In response to Naomi’s comments, you are completely correct - this country, and Jews in particular eat way too much meat. By opening this conversation in an intentional way and by wintessing the slaughter of anmials that we then at at the Shabbos table, we at the conference took a whole new look at how we relate to the meat that we eat.

Some folks found the process extremely serene and holy. Others found it completely repulsive and heartbreaking. Some vegetarians tried the meat out of respect and curiosity. Some meat eaters refused to touch this particular meat.

I don’t understand how this experience was completely “unattainable” - in fact, many of us who had the experience were deeply moved. And I strongly disagree with your comment that this “relationship with your food simply isn’t possible in America” - This relationship with our food is essential in America. To understand that the choices we make have real impacts on animals, on the environment, and on forces that we don’t fully understand.

If people had this kind of experience, whether one time or through daily connection to their food source, we as a society would make more informed choices. Most likey, meat eating in this country would decrease, respect for animals would increase, and American and Jewish relationship with food would be much healthier.

Thank you Hazon for making the hard choice to put the reality of meat consumption in front of us.

Amen. You took the words right out of my mouth: )

I do not go out of my way to condemn those who eat meat. I would prefer that everyone become a vegetarian, but that is indeed up to each individual’s conscience and free will.

I think that there is something twisted and mistaken in someone’s thinking, in this case, Leah, that there was teshuva in the brutal murder of three innocent goats. It seems to me that the mother of one of the slaughtered goats had some sort of instinctual sense that something was going to be done to one of her offspring. If there was a true reverence for the goats, they would still be alive, they would not have been murdered. What was done was a chillul ha-shem, a desecration of the divine. It is incomprehensible that the slaughter of three innocent goats could in any way, shape, or form be construed as an act of teshuva.

I AGREE, and Jackie put it very well in her statement, BUT, Ben, choosing to kill that goat is not like taking someone off life support or putting down a pet, it is basically shooting your loved one right in the head, BOOM!

Gill - say what you will, but I am absolutely still a vegetarian. Aside from the 3 bites (total) of goat and rooster I consumed in the last 8 years, my diet has been, and will continue to be for the forseeable future, free of any meat, fish, or fowl.

No, I am not the kind of vegetarian who codemns all other meat eaters. Nor am I the kind of vegetarian who argues that the meat industry is “barbaric” - but then rejects any step towards humane meat production. I think this is a rather juvenile position to take.

I am the kind of vegetarian (and Jew for that matter) who embraces that people have different points of view - who tries to educate people about their food choices, but ultimately respects the decisions they make as their own.

I recognize that it’s silly to even be arguing my vegetarianism with you since you have no say over my status as an eater…but I wanted to make myself clear.

On another note - I think the “should Hazon have done it or not?” conversation has changed significantly since last Friday at the Food Conference. Although I generally supported the idea of a schecting going into the conference, I had my reservations that it could be done with proper respect. But having been there with those 70 other people, it is beyond a doubt in my mind that it was not only done with respect, but with reverence - and that its impact will ripple through participants’ decisions around food for a long time to come. I don’t think anyone who witnessed the schecting - even those of us who don’t eat meat - could deny that.

You’ve got it backwards, Gill. The schecting WAS an act of teshuva.

Also, in this day and age of global heating, it is wasteful to be raising animals for food as it take up way too many of our resources, resources which can be allocated much more efficiently for a plant-based diet. More and more prominent people of our faith are embracing and advocating vegetarianism. A prime example of this is Rabbi Arthur Green, who has called vegetarianism a “kashrut for this day and age” in his writings on Jewish theology.

I sincerely think that you have a lot of teshuva to do at Hazon for including this inhumane and barbaric practice at your food conference. Our tradition’s highest value is the sacredness of life and we are enjoined to “choose life.”

How long does goat meat take to digest? (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

I get what Hazon was trying to do with this but I think the mark was missed by a long shot. As Mr. Croland points out, this sort of up-close-and-personal relationship with your food simply isn’t possible in America, including the Jewish American community, because people eat too much meat. Now perhaps if we all went primarily vegetarian and reserved the meat eating for special occasions… but how likely is that to happen? Not likely. Which is why I don’t see what Hazon’s point was. The experience you gave people is a completely unattainable one, not something they can take home and incorporate into their everyday lives. Once the shock of seeing an animal slaughtered has worn off, then what?

I’m not sure how you could equate letting go of a sick relative or pet with the shechting of this very healthy animal that would live happily ever after.

The point is that you can try to make shechting look like respectful work, but in the end it is taking away life, and there’s just no way that I can look at that as holy.

As a conscientious carnivore, witnessing this was amazing. The shochet and moshgiach definitely believed that this was a most humane way to respect animal’s contributions to human life. I am humbled by their awareness of their food and the efforts they make to eat godly.

I was not grossed or inspired by the death of the goats, but am completely inspired by the kavanah of the slaughterers, which may sound contradictory to those opposed to animal killing, but is absolutely true in my case.