Mission Statement

The Shamayim V'Aretz Institute is a Jewish spiritual center intertwining learning and leadership around the intersecting issues of animal welfare activism, kosher veganism, and Jewish spirituality, for those anywhere on the journey towards compassionate eating and living within Judaism.

The Institute trains leaders to address the abuse of animals, injustices in kosher slaughterhouses, and other animal welfare issues while also serving as an educational resource to help people make informed and passionate Jewish moral choices about their ethical consumption.

About Us

"Shamayim V'Aretz" means "Heaven and Earth" in Hebrew. The goal of Jewish life is to bring heaven down to earth and to sanctify the world through all of our just and holy endeavors. The Midrash teaches that there is a temple located in the heavens that sits directly above the temple on earth (Genesis Rabbah 69:7). The same G-d who makes the heavens radiate also illuminates our earthly existence. We are the stewards of the earth seeking to ensure that heaven still has a place on earth by removing injustice, oppression, and suffering from our midst. The animal kingdom is the most abused of all sentient beings. By protecting the most vulnerable creatures on earth, we return the holiness to our world by bringing Shamayim back down to the Aretz, by bringing heaven back down to earth.

Credits

Film Editing of 'Stuff Kosher Meat-Eaters Say...' by Daniel Jankovic
Filming of 'Stuff Kosher Meat-Eaters Say...' by Ben Vorspan
Website Design & Development by Patrick D'Arcy