Welcome to the December 2015 issue of the Jewish Vegetarian.
This year has been a phenomenal one for vegetarianism. In the U.S. alone last year, some 400 million fewer animals were killed for food.
Israel remains on course to become the world’s first vegan nation, with more vegans per capita than any other country. In October, 15,000 people marched with banners which read, ‘Justice, Compassion, Veganism’ in the country’s largest ever animal rights protest, which you can read about on page 8.
Here in England, press coverage of vegetarianism and veganism has increased tremendously, with the BBC dedicating 20 minutes of ‘Sunday Morning Live’ to answering the question, ‘Is Meat a Moral Issue?’
The London Vegfest saw record numbers attend. Tens of thousands turned out to sample the latest in cruelty-free fashion and food. The event is an annual one, which also takes place in Brighton, Bristol and Edinburgh.
We were delighted to see thought-provoking features in the Jewish Chronicle including, ‘We Can’t Eat Eggs from Mistreated Chickens’ by Rabbi Ariel Abel and ‘Why We Need a Jewish New Year for the Animals’, by one of our Patrons, Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg.
In late October, an international panel of experts convened by the World Health Organization published a report, the conclusion of which is that eating processed meat raises the risk of colon cancer, and that consuming other red meats ‘probably’ raises the risk too. And so, we continue to highlight the many benefits associated with transition to a vegetarian/vegan diet.
Looking ahead to 2016, we are eagerly awaiting the film adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s influential book ‘Eating Animals’, as well as the release of ‘The End of Meat?’ Here at the JVS, we were delighted to have held our 50th AGM earlier this year and we are pleased to announce that we have been joined by a new Trustee [see page 7]. We also continue to welcome more new members, and hold regular events.
We hosted a total of 22 this year, including a sold-out seder night at JW3, Europe’s largest Jewish cultural centre. For details of upcoming events in early 2016, see page 22. Elsewhere, we wish the Jewish Vegetarians of North America, now known as ‘Jewish Veg’, a very happy 40th birthday.
I wish all of our readers a very happy Chanukah,
Lara Smallman, Director – Jewish Vegetarian Society
