Orthodox Rabbis Warn Of ‘Moral And Spiritual Dangers’ Of Eating Meat
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By Shmuly Yanklowitz April 20, 2017
In an unprecedented statement, a group of Orthodox rabbis around the world, members of Torat Chayim, a progressive Orthodox rabbinic group, have called upon the broader Jewish community to consider the moral and spiritual dangers associated with meat consumption. In this statement, these members of Torat Chayim have called upon Jews of all persuasions, but especially the Orthodox community, to consider the dimensions of halakhah and the Jewish ideal that reducing meat intake leads to a healthier and more ethically vibrant world.
We, the undersigned, are committed to the observance of kashrut and its continuance as a vehicle towards just, healthy living and the service of God. We encourage the community to consider research of livestock raised in the factory farming system and to question whether food prepared in this manner meets the reverence-for-life standard on which kashrut is founded or the ethical standard we require from agri-business, from large conglomerates to mom-and-pop farm operations. A substantial body of research suggests there is significant and unnatural pain caused toward animals during their raising and slaughter for human consumption, that factory farming is one of the leading contributors to carbon emissions, and that the consumption of large amounts of meat is a leading contributor to cardiac disease, gastrointestinal ailments, and certain types of cancers. As a whole, it behooves the Jewish community, indeed nations all over the world, to have spirited and respectful conversations about reducing meat intake and coming together to find solutions for this global concern.
Rabbi Daniel Askenazi
Rabbi Chuck Davidson
Rabbi Avidan Freedman
Rabbi Daniel Goodman
Rabbi Dr. Mel Gottlieb
Rabbi Steve Greenberg
Rabbi Dr. Yitz Greenberg
Rabbi Donn Gross
Rabbi David Jaffe
Rabbi David Kalb
Rabbi Will Keller
Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn
Rabbi Daniel Landes
Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz
Rabbi Yehoshua Looks
Rabbi Dr. Ariel Evan Mayse
Rabbi Michael Melchior
Rabbi Avram Mlotek
Rosh Kehilah Dina Najman
Rabbi Yonatan Neril
Rabbi Micha Odenheimer
Rabbi Haim Ovadia
Rabbi Aaron Potek
Rabbi Dr. David Rosen
Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller
Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein
Rabbi Devin Villarreal
Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz
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