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Media
NEWS RELEASE
BROAD JEWISH COALITION OPPOSES FOIE GRAS
PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
New York City, October 15 - The wide-ranging coalition
of Jewish medical, religious, and activist leaders that
recently launched a campaign to put vegetarianism squarely
on the Jewish agenda is pushing for a halt in the production
and consumption of foie gras because it involves one
of the most blatant and barbaric forms of animal abuse
that ever existed and hence it severely violates Jewish
teachings on compassion to animals.
To produce foie gras, a duck or goose is restrained
and a metal pipe is shoved down the bird's throat and
into the stomach. A massive quantity of corn is pressure-driven
down the pipe, often causing a rupture of the bird's
stomach or esophogus, leading to a very slow and agonizing
death. Vomiting is often prevented by tying an elastic
band around the bird's throat. This force feeding process
takes place 3 to 5 times a day for a month, and transforms
the 2 to 3 ounce liver into a 1 to 2 pound mass known
as foie gras.
A September 24, 1998 New York Times article indicated
that two Jewish men are owners of Hudson Valley Foie
Gras and Duck Products which now supplies about 80 percent
of the foie gras produced in the United States and that
"top restaurants across the nation are awash in fresh
foie gras." When questioned about the cruelry involved
in foie gras production, one of the owners responded
that the treatment of the ducks is no worse than many
of the other things done to animals raised and killed
for food.
Judaism has very strong teachings on compassionate
treatment of animals. Proverbs 12:10 states that "the
righteous individual considers the life of his or her
animal". Three times daily at synagogue services Psalm
145 is read and it contains the statement that "God's
tender mercies are over all of His creatures." According
to Jewish tradition, Moses and King David were deemed
fit for leadership because of their compassionate treatment
of sheep in their care.
Rabbi David Rosen, former Chief Rabbi of Ireland, has
stated: "It should be obvious that pate de foie gras
is produced in a manner that is in complete contravention
of the Torah's prohibition of causing za'ar ba'alei
chayim - pain to animals (see Maimonides, Yad Chazakah,
Hilchot Rozeah, Ch. 13, m. 8). Rabbi Yechezkel Landau,
the Noda Bi Yehudah, clarifies that causing any cruelty
to an animal while alive, is a desecration of this prohibition
(Noda Bi Yehudah, Yoreh Deah, Resp. No. 10) and that
if food can be obtained in a manner that does not involve
additional pain and one chooses to obtain such through
causing pain to an animal, one desecrates a Torah prohibition.
Pate de foi gras is obtained through the willful desecration
of a Torah prohibition and any truly God-revering Jew
will not partake of such a product which is an offense
against the Creator and His Torah."
According to Jewish law, animals may be mistreated
and killed only if a basic human need is met. In this
case, not only is a basic human need not met by this
luxury product, but, contrary to Jewish teachings on
taking care of one's health, fois gras is very high
in saturated fat and cholesterol, and hence contributes
to several degenerative diseases.
The coalition is urging rabbis and other Jewish leaders
to make Jews aware that the concept of giving an animal
a serious liver disease (fatty liver or hepatic lipidosis)
simply because the grossly enlarged, malfunctioning
organ is touted as a "delicacy" is completely contrary
to Jewish teachings. It will also consider the possibility
of pushing for legislation to ban the production of
foie gras. At least 43 New York State licensed vetenerians
support anti- foie gras legislation. The production
of force-fed foie gras is already banned in Germany
and Poland.
The coalition, under the leadership of the Jewish Vegetarians
of North America, sent a special issue of the Jewish
Vegetarian Newsletter to 3,650 North American congregational
rabbis in early September. The Newsletter, which contains
a letter to the rabbis seeking their support and involvement,
inaugurated a major campaign to put issues related to
diet on the Jewish agenda. Among the next steps are:
radio and television appearances; articles and letters
in Jewish publications;an Internet course on "Judaism
and Vegetarianism"; booths at community events and fairs;
an annual "Vegetarian Shabbat", scheduled for Parshat
B'ha'alot'cha (when the Torah tells of the deaths of
many Israelites after consuming quail flesh); and mailings
sent to rabbis throughout the year connecting vegetarianism
to the Jewish holidays.
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