Traditionally the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah — a New Year celebration that begins at sunset today — features a lavish table festive with wine, a brisket or chicken, fish, chopped liver, tzimis (a stewed carrot and sweet potato medley), chicken soup and a plate of freshly cut apples and sweet honey, which symbolize the hope for a sweet new year.

Challah, a golden bread that's normally braided, is often baked in a circle — symbolizing the cyclical nature of the year — for Rosh Hashanah. It may also include raisins for a sweet new year or be shaped into a bird or ladder to express the family's hopes that their prayers will rise to heaven.

Rosh Hashanah is both a happy and a solemn day. It's a time for deep thought and introspection, asking for and offering forgiveness, resolving to define oneself through mitzvot (commandments or, more generically, good deeds), remembering God as the supreme ruler, and praying for a healthy and happy year to come.

Some families serve pomegranates — said to contain 613 seeds, the number of mitzvot — during the holiday to remind God that the family has been observing the commandments over the previous year.

During this time of introspection and kindness to others, some Jews choose to think about how they want to conduct themselves in terms of health, the environment and animal rights — and to decide if a vegetarian lifestyle is right for them.

Some Jewish holiday dishes do not include meat, milk, cheese, eggs or other animal products. Fresh vegetables, fruits, grains and beans combined with exotic spices appear in casseroles, spinach bakes, stuffed squashes, soups and lentil loafs — particularly among
Sephardic Jews, whose families originally came from the Iberian Peninsula, where Spain and Portugal now lie.

Other holiday dishes, such as the chopped liver, brisket, gefilte fish and chicken soup that are particularly beloved among the Ashkenazi — Jewish families that came from central and eastern Europe, and the majority of Jews living in the United States today — are built around ingredients that come from animals.

For many Ashkenazi and Sephardic families, meat was a luxury and indulged in primarily on holidays.

Diet as principal

One man who became fascinated with the relationship between Judaism and vegetarianism almost 30 years ago is Richard H. Schwartz, professor emeritus of mathematics at the College of Staten Island, New York, and author of Judaism and Vegetarianism (Lantern Books, 2001).

Schwartz was, by his own description, strictly a "meat and potatoes man" until 1977.

In 1975, Schwartz said, he began teaching a course on mathematics and the environment at the College of Staten Island. The course used basic mathematical concepts and problems to explore critical issues, such as pollution, resource scarcities, hunger, energy and the arms race.

"While reviewing material relating to world hunger, I became aware of the tremendous waste of grain associated with the production of beef," Schwartz said.

His extensive research showed him that more than 70 percent of the grain produced in the United States is fed to animals destined for slaughter, while an estimated 20 million of the world's people die annually because of hunger or malnutrition.

For a while, he said, he continued to eat meat while he led discussions in his classes of the possibility of reducing meat consumption as a way of helping the hungry.

After several semesters of teaching the course, though, Schwartz decided that putting the principles and values he espoused into practice would be far more valuable and rewarding than hours of preaching. So he stopped eating red meat, but continued to include chicken and fish in his diet.

But additional research into the health benefits of vegetarianism — coupled with the things he learned about the lives (and deaths) of animals raised on factory farms — led him
to decide to become a full-fledged vegetarian.

As part of his study of vegetarianism, Schwartz also started looking at Jewish teachings that related to dietary choices.

He realized that many of his ideas could be aligned with the powerful words in Genesis 1:29 (cited above), and concluded that the production and consumption of meat and other animal products violate basic Jewish teachings on preserving human health, treating animals with compassion, protecting the environment, conserving natural resources and helping hungry people.

He also concluded that a switch toward plant-based diets is a societal imperative because of the major contributions animal-based diets make to global warming and other serious environmental threats.

"The strongest support for vegetarianism as a positive ideal anywhere in Torah literature is in the writing of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hakohen Kook (1865-1935)," Schwartz said. "Rav Kook was the first chief rabbi of pre-state Israel" and an Orthodox Torah scholar.

"Based on careful scriptural analysis," Schwartz writes on his Web site, www.jewishveg.com, "Rav Kook contended that the Torah's permission to eat meat was only a temporary concession; it was patently unthinkable to him that a Merciful God would forever impose a natural order by which animals would be killed for food."

"Rav Kook saw the craving for meat as a manifestation of spiritual decline, rather than an inherent need," Schwartz writes. "Like medieval authorities ... he believed that in the days of the Messiah, all humanity would return to a vegetarian diet."

Caring for the planet

"When you have two Jews, you often have three opinions," said Rabbi Leonard Helman of Santa Fe's Congregation Beit Tikva. Helman, to explain why there are biblical references supporting vegetarianism and also references in favor of eating meat to represent a special holiday or sacrifice.

Helman has recently become very passionate about animal rights, he said — which is why, at 81, he has made a commitment to change his diet.

"I am appalled with treatment of the animals in factories," he said. "This mistreatment has touched my soul so deeply that I feel I must move toward vegetarianism."

Helman said that he agrees with Harold S. Kushner, a best-selling author and Massachusetts rabbi prominent in the progressive wing of Conservative Judaism, when he states that the major Jewish laws rest on a single premise: Eating meat is a moral compromise.

"There is a difference between eating a hamburger and eating a bowl of cereal, Helman said. "For one of them a living creature had to be killed. Should we ever become so casual about the eating of meat that we lose sight of that distinction, a part of our humanity will have shriveled and died."

"Some believe that the rabbis created the laws of kashrut (the Jewish dietary laws) to make eating meat more difficult than eating a banana," said Rabbi Malka Drucker of HaMakom, who also is a vegetarian.

"My interpretation of kashrut makes us mindful of eating while allowing for a humane way of slaughtering animals," she said — while noting that there have been allegations of abuse of animals and workers — even in kosher processing plants.

"Ideally, we are to take care of each other and this earth," Drucker said. "As we become more aware of the consequences of eating meat as evolving human beings, we need to question whether meat produced under these circumstances is kosher."

Kosher slaughter
isn't the whole story

Writer, speaker and publisher Roberta Kalechofsky changed her eating habits 25 years ago.

Kalechofsky was eating meat only from her kosher butcher in Marblehead, Mass., when she began reading Schwartz's book, she said. In its pages she learned about the immoral treatment of animals as well as the problems that eating meat created for the planet's and human's health, she said.

She assumed that because she was buying her meat from a kosher butcher, the animal-rights issues she was reading about were not relevant — until her butcher informed her that even though the animals whose flesh she ate had been slaughtered using the laws of shechitah (ritual or kosher slaughter) they had been raised in the same conditions as other factory-farmed creatures.

On that day, Kalechofsky said, she became a vegetarian.

She knew she would need to learn to create vegetarian menus that also would keep her husband and sons happy, so she turned to Frances Moore Lappe's classic Diet for a Small Planet for advice. Soon she was creating her own recipes for everyday meals for and all the Jewish holidays.

As word of Kalechofsky's passion for vegetarianism spred, many her neighbors began asking her for recipes, inspiring her to write Vegetarian Judaism: A Guide for Everyone, as well as The Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook in collaboration with culinary journalist Rosa Raseil. Her company, Micah Publications Inc., is the publishing arm for Jews for Animal Rights.

Passions about food
and issues

Rabbi Ben Morrow, rabbi emeritus at Temple Beth Shalom, would prefer to be fully vegetarian — and has been in the past for health, spiritual, ecological and animal-rights reasons — but he does occasionally have a piece of chicken these days, he said.

Morrow agrees with Schwartz's findings about the teachings of Judaism in regards to the environment, animal rights and health issues. "Spiritually and physically," he said, "we are to take care of the earth."

Vegetarianism is a topic discussed with fervor within Jewish circles, with rabbis, scholars and cookbook authors holding different opinions on the topic.

"But all should agree that taking responsibility for your own actions is the key to self-enlightenment — and not judging others' dietary choices," said Rabbi Marvin Schwab of Temple Beth Shalom.

Although Schwab isn't a vegetarian, he said that he admires anyone following that path — not wanting to take a life to sustain his or her own.

"I was growing up in the era where a well-known motto was, 'You are what you eat,' " he said. "But I believe you are what you do."

Judaism has a lot to say about reigning in our passions around food, Schwab continued. "This is why there is no place in the Bible that states that we should not eat meat." But the dietary laws were created in case we did make that choice, he said.

Selfishness vs. health
and reverence

As much as there are many references to eating vegetables and seeds in the Torah, there also are many that say that you should eat meat, other observant Jews say.

Rabbi Beryl Levertov and his wife, Devorah Leah, of Chabad Jewish Center of Santa Fe, spoke of the importance of mitzvah and its connection to Rosh Hashanah as well as daily life.

"Torah tells us to eat meat in Leviticus," Rabbi Levertov said.

"However, animals and the care of them are very important in the Bible," Devorah Leah adds. "I want to just make it clear that we don't take the act of eating meat lightly."

In addition to Torah, another place that the Levertovs look for guidance is Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism.

Devorah Leah explained that Kabbalah teaches that everything has a soul — a life force from God that makes it exist all the time.

"We, therefore, have no right to take any life and use it for our benefit," she says, noting that the same principle applies to fruits and vegetables as well as animals.

"If we use them for selfish reasons, we have no right," she said. "If, however, we use them to be healthy and serve God, we both are fulfilling a greater purpose.

"That's the reason we honor the holidays, like Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah, by eating meat," she said. "We're not doing it for selfish reasons, we are doing it to honor God's day."

Spiritual connections
and choices

Whether we eat meat or follow a strict vegetarian diet, there are many moral and spiritual considerations related to our food choices.

Schwartz and the Jewish Vegetarians of North America, of which he is president, are eager to engage in respectful dialogues and debates on the question of whether Jews should be vegetarians.

All of Santa Fe's rabbis are also available for deeper searching on the subject.

"(Judaism) is a very human religion," Schwab said. "It takes into account our shortcomings and flaws, it asks us to look inward to work on becoming the person that we would like to become — (and) Rosh Hashanah is an ideal time to begin this journey of introspection and action."

Recipes

This soup, a favorite of the Schwab family, can be made with either vegetable or chicken broth, warming the hearts of vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

JANET SCHWAB'S ZUCCHINI SOUP

(Serves 10)

2 (48-ounce) cans broth

1 (48-ounce) can water

12 zucchini

1 turnip

4 garlic cloves

8 large potatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: sour cream for serving

Cut up the zucchini, turnip, garlic cloves and potatoes. Place in a large soup pot with the broth and water. Simmer until the vegetables are soft.

Transfer soup to blender and purée the veggies, being careful not to burn yourself. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot, with a dollop of sour cream on each bowl, for all but the vegans at your table.

u u u

The next three recipes are from the Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook by Roberta Kalechofsky and Rosa Rasiel (Micah Publications).

This is a good company dish, Kalechofsky says — "a different way to combine these popular Mediterranean ingredients." She suggests cooking the rice and onions in advance and assembling the dish at your convenience.

ZUCCHINI BAKED WITH RICE
AND TOMATOES

(Serves 8 to 12)

2 pounds zucchini, scrubbed, trimmed, and sliced.

2 cups sliced onions (about 2 medium)

3 medium tomatoes, sliced

11/4 cups rice

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1-2 tablespoons wine vinegar

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt

Paprika

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Cook rice in boiling water in usual fashion.

In medium saucepan, sauté onions in 2 tablespoons oil until light golden brown.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Oil shallow baking dish. Arrange rice, zucchini, onions and tomatoes in alternate layers, ending with tomatoes on top. Bake 30 minutes or until zucchini slices are tender.

Meanwhile, make a dressing from remaining oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and paprika to taste. When ready to serve, sprinkle casserole with chopped parsley and pour dressing over all.

u u u

"Quinoa is an Inca grain which has been rediscovered and is now available in health food stores and specialty markets," Kalechofsky writes — "a wonderful alternative for a holiday. These tiny grains, about the size of poppy seeds, are an excellent symbol of profusion."

QUINOA SALAD WITH OLIVES

(Serves 6-8)

2 cups quinoa

4 cups water

2/3 cup black olives, halved

3/4 cup green olives, halved

1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

1 bunch scallions, finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1/2 small red or yellow pepper, cut into thin strips

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Rinse quinoa well, using a fine strainer. Place quinoa and water in a
2-1/2 quart saucepan, bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer covered, 10-15 minutes or until water is absorbed. When done, grains will be translucent, and the outer germ ring, which stays opaque, will separate. (If water remains in pot when grains are done, stir over low heat until water evaporates.)

Allow to cool, then mix in remaining ingredients, adding vinegar last. Taste and correct seasonings.

If making ahead, early in the day or the day before the meal, do not add scallions until ready to serve.

u u u

MOCK CHOPPED LIVER

(Makes about 2 cups)

1/2 pound brown lentils

1 large diced onion

1 or 2 tablespoons oil

1 cup chopped walnuts

Salt to taste

Put lentils in a 2- or 3-quart pot and cover with water. Use water sparingly so that lentils absorb all the water. More water can be added as needed.

Bring water to a boil, partially cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. Check occasionally to make sure water has not boiled off, and add water as needed.

Sauté onions in oil until lightly golden and tender. Put lentils, walnuts and onions in food processor and purée until slightly coarse. Salt to taste.

Chill about 2 hours. Serve with crackers or rye bread or on lettuce leaves.