Currently Browsing: Jewish Veganism 25 articles
Your guide to a vegan passover
More and more people are on the hunt for alternatives to eggs over Pesach. Whether you are steering clear because of an allergy, intolerance or ethics – mass cruelty is endemic in modern production, here are our Director Lara’stop tips for a delicious and hassle-free, egg-free Pesach… Seder solution: When it comes to the Seder […]
Purim and veganism, by Richard Schwartz
The joyous festival of Purim shares many connections with veganism. According to the Talmud (Megilla 13a), Queen Esther, the heroine of the Purim story, was a vegetarian while she lived in the palace of King Achashverosh. She was thus able to avoid violating the kosher dietary laws while keeping her Jewish identity secret. During Purim […]
A return to Eden: Jewish clergy from across the world and the denominational spectrum reflect on their veganism
Photo: Rabbi Robyn Ashworth-Steen Article by: Kohenet Yael Tischler Many people speak of transformative experiences in spiritual settings, but when Rabbi Robyn Ashworth-Steen was at last December’s Hamakom silent retreat, she recounted the following revelation: We had just had a session on mindful eating from Rabbi Sheila Weinberg. I sat down at lunch and was […]
The whole world has a song… The universe according to Perek Shira
By: Kohenet Yael Tischler Have you ever been plagued by the question, “What does the fox say?” Perek Shira, an ancient Jewish text, has the answer. In fact, it has the answer about many different creatures, as well as plants and other wonders of nature. Perek Shira imagines that every element of our ecosystem […]
El pan de siete cielos – the bread of the seven heavens: Reclaiming a Salonikan Shavuot tradition the vegan way!
There’s a famous Talmudic saying: אֵין קֶמַח, אֵין תּוֹרָה Ein kemach, ein torah If there’s no flour, there’s no Torah. – Pirkei Avot 3:17 In other words, how can we even begin feeding our minds, if we haven’t yet fed our bodies? I’ve known this saying for a while, but what I didn’t learn until […]
Once, there were unicorns…
Once, there were unicorns. Long ago, when we were desert wanderers, G-d/dess instructed us to make a portable sanctuary, so that S/he could dwell amongst us: וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃ And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. – Exodus 25:8 The instructions S/he gave were detailed – an […]
Ancestral animal lovers: Biblical characters who treated animals with kindness
Jewish tradition imagines G-d/dess as one who cares for all creatures. According to the Babylonian Talmud, “in the third three hours (of the day), G-d sits and nourishes the entire world, from the giant-horned wild oxen to the eggs of lice” (Avodah Zara 3b). But kindness to animals isn’t only something ascribed to the Divine, […]
Judaism & veganism: The intersection of two paths
I remember a conversation I had with a fellow community member a few months ago. I told her about my job at the Jewish Vegetarian Society and immediately a perplexed expression danced across her face. “Judaism and vegetarianism?!” she said. “How could those things possibly go together?!” She’s not alone with this question – many […]
Jacob’s lentil stew: The secret recipe delicious enough to buy a birthright
There’s nothing like a hearty lentil stew. Healthy, comforting and warming, it’s one of the dishes I’ve been craving most during my time in lockdown. At the end of a tough day, a big bowl of lentils is like a bunch of legumes giving you a cuddle. Our ancestors’ relationship with lentils goes way, way […]
If animals could speak, what would they say? The story of Balaam and his amazing talking donkey
Animal rights activists often pose the question: “If animals could speak, what would they say?” The Torah actually offers us an answer to this question, with an incredible talking she-donkey in the starring role. Here’s the context: The Israelites are in the midst of their forty-year-long wanderings through the desert, during which they pass through […]