Jews who care about building a better world should stand in support of the animal rights activists who protested at Urban Adamah’s Purim celebration on March 11. Not only were the demonstrators ethically correct, because the exploitation and slaughter of animals is wrong, but Berkeley’s Jewish urban farm was an entirely appropriate venue.
I recently moved to the Bay Area to apprentice at Urban Adamah. I connect to my Judaism through music and movement, through activism and agriculture, but I never felt as connected to my Jewishness as I did working at Urban Adamah, seeding tomatoes while singing songs about justice.
Last weekend, however, I helped organize a protest there. I did so because Urban Adamah promotes violence against animals in my Jewish community.
As an animal advocate, I have demonstrated at food festivals, restaurants and grocery stores. I have participated in investigations into animal factories just up the road in Petaluma, an action that last week’s J. editorial suggested would be “better” than protesting at Urban Adamah.
As a model of advocacy for progressive, sustainability focused Judaism, Urban Adamah and its practices affect humans and animals far beyond its plot of land. For many East Bay Jews, Urban Adamah is our community center. It is a place where young, progressive Jews, myself included, cultivate their Jewish identities, where children begin to learn about tzedakah and tikkun olam. There are Friday night services and holiday events; it is much more than a farm to us.
Because Urban Adamah plays such a formative role for so many, its killing of animals for food sends a clear message that this is the right thing to do. We all condemn factory farming, but industrial animal agriculture is a natural consequence of the view that animals exist for our purposes.
Urban Adamah teaches that view in the community — that animals are commodities for production. Factory farms merely stand out because they “guarantee maximal production,” as Rabbi David Rosen, former chief rabbi of Ireland, wrote in a March 16 op-ed in the British Jewish News, “Is any meat kosher today?”
Viewing animals as mere food machines numbs our compassion.
If you look closely at Urban Adamah, you can see how viewing animals as mere food machines numbs our compassion. The supposedly idyllic shechita (kosher slaughter) at Urban Adamah meant a random collection of staff members freely butchering chickens under the instructions of a single novice.
Backyard hens, like the ones kept at Urban Adamah, come from hatcheries where the males are ground up alive while the females never feel their mother’s warmth. Urban Adamah’s goats are forced into demeaning and restrictive milking bras inside cramped pens where babies are deprived of their mothers’ nurturing.
The image of Urban Adamah as a haven for animals is far from reality.
Even if Urban Adamah did provide its nonhuman residents a life of pure bliss, would that make it OK to slit their throats? No. At the most basic level, hurting and killing animals is wrong because, unlike plants and other elements of the natural world, they have feelings. We all agree that respect for animals — tza’ar ba’alei chayim — is a Jewish mandate.
Urban Adamah agrees that we should be kind and compassionate to animals. Is it kind and compassionate to kill them?
It deeply saddens me to have to speak out against Urban Adamah, which has been my Jewish community in Berkeley — a place of friendship, song and spirituality. Before last week’s protest, I had repeatedly reached out to my friends at the farm to express my concerns regarding their use of animals. I was met with silence or false assurances that the animals were safe.
As a community member who deeply loves such a sacred space, I thought dialogue would be the ideal route. However, when Urban Adamah went ahead with the deaths of animals I cared about, we were left with no choice but to escalate.
The most telling thing about the response to our protest is that neither Urban Adamah nor anyone else has made an attempt to defend killing animals. Instead, all they have said is that other farms are crueler, less “humane.”
This is always a weak argument, but it’s even weaker when it comes from Urban Adamah, which is a social justice organization. Its aim is tikkun olam, to repair the world, to challenge the status quo. Urban Adamah should not be asking what everyone else is doing. It should be asking what the right thing to do is. Killing is not the right thing to do.
When it stops exploiting animals for food, Urban Adamah will be a truly peaceful place, an Eden. Until then, I will protest out of love.
Beautifully said, Naomi. I’m glad to see this debate happening. This piece explains really well why protesting at Urban Adamah is crucial for animals and not easily replaced by just protesting “factory farms” (though we protest those as well – and far more).
Amazing piece! Thank you for fighting for real justice, Naomi – you can always count me in!
Fantastic piece!
are you uber wealthy do you have a real job do your parents support you are you on public assistance.. do you know what being a Jew really means
Why are you changing the subject? Because you can’t answer Naomi’s powerful, compassionate case? Speaking about “what being a real Jew really means,” do you recognise that Jews are to be rachmanim b’nai rachmanim, compassionate children of compassionate ancestors, imitating God, whose compassion is over all His works (Psalms 145:9)?
Great piece!
Very well stated. Thank you.
I also protested for animals on Purim. But this protest was dumb, Harambe would not be in support. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0041743cba23bda553af8682913a266d6cc7e230989bcfedf1b726436df8b154.jpg
Kol hakavod (kudos!), Naomi. Great article. It is a shame that so many Jews are ignoring that veganism is the edit most consistent with Jewish teachings on taking care of our health, treating animal with compassion, protecting the environment, conserving natural resources, and helping hungry people.
1. Humans are omnivores. Get over it. Eat meat or don’t–but don’t pretend we are made to be herbivores. We weren’t. And, while it is possible to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet, I know many who have done so, then returned to eating (some) meat for health reasons.
2. Plants, animals, the earth, and those who who tend and till all deserve care and respect. That does not mean refraining from eating either plants or animals, but being respectful and mindful of how all of the above are treated. Don’t poison the earth. Don’t treat animals cruelly and, when killing them, do it kindly (and yes, yes, you can. See Temple Grandin’s work on this). Pay your workers a fair wage. Share with those in need.
And, by the way, given the current political apocalypse–if THIS is the best you can do in the way of protest, you are just way too entitled. Get over yourself.
Nice to see somebody on this thread that speaks the truth.
This is completely false information and flies in the face of both science and empiricism.
Opinion stated as fact does not make it fact. Bullying small farmers and Jewish community members during the celebration of a sacred Jewish holiday is obscene and not reflective of Jewish values in any way. Naomi and her compatriots should be ashamed of what they did.
Hi Yadidya, Naomi here. Thank you for your critical comment.
I believe that speaking up for the oppressed IS a Jewish value. Animals are some of the most oppressed beings on this earth. We talk about them and treat them as if they are merely commodities, kill them when they are only babies, and tear their families apart. We bring them into this world to use them. Discrimination against animals does not only happen on factory farms. It also happens under the guise of humane farming.
I made it pretty clear in the article that I absolutely love Urban Adamah. Taking nonviolent direct action is not bullying. Activists were there to deliver a message to the community and then leave. Animal liberation is social justice.
I have spent time with chickens, many of whom have personalities just like a dog or cat. If I found out someone killed my dog, I would most definitely be taking action. What is the difference?
If you would like to talk about this further, I would be more than happy to schedule a phone call.
Thanks,
Naomi
Well said, Naomi.
Holding a pointless protest aimed at small farmers is one thing. I’d still oppose your protest because I believe your ideology is wrong and your tactics to be ineffective, but I wouldn’t call you out this harshly just for that. Protesting by disrupting the celebrations of a Jewish community on a sacred Jewish holiday is in bad taste and extremely disrespectful.
Hi again Yadidya!
I can understand why you might call our protest ‘pointless.’ Clearly since you disagree with our ideology and tactics that would lead you to also think of our protest as pointless. I would love to challenge this and say imagine that it was an idea you agreed with. If you look back in history at every social justice movement, nonviolent direct action has been used to make social change. I think the large difference here is that I believe animal liberation is social justice, and you see animals as part of the food system. Like I said before, I am more than happy to schedule a time to talk about this more in depth.
I also appreciate your critique about the problem of disrupting a Jewish holiday celebration. I am struggling with how I feel about this too. It strikes me as ironic to celebrate and rejoice when others’ lives are taken. Again, I am still thinking about all this and very open to having a longer conversation offline if you are interested.
Thanks,
Naomi
In terms of animals, let me be clear that I view each and every one of them to be a sacred and unique reflection of the divine and not just a part of the food system. I also believe that it is perfectly normal and acceptable for animals to eat each other. Pesele’s comments below reflect much of my opinions on the matter.
In terms of your tactics, most every abolitionist vegan colleague I’ve met in the animal movement finds your tactics to be highly ineffective so I don’t see a need to try your thought exercise. Even if you were standing up for something I believed in I wouldn’t agree with the tactics you use because I think they are at best ineffective and at worst harmful for the animal movement as a whole. Though maybe your protest would be better described as missing the point rather than pointless.
I’m glad that you’re struggling with my critique and certainly hope that if you choose to go about protests in the future you at least do it in a way that better respects the Jewish community and Jewish customs. In terms of continuing the conversation offline that is not something I have time for at the moment as I’ve already given this matter way too much of my attention but at some point in the future I’d be glad to talk and I’m sure that we will have an opportunity to do so one of these days.
Yadidya, what is an appropriate time to protest? People always say it’s an inappropriate time for protests they don’t agree with. As I said below, Purim is a highly appropriate time for a protest.
As a compatriot of Naomi, I am proud of what we did. It was an act of love and peace. I’ve spent Shabbat at Urban Adamah and love the space, but it’s not okay to teach people to hurt animals. The idea that we can use and kill animals for profit is what underlies factory farming. Jews should oppose it, and a dance party strikes me as an entirely appropriate time to speak out.
Agreed with Zach here.
Purim is a sacred Jewish holiday, which some choose to celebrate with dance parties. Purim is said by many to be 2nd holiest day of the year after Yom Kippur. To you it may be a pointless party day but to many Jews it is deeply spiritual and crucially important.
Purim is a holiday about standing up to oppression, and it’s a holiday of chaos and turning things upside down. It’s sacred, and it’s sacred in a way that makes a protest over violence at Urban Adamah entirely appropriate.
Most Jewish holidays have something to do with standing up to oppression, that doesn’t make them an appropriate time to berate community member for whatever wrong they might be involved with. But obviously you’ve made up your mind, I have nothing more to say.
Speaking up for the oppressed is always reflective of Jewish values. Whether killing defenseless sentient animals is reflective of Jewish values…that’s the debate to have. And we invite you to have it with us. Publicly and proudly.
Send me a message, and we can coordinate with you.
Best,
Adam
Sorry, but I have little interest in giving your organization more publicity. I believe your tactics to be offensive and harmful to the greater animal movement, and consequentially to animals as well. I can’t see of anything to be gained through a public debate, but if we ever meet you in person I’d be glad to discuss some of these issues face to face.
What is offensive about nonviolent protest? Seems like you are a bit misguided since you weren’t there. Activists were on the farm for only a small amount of time with a few speeches about why animals deserve to live free from harm. They spoke with love and kindness while speaking loud and strong. If you can’t see the beauty and importance in speaking up for the oppressed, I am thoroughly confused.
When I call your tactics offensive I am talking generally about the whole of DxE tactics, which you’re clearly emulating. In terms of this specific event I find your decision to hold your protest on a Jewish holiday offensive.
“I believe your tactics to be offensive and harmful to the greater animal movement, and consequentially to animals as well.”
Let’s not pretend that you care about whether or not their tactics are productive to the animal rights cause.
Reading through these comments, it struck me how respectful and compassionate Naomi has been and how rude and disengaging you have been to her.
Naomi. how can we visit you this summer?
Thank you Naomi for being an amazing and compassionate voice for justice for all sentient beings. Jewish values should prioritize the core principle of not inflicting unnecessary suffering, and that is exactly what Urban Adamah does every time it unnecessarily slaughters an animal. I have interacted with chickens at sanctuaries and know they have unique personalities and complex social systems, and they clearly experience fear and joy. Every major medical organization now acknowledges that we can live a very healthy life on a fully plant-based diet. There is no moral justification for eating animals, and if anything they need the advocacy of even more strong Jewish voices like yours.
Okay, first of all, no they weren’t. Secondly, it’s a false equivalency.
If God hadn’t meant for us to eat animals, then why did He make them so tasty?