February 2025 Newsletter

2025 has been a great start to another year dedicated to animal advocacy! Check out our latest spotlights, blogs, programs, and find out about what’s coming up for us at Shamayim!

New Shamayim Team Members:

Perhaps one of the most exciting things to happen this past month was the addition of 4 new amazing Shamayim team members! Mazel tov and welcome, Anneliese, Matthew, David, and Isaac!

Synagogue Vegan Challenge Spotlight

Moishe Pod Denver- Social Justice Shabbat

“This was a wonderful Shabbat experience with a great group of young adults in Denver… we first brought in Shabbat with a musical Kabbalat Shabbat service along with discussion about food justice, tying it in with themes of racial justice as it was MLK weekend. After opening up discussion during the service, we re-visited a more thorough chevruta-style conversation at the dinner table about food and environmental justice while eating a delicious vegan meal. Everyone was really engaged and shared that it was meaningful to have these discussions.”

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Temple Israel of Hollywood- Men’s Torah Study

“Men’s Torah Study was back on the calendar and I swapped out their normal bagel breakfast order with some vegan options. We had some delicious bagels with some plant-based shmear and a veggie platter. The teaching was great–likened the burning bush moment to our climate crisis. “How many times did Moses/anyone walk past the burning bush before finally noticing?” “How many years have we been talking about the climate crisis before we finally change our habits and do something about it?”

The fellows loved the discussion and were absolutely blown away by the shmear (they couldn’t believe it was coconut based!). They were all grateful for the opportunity to engage in this discussion and action. ” – Rabbi Calvin

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LJCC – Healthy Aging with Dr. Susan Friedman

“Dr. Friedman, a board certified geriatrician and lifestyle medicine doctor, is the founding director of the lifestyle medicine program at the University of Rochester. Dr. Friedman spoke thoughtfully and at length about the importance of a whole-plant food based diet to longevity and well-being as one ages. The audience was highly engaged and the Q&A session extended for over forty minutes because of the many questions and Dr. Friedman’s thoughtful answers. Afterward, we enjoyed a spread of mediterranean fare, fresh fruit, vegan peanut butter cookies, and beverages. People continued chatting for another hour after the talk.”

Check out the press release for this SVC event here!

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Campus Fellowship Spotlight

Dinner and Learn with Miriam

“The concept aligned with the event’s name—we shared a meal while studying Jewish texts. The gatherings were entirely vegan and focused on animal advocacy. For the content, I used our first speaker’s materials as a framework, starting with some of the texts they provided and supplementing them with additional sources. Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive—they really enjoyed the experience!“- Miriam