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As one of PETA's resident experts put it, "I wish every Jew in the world would read this article."

'Nuff said. Read it.

Posted by Joel Bartlett

I'm willing to bet my last Goldenberg Peanut Chew that you love comedian/writer Carol Leifer just as much as I do. Even if her name doesn't sound familiar, millions of Seinfeld fans can thank her for penning countless "I-laughed-so-hard-vino-shot-out-of-my-nose!" moments.

Carol recently tossed all animal products from her fridge—no more milk stolen from calves, no more eggs from miserable hens, and no more bacon from pigs gone crazy from confinement—and she sat down with PETA to film the following vegetarian testimonial (Before you watch it, I suggest you put that wine down, lest you spray Chardonnay all over your keyboard):

One of my favorite lines: "I recently became vegan because I felt that as a Jewish lesbian, I wasn't part of a small enough minority. So now I'm a Jewish lesbian vegan."

If that video wasn't enough hilarity for you, you can check out here and here for other versions of the video. Plus, we've got 10 copies of Carol's book—When You Lie About Your Age, The Terrorists Win: Reflections on Looking in the Mirror—to give away too. Win yours by letting us know, in the comments section below, the funniest thing you tell people when they ask why you went vegetarian.

The contest ends on July 23, 2009, and we'll choose the 10 most hilarious comments as the winners on July 24, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!

Posted by Karin Bennett

You remember Agriprocessors, right? You know, the kosher slaughterhouse whose practices turned out to be anything but kosher? The one that lost 76 percent of its employees in an immigration raid and that filed for bankruptcy last week?

Well, since Agriprocessors is (or, dare I say, was) the largest glatt kosher slaughterhouse in the world, the bankruptcy has led to a shortage of kosher meat. An article on www.israelnationalnews.com reports that, as a result, many Jewish Americans are eating more vegetarian meals.

Three of the five largest kosher beef slaughterhouses in the U.S. and the second-largest kosher beef supplier in South America are currently not operating. This is adding to the shortage and causing prices to escalate. In addition to troubles at Agriprocessors, operations at the nation's third-largest kosher slaughterhouse, North Star Beef in Minnesota, stopped several months ago after a fire, and the fifth largest facility in the U.S. (Local Pride, which we investigated in 2007 and is owned by the same people as Agriprocessors) stopped operations in October.

There's a solid case for Jewish vegetarianism in the first place, and the lawbreaking practices of Agriprocessors and its subsequent shutdown are even more reasons to have a vegetarian Shabbat. Many "meaty" recipes—even chopped "liver"!—can be made pareve (that's no meat, no dairy).

VegCooking.com, by the way, has a nice collection of Jewish recipes. I have personally made both the latkes and the stuffed zucchini and can attest to their yumminess. For more veganized traditional favorites, www.jewishveg.com is another great resource.

Mmm, vegan knishes … I might have to buy potatoes on the way home today.

Posted by Amanda Schinke

Hey, everyone! I wanted to tell y'all about A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World, a new documentary by the Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA). The film has several scenes depicting very powerful footage of animal suffering. According to JVNA's Web site, A Sacred Duty reminds viewers that it is "our responsibility to apply Jewish teachings to how we obtain our food, use natural resources, and live among other creatures whom God created. It offers simple, practical measures for reducing our impact on the planet."

JVNA is offering free DVD copies of A Sacred Duty to religious groups, educational institutions, environmental organizations, cultural clubs, the media, Jewish film festivals, and others who will arrange showings. Click here to contact JVNA and request a copy.

You can view the film in its entirety online. Check it out here.

Thanks, JVNA, for showing everyone that the suffering of animals raised for food should be taken into account by those concerned about the environment and for reminding people about Jewish values of compassion for animals.

Love,

Christine <3