Today's Shoah

Alex Hershaft was five years old when the Nazis invaded his native Poland.  Almost immediately, half a million Jews were crowded into the Warsaw ghetto.  One in five died from disease or starvation, others were sent to the Treblinka death camp.  Those left in the Warsaw Ghetto put up a heroic fight, against impossible odds, to combat the Nazis in their ultimate destruction of the entire ghetto.   Alex and his mother survived because of the kindness of gentiles; his father is thought to have been caught and killed by the Nazis.

Dr. Alex Hershaft has a Ph.D. in chemistry and works as an environmental consultant, specializing in wastewater treatment.  He was sent to a slaughterhouse in the Midwest.  He turned a corner and saw piles of body parts – hearts, heads, and hoofs.  Horrified, he remembered the extermination camps, and could not get the images out of his mind.  He began to see other similarities between animal agriculture and the death camps in Europe:  farm animals are branded with numbers, separated from their families, taken to their death in rail cars, and murdered.

The parallels are not about the victims, but about the perpetrators. 

It was the arbitrary nature of the cruelty that struck him.  “The Christian lives, and the Jew dies; the dog lives, and the pig dies.  You need to get permission from society – to believe that it is alright that one sentient being will live, and another will die.” Hershaft says.

Dr. Alex Hershaft is the co-Founder of FARM, Farm Animal Rights Movement, the nation’s oldest, and the world’s first, organization devoted exclusively to promoting the rights of animals not to be raised for food.  In addition, he is the Founder of A Well Fed World.  He works closely with Jewish Veg, an organization that encourages Jews to embrace plant-based diets “as an expression of the Jewish values of compassion for animals, concern for health, and care of the environment.”

Why work on behalf of animals when humans suffer? 

“Animals are the most defenseless, the most vulnerable, therefore the most oppressed sentient beings on earth.  Oppressing animals is the gateway to oppressing humans”, says Dr. Hershaft.  “Everyone has the awesome power of life and death over animals.  Every time we shop for food, we literally make a choice between subsidizing life or subsidizing death”. 

Choose Life!

"VEGAN" is about "COMPASSION"

‘Vegan’ is about compassion’.  It is not just a diet.  It is about making the world a better place, not only for people, but for the billions of other inhabitants on this planet whose lives and well-being have been overlooked, habitats destroyed, some species driven to extinction, and used as vehicles for providing human satisfactions of all types. 

Vegan is about providing simple solutions to complex global issues.  The non-vegan lifestyle is a major contributor to Climate Change - the world’s current greatest threat to security and survival.   This is because methane from animal agriculture holds heat in the atmosphere more effectively than carbon dioxide.  In addition, forests are cut down to provide grazing land.

The meat and dairy based diet causes catastrophic health concerns - such as skyrocketing diabetes, cancer, heart disease, potentially devastating antibiotic resistance, along with accompanying rising health care costs. 

Then non-vegan lifestyle exacerbates world hunger since crops which could feed hungry people are fed to abused, incarcerated, soon to be slaughtered, animals while unfortunate people are hungry and starving.  The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.

Vegan is not a form of deprivation.  It is a lifestyle which embraces life, and life lived to the fullest.  Vegan holds the promise of a healthier population, a sustainable planet, and kindness and compassion for all.  Support Raoul Wallenberg Vegan International and Raoul Wallenberg Vegan Retreat.  www.VeganInternational.org and www.VeganRetreat.org.

Vegan International, Founded by Author Sharon Wallenberg, Participates at United Nations

Author Sharon Wallenberg represented Vegan International at the Anniversary of the United Nations Day of Older Persons Conference on Thursday, October 10, 2019.  Krishna Gautam, new V I International Advisory Board member, was the Keynote Speaker.  Mr. Gautam is the Founder of Aging Nepal, which teaches illiterate Grandmothers to read and write.  These Grandmothers were not given the opportunity to go to school as girls.  Education for girls was not allowed then.  Although school for girls is now accepted in Nepal, no provisions were made for the previous illiterate generation until Krishna Gautam founded Aging Nepal.  Mr. Gautam has also started a “No Kill Zone’ in Kathmandu.  According to Aging Nepal Founder, Krishna Gautam, ‘There are many bodies: people, animals, and insects - but only one life.’

Mr. Gautam also maintains that he would have been sleeping on the streets of New York if not for Sharon, who came to his rescue when he arrived from Kathmandu.  There was a problem at his hotel due to an oversight by the UN NGO Committee on Aging who was hosting Mr. Gautam.  Fortunately, between Krishna and Sharon, they straightened it out that evening, and the next morning the UN NGO Committee on Aging members arrived.

Vegan International, Founded by Sharon Wallenberg participated in the Anniversary of the UN Day of Older Persons Conference first with a proposed side event called “Healthy Aging”.  This had three parts: Diet, Exercise, and Health Care.  ‘Health Care’ was to be presented by Vegan Cardiologist, Robert Ostfeld, MD.  ‘Exercise’ was to be presented by Mindy Collette, Vegan Bodybuilder, and friend of VI Advisory Board Member, Robert Cheeke.  ‘Diet’ was to be presented by a Registered Dietitian from Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine arranged by Founder and VI Advisory Board Member, Neal Barnard, MD.  

The side events were cancelled by the UN NGO Committee on Aging, and written statements were accepted instead.  Vegan International submitted a statement on ‘Healthy Aging’ written by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., Nandita Shaw, MD., and Neal Barnard, MD.

More UN Nations Interested in Convention Against Speciesism

  

Author and Founder of Vegan International, Sharon Wallenberg met with Ambassador Abdoulaye Barro and Minister Saliou Dieng of Senegal to discuss a UN Convention Against Speciesism during a recent trip to the United Nations.  

Minister Fritzner Gaspard from Haiti also met with Ms. Wallenberg.  He suggested that Vegan International form a Caribbean coalition to support their proposed  U N Convention Against Speciesism. These developing nations are at risk of incurring diet related disease, and skyrocketing health care costs, as they develop, potentially transitioning from their traditional plant-based diet to the unsustainable meat and dairy based diet.  Additionally, these islands are vulnerable to rising water from global warming making the UN Convention Against Speciesism an attractive solution.

South African First Secretary Diyana Tayobd was ‘very keen’ to meet with Ms. Wallenberg during her recent trip to the UN.  South Africa wants to present statistics to the UN Second Committee on the relationship between Animal Agriculture (methane) and Climate Change.  Climate Change causes are being taken very seriously by South Africa.

In all, there were a total of ten Ambassadors, Deputies, Ministers, and others who met with Vegan International Founder, Sharon Wallenberg, from Tuesday, October 8 to Friday, October 11, 2019 to discuss the UN Convention Against Speciesism. Two Ambassadors were unable to schedule a meeting for this visit.  They will be met with next time.  Ultimately, Vegan International hopes to make the proposed UN Convention Against Speciesism a reality.

  

UN Convention Against Speciesism promoted by Author Sharon Wallenberg, Founder of Vegan International

Author Sharon Wallenberg, Founder of Vegan International successfully seeks support for a UN Convention Against Speciesism in October 2019.

United Nations Ambassador Ambroisine Kpongo of Central African Republic agreed to initiate a United Nations Convention Against Speciesism at a meeting with Vegan International Founder, Sharon Wallenberg, in New York on Wednesday, October 9, 2019.  Ambassador Kpongo has suggested contacting other African Nations using her name to gather additional support for the U N Convention Against Speciesism.

In a meeting with Ambassador Franck Kpayedo from Togo, Ms. Wallenberg mentioned Free From Harm’s ‘Slaughter Free Chicago’ initiative.  After some confusion, Ambassador Kpayedo’s translator said that they don’t know what a ‘slaughterhouse’ is.  When told it is where animals go to be murdered and made into food, both men were visibly shaken.  Ambassador Kpayedo said through his Translator: “Destroying anything: even a plant or a leaf, contributes to the destruction of the entire planet”.  They are in favor of a UN Convention Against Speciesism.

Ambassador Abdoulaye Barro and Minister Saliou Dieng from Senegal expressed concern about working animals and the UN Convention Against Speciesism at a meeting with Ms. Wallenberg, Vegan International Founder.  Senegal is 70% rural.  Many of these people have never seen a car. They depend on their working animals to provide economic support.  These people would gladly transition to sustainable energy solutions, but they are unable to afford it.  Unfortunately, Senegal failed to meet their economic projections.  These working animals and their people would not be negatively affected by a UN Convention Against Speciesism.  Ideally, a philanthropist will provide sustainable energy solutions to working animals, but this has not happened yet.  Minister Dieng said Senegal is Vegan International’s Partner.

An Innovative Approach To Climate Change

There is an innovative approach to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and a simple solution to reducing climate change, hunger, poverty, improving food security and nutrition, sustainable agriculture, human health, water, sanitation, sustainable consumption, and achieving justice for all inhabitants of planet Earth.

Scientific facts prove that the main cause of global warming melting polar ice caps and raising sea water levels is methane.  Methane traps heat in the atmosphere much more effectively than carbon dioxide.  It is the meat and dairy based diet which is directly responsible for the impending disaster we are currently facing.  Rainforests are being cut and burned down to provide grazing land and land to grow crops to feed to animals raised for food, also contributes to climate change.

There is copious documentation that transitioning from the traditional fiber rich plant-based diet to the fat and cholesterol filled meat and dairy based diet causes human mortality and morbidity from heart disease, cancer and diabetes and antibiotic resistance.  Pollution of air, water, and land, misuse of scarce resources such as land and water, habitat destruction, species extinction are also associated with the meat and dairy based diet.

There is a deep injustice in rising waters.  Those who are most responsible are least effected.  Some individuals are benefiting at the expense of others, as in slavery years ago.  Speciesism is using some individuals for the sole benefit of others.  They have no rights of their own.  The UN needs a Convention Against Speciesism to stop the injustice of rising water, unsustainable practices, and other cruelties, and provide justice for the exploited.  Vegan International, www.VeganInternational.org, has applied for UN ECOSOC Consultative status, and is proposing a UN Convention Against Speciesism.

Happy Autumn!

Autumn is a time for Harvest, Farmer Markets, jumping in leaves, enjoying the fall foliage, and looking forward to the Holidays which are right around the corner. 

But do you really know what you are buying when you buy ‘organic’?  The truth is – it is only slightly better than conventional, the extra money you pay goes mostly to pay for all the bookkeeping involved.  The best produce is VEGANIC, not organic.

Veganic agriculture is a form of sustainable agriculture which uses no animal inputs for soil fertility.  Instead it uses green manures.  This is a method of farming which employs crop rotations, cover crops, veganic compost, and imaginative and creative uses of green manures.  Some are plowed under, some are killed and left on the surface of the soil for crops to be planted into, and some are planted between rows.  Different green manures offer different benefits to the soil. 

Soil fertility is key to nutritious food since crops take their nutritional value from the soil.  Tasteless fruits and vegetables indicate that they have been grown in depleted soil.  Soil that is depleted cannot product crops that have vitamins, minerals, and taste. All elements found on the Periodic Chart of the Elements are needed for the human body.  All except a few are found in soil.  The other few are in the air.  You cannot have good health unless you have healthy soil.

Minerals such as lime and phosphorous are added to amend the soil.  Veganic farming uses no manure, blood, or bone meal from factory farms and slaughterhouses as is typically used in organic farming.  There is e-coli and other deadly organisms in organic as well as conventional agriculture, but not veganic. 

Pests are managed first through crop rotation.  Then the philosophy, “Know your Enemy”, involves diagnosing the pest or disease.  Its life cycle is analyzed to find the vulnerable point.   Next the philosophy, “My Enemy’s Enemy is my Friend”, is employed, and a predator is found that can control situation at that vulnerable point.  This eliminates the need for toxic pesticides, even the “natural” poisons used in organic farming.  Veganic farming relies on the use of harmless soaps and ashes for pest control.     

The end result of veganic farming is produce that is loaded with vitamins and minerals, and has no toxic or poisonous pesticides, no hormones or antibiotics from animal manures and inputs as used in conventional and organic farming, has a light carbon footprint, is globally sustainable, and is totally cruelty free.