October 2023 Newsletter

By Emma Goldblatt

With all that is going on in the world right now, we wanted to highlight some of the positive things that have happened within Jewish and animal advocacy spaces. From Synagogue vegan challenge events that brought Jews together for community building and learning, Campus Fellows spreading compassion and fellowship on their campuses, to local and national animal advocacy wins, there is light still to be found throughout this past month.

Synagogue Vegan Challenge Highlights

Nicole M. of Temple Israel wrote, “We had people gather in the sukkah to learn about the health and ethical aspects of being vegan. We learned how to make banana “ice cream” and date “snickers” It was well-received!”

Sammi S. wrote, “I made “Apple Pie Energy Bite” snacks for families staying for tashlich following the family and main service. Families were surprised at how tasty the date balls were. Some of the younger kids tried them (some liked the snack and some did not). Overall, many adults were excited to learn about the snack and the opportunity to participate in our upcoming vegan programming through the grant. Each snack bag contained facts about the ingredients including how it relates to Rosh Hashanah, Hebrew words/roots, and other details.”

Rabbi Danny wrote, “The participants, plus my wife Tamara and myself, dove deep into connections between Sukkot and our relationship with the earth. The text study emphasized a necessary shift in the Jewish community to connect deeper with the earth and how Sukkot is an opportunity to analyze ways in which we are helping or hurting the created world.”

Cantor Jennifer wrote, “We had a beautiful Shabbat service, incorporating special music and readings for the Israel -Gaza crisis; we also have blue ribbons for people to take to keep the hostages close to our hearts; Guest Speaker, Mary Reynolds, a cardiac nurse from the Loma Linda Medical Center [who had worked closely with HANS DIEHL, of blessed memory, founder of CHIP [complete health improvement program] and former clinical professor of preventative medicine at the School of Medicine of Loma Linda University]; spoke on ‘reversing chronic diseases.’ Not only does she highly endorse a plant-based diet, but she brought a few people whose lives have been changed and literally, saved, thanks to the ‘You-Turn’ they have taken. She also prepared all the specialties for the Oneg Shabbat and brought booklets to hand out to everyone. There were a lot of questions and people who expressed great interest. We are hoping to include vegan options at as many future events, if possible.

Campus Fellowship Event Highlights

Becca R. wrote, “I tabled for Shamayim at the Jewish involvement fair at Rutgers Hillel. While tabling, I was able to engage with students who are interested in animal advocacy and either already partake in, or interested in learning more about pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan diets.”

Sophie R. at Ohio State wrote, “Before we started watching Our Planet, I gave an overview of what Shamayim is and the kinds of events I’ll be hosting. We discussed Judaism and animal activism as well. We went down to Hillel’s kitchen to get our rice and vegetable stew. We had fruit salad for dessert. We watched two Our Planet episodes.”

Community Highlights

This month, Emma Goldblatt, Program Manager at Shamayim, rescued a dog from a shelter in Phoenix, AZ! This sweet dog named Marie was used as a breeding dog all her life (7 years) before being dumped at a shelter when she could’t be taken care of any longer. Emma shares that, “Marie is a bright light in this time of darkness, and her unconditional love and good nature are a reminder that light still exists all around us, if we only remember to look!”

This month, animal lovers from our community came together to spread love by making care packages to be donated to ethical shelters! Great work, guys!

Take Action

Marie’s adoption story also reminds us of the importance of not buying our pets, but instead adopting one of the millions of animals that enter shelters across the US every year.*

Sign on to our Puppy Mill Pledge and make sure to share on social media to spread the word on this important cause.

*Approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year. *These estimates are based in part on Shelter Animals Count data and other known and estimated sources, 2019. These are national estimates based on data obtained from shelters and rescues; the figures may vary from state to state.

World Vegan News

Exciting News: The USDA has just unveiled enhanced animal welfare regulations for certified organic farms, marking a significant triumph and a positive stride for animal welfare.

Avian species farms must now:

🐔 Adhere to space and stocking density guidelines, ensuring ample room for birds

🐔 Provide year-round outdoor access, excluding the use of “porches” as outdoor space

🐔 Monitor ammonia levels to protect both birds and workers

Updates applicable to ALL farmed animals include:

🐖 Supplying shelters spacious enough for natural movement and behaviors

🐖 Prohibiting routine physical mutilations such as teeth grinding and forced molting

🐖 Granting unrestricted year-round outdoor access

🐖 Providing rooting materials and group housing for pigs

🐖 Documenting the treatment of sick or injured animals

These revisions to the Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards signify a major victory for animals and small-scale farmers. They safeguard the organic label from being misused by substandard operations, preserving consumer confidence in how organic farms raise their animals. Remarkably, 94% of the 40,000+ public comments received expressed support for these new regulations. This achievement is the result of persistent efforts by animal activists, organic farmers, and other stakeholders who have fought for improved animal welfare standards in the organics program over the years. Way to go, animal advocates!

Get involved

Marie’s story inspired us to collect stories from our wonderful Shamayim community! We believe this will be a great way to share beautiful stories, and also reaffirm the importance of adopting.

Please submit your pet’s story, photo, and instagram handle to emma@shamayim.us if you’d like to be featured on our blog, social media, and newsletter!*

*We won’t be able to feature all submitted stories.