Conscience and A Vegetarian Rabbi

Who: International Jewish Veg'n And Ecological Society - Los Angeles featuring Rabbi Paul Steinberg
What Subject: Conscience and A Vegetarian Rabbi
Which Issues: among the topics that will be considered will be Jewish teachings on health, compassion to animals, the environment, global warming, and other thoughts about how the production and consumption of meat and other animal products impinge on these teachings.
When: Sunday 2 Aug 2009
What Time: 10:00 - 11:00 A.M.
Why: Casual meeting, do please come yourselves, and utilize the opportunity to ask any pertinent questions you can think of, and listen to responses and invite more participants and possible future guest speakers to upcoming events!
How Much: Free, but suggestion donations up to $5, $3, $1, or 25 cents or anything in between.
Where: Valley Beth Shalom Synagogue Ventura Blvd Encino please call for exact address and directions
RSVP to: Janine 1-310-358-9941

Notification: Videotaping will be in progress to be included on the Internet and by giving us your RSVP you automatically also agree to be possibly filmed during the Q&A session should you choose to speak and ask question(s).

Disclaimer: Not all that will be spoken about reflects the views of the International Jewish Veg'n and Ecological Society - Los Angeles which should not be held responsible for participants' various comments.

Furthermore, please be advised that one ought to be prepared to hear of some possibly disturbing data or even see some sad pictures crying out for action to prevent such further acts of horrendous cruelty that is currently taking place without our knowledge.

Who is Rabbi Paul Steinberg:
Rabbi Steinberg joined the VBS rabbinic team in July of 2008 and is the Head of the Etz Chaim Learning Center. Rabbi Steinberg graduated from the University of Arizona with masters degrees in both education and rabbinic studies and was ordained by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in 2004. He has published four books including, Study Guide to Jewish Ethics (JPS, 2003). Curriculum model developer in both Jewish Studies and Hebrew, and vibrant initiative called “The Ethical Covenant,” Rabbi Steinberg stresses Judaism’s emphasis on the transformational power of study and its approach to living a moral life. He is married to Maureen Sweeney, an attorney, who now devotes her time to raising their three daughters Rina, Nili, and Liora.

Some interesting discussion might include answers to the following questions (feel free to add your own!):

1. What prompted your becoming first interested in veganism?

2. How do you see it relating to the significance it might have in the future of connecting a Vegetarian (Jewish, of course) Rabbi to our source, the Torah, through this question of cruelty that weighs on every Jew's conscience, (or only on those of some individuals)?

3. If so, then should we as Jews be concerned that animal-based diets have been linked to many chronic, degenerative diseases, including heart disease and many types of cancer?

4. Are we ignoring our conscience when we fail to treat animals with compassion, like the concern for avoiding cruelty to animals?

5. Does Jewish teaching include protecting the environment as a duty such as reducing global warming?

6. What Jewish tradition covers conserving natural resources and helping hungry people?

7. Should we as citizens of the world be concerned that animal-based agriculture contributes more greenhouse gases (in CO2 equivalents) than all the cars and other transportation worldwide combined?

8. Should we consider that the two most important ideal periods in the Jewish tradition (the Garden of Eden and the Messianic period) are both pictured to be periods of vegan lifestyle fruit of the tree, herb yielding seed, fruit of the land?

11:00-11:30

9. What kind of water should we be drinking, structured more alkalanized water, and would it be better to be cleaning surfaces with more acidic water? Timothy McChesney will bring free samples of Kangan water for us to taste the difference. It is much easier to drink more glasses of water when it tastes good and clean, isn't it?

Blessings,
Janine
1-310-358-9941