That’s not kosher

Re “A chance to sample kosher’s diversity,” Aug. 11

As president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America and an organizer of a protest against the Orthodox Union’s event, I was disappointed in this article’s failure to consider our protest or some of the broader issues involved. At a time when livestock agriculture is a major factor behind the world rapidly heading to an unprecedented catastrophe, when the Jewish community and others are being afflicted by an epidemic of diseases that have been linked to animal-based diets and when billions of animals are being severely mistreated on factory farms, holding a feast that celebrates and encourages meat-eating is sheer insanity.

Rather than hold such an event, the Jewish community should seriously consider the many moral issues related to our diets and do more to apply Jewish values in responding to current threats.

Richard H. Schwartz

Staten Island, N.Y.

The Orthodox Union’s Beverly Hills feast spat in the face of Jewish respect for animals. The Bible espouses a vision of respect for God’s creatures. Dominion is a responsibility for compassionate stewardship, not a mandate to seek out and kill partridges, yaks and as many exotic creatures as can be deemed fit. We’re better off leaving meat off our plates -- whether it’s the flesh of animals abused in factory farms or exotic animals that seem out of place at kosher meals.

Michael Croland

Norfolk, Va.