They had two children, Daniel Dinshah and author and athlete Anne Dinshah. In 2000, Dinshah died of a heart attack at age 66, after a life of promoting veganism and the ethic of ahimsa, dynamic harmlessness. The

International Vegetarian Union The International Vegetarian Union (IVU) is an international non-profit organization whose purpose is to promote vegetarianism. The IVU was founded in 1908 in Dresden, Germany. It is an umbrella organisation, which includes organisations from ...

(IVU) memorialized Dinshah in their ''IVU News'' issue of October 2000. That same year, he was posthumously awarded the Mankar Memorial Award during the 2000 World Vegetarian Congress, held in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada.

Vegan activism

Dinshah founded the

early in 1960, and later that year (August) married the English-born Freya Smith. Freya, whose parents were active in

The Vegan Society The Vegan Society is a registered charity and the oldest vegan organization in the world, founded in the United Kingdom in 1944 by Donald Watson, Elsie Shrigley, George Henderson and his wife Fay Henderson among others. History In November, ...

(of Great Britain), contributed to the early growth of the American Vegan Society and is the president of the American Vegan Society today. The American Vegan Society is headquartered at Malaga, New Jersey, on a parcel of land which is called "SunCrest", or "the SunCrest Educreational Center". During Dinshah's life, the American Vegan Society was characterized by vegan publishing and outreach, annual vegan conferences, vegan archiving, spiritual inspiration, providing people with an experience of vegan living, vegan food-preparation demonstrations, maintenance of a small veganic garden, and extensive networking. Dinshah served the American Vegan Society as its president and as the editor of its publication, ''Ahimsa'' magazine (1960–2000). As a teenager, Dinshah was a motivational speaker, following the example of his father, who promoted vegetarianism along with color therapy. Throughout his life, Dinshah continued to lecture and to organize conferences advocating "positive veganism" as "dynamic harmlessness" ("Ahimsa" is derived from a Sanskrit term meaning "non-harming"). Dinshah's lectures, organized by American Vegan Society, included: 1961 "Coast to Coast Crusade" for Veganism across North America; 1965 "North Atlantic Lecture Tour" in Iceland, Britain, Europe; 1967-1968 "Round the World" Lecture Tour including four months of lectures in India. Through these efforts, Dinshah lectured to general audiences in 19 different nations, on five continents, about veganism and ahimsa. Although Dinshah would lecture in English, local multilingual vegetarians interpreted his talks for each audience. Some videos of Jay's lectures from the 1980s and 1990s are archived and can be viewed on the YouTube channel Powerful Vegan Messages. Crediting the wisdom of

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

and

Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was an Alsatian-German/French polymath. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. A Lutheran minister, Schweit ...

, Dinshah created and promoted the Pillars of Ahimsa, one for each letter of the word: A-H-I-M-S-A. Dinshah explained each in his book ''Out of the Jungle.'' * A-Abstinence from Animal Products; * H-Harmlessness with Reverence for Life (from Schweitzer); * I-Integrity of Thought, Word, and Deed; * M-Mastery over Oneself (against greed, envy, and materialism; instead focus on enlightenment); * S-Service to Humanity, Nature, and Creation (3 main draws to veganism: health, environment, and animals; devotion to improving the world); * A-Advancement of Understanding and Truth (applying Gandhian principles of Truth) Dinshah was co-organizer of the 23rd World Vegetarian Congress in 1975, which was held in

Orono, Maine Orono () is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. Located on the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers, it was first settled by American colonists in 1774. They named it in honor of Chief Joseph Orono, a sachem of the indigenous Penobsc ...

, sponsored by the

(IVU), and hosted by the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS), which continental organization he and other vegetarians founded to organize this international conference. During conference planning, the ad hoc committee decided to found the

North American Vegetarian Society The North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) is a charity and activist organization with the stated objectives of supporting vegetarians and informing the public about the benefits of vegetarianism. It was initially founded in 1974 to organize the ...

and asked Dinshah to serve as its first president. Dinshah's birthday, November 2, has been designated as Dynamic Harmlessness Day and is the day following

World Vegan Day World Vegan Day is an annual event celebrated by vegans around the world every 1 November. The benefits of veganism for animals, humans and the natural environment are celebrated through activities such as setting up stalls, hosting potlucks, an ...

(November 1).

Natural hygiene

Dinshah was an advocate of

orthopathy Orthopathy (from the Greek ὀρθός ''orthos'' 'right' and πάθος ''pathos'' 'suffering') or natural hygiene (NH) is a set of alternative medical beliefs and practices originating from the ''Nature Cure'' movement. Proponents claim that f ...

(natural hygiene).Iacobbo, Karen; Iacobbo, Michael. (2004). ''Vegetarian America: A History''. Praeger. pp. 167-168. He was a board member of the American Natural Hygiene Society and corresponded with Herbert M. Shelton. In 1961, Dinshah attended the American Natural Hygiene Society's Convention in Chicago which featured a display of vegan clothing.

Positions held

(IVU), Executive Vice-President *

(England), Vice-President *

(AVS), Founder, President, 1960-2000 *

(NAVS), Cofounder and President, 1974–1979 * American Natural Hygiene Society (ANHS), Acting Executive Director, 1983 *Vegetarian Union of North America (VUNA), first President, 1987–1989 *Better Eating Coalition (various vegetarian and vegan groups) - late 1990s (under leadership of Dr. Richard Schwartz).

Honors and awards

* Induction, Vegetarian Hall of Fame (North American Vegetarian Society)Inductees, Vegetarian Hall of Fame, North American Vegetarian Society website
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Publications

*''Powerful Vegan Messages'', 2014 posthumously coauthored with his daughter Anne Dinshah *''Here's Harmlessness'', 1964, 1968, 1970, 1973, 1993 (an anthology edited by Jay Dinshah) *''Out of the Jungle'', 1967, 1968, 1970, 1975 (

Schweitzer Schweitzer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Albert Schweitzer, German theologian, musician, physician, and medical missionary, winner of the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize * Anton Schweitzer, opera composer * Brian Schweitzer, for ...

Centennial Edition), 1995 *''Health Can Be Harmless'', 1968, 1987 *''Song of India'', 1973 *Numerous (>250) magazine articles and other writings

References

External links

H. Jay Dinshah (1933-2000) - International Vegetarian Union
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dinshah, H. Jay 1933 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American non-fiction writers American animal rights activists American health and wellness writers American male writers of Indian descent American people of Parsi descent American veganism activists Orthopaths People from Franklin Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey