My Letter in The Jewish Ledger

Last month, I posted a fantastic article from The Jewish Ledger about the mainsteam popularity of vegetarianism in the Jewish community. After I saw a couple of pro-vegetarian letters to the editor in a later issue, including this beaut from Josh Balk of the Humane Society of the United States' Factory-Farming Campaign, I didn't expect mine to get published. But then this week's issue came along:

Go Vegetarian

Kudos for highlighting how mainstream vegetarianism has become in the Jewish community and how consistent a humane, plant-based diet is with Jewish teaching. (“Kosher vegetarians,” Ledger, Nov. 11)

The key reason for Jews to go vegetarian is to stop supporting and perpetuating animals' unnecessary suffering (tsa'ar ba'alei chayim). On factory farms, sentient animals are debeaked, dehorned, tail-docked, and/or castrated, all without pain-killers. Egg-laying hens are confined five apiece to battery cages where they'd be unable to flap a wing if there were no other birds present, and veal calves are kept anemic and live in crates so narrow that they can't even turn around. These animals are devalued of life and deprived of basic welfare considerations.

As Jews, we must ask ourselves not what is barely acceptable, but what diet God prefers for mankind. When we have the choice to support institutionalized cruelty to God's creatures or to eliminate mass suffering, let us keep meat, eggs, and dairy products off our plates.

Michael Croland
Publisher, http://heebnvegan.blogspot.com