Every household is obliged to own a luluv/etrog set. Does this rule contradict the prohibition against waste (Baal Taschit)? Should sharing of the four species be permitted?
GE Food Theme
Topic GE Foods and Jewish Tradition
Background:
In natural reproduction, offspring carry a combination of genes derived from their parent stock. Genetic modification is defined as ?the altering of the genetic material in an organism in a way that does not occur naturally by mating or natural recombination or both.? DNA can be combined, or directly introduced into an organism, or cells can be spliced or fused.
Unlike traditional breeding, genetically engineering enables scientists to cross the species boundary and insert genes from one organism into another. Tomatoes and pigs could never breed, but with genetic modification, genes from pigs have been inserted into tomatoes and other common foods to achieve new traits.
Genetic modification has been undertaken to promote frost-resistance, reduce insect damage, and for herbicide resistance (so that weed killers used in the vicinity do not kill the crop plants). Proponents argue that genetic engineering (GE) will create hardier, more pest resistant crops and so help feed the world. Critics argue that the corporations advancing genetic technology are actually concerned with market dominance.
Jewish Perspectives
Lubavitch Rabbi Yossi Serebryanski of Crown Heights, a kosher supervisor for OK Labs Brooklyn, NY said he has ?stopped eating tomatoes and only eats potatoes he knows are organic. The rabbi said he fears that genes from non-kosher foods, such as pigs or insects, could be implanted in vegetables and Jews may unwittingly break kosher laws by eating them.? (New York Post, May 23, 1999) courtesy of Ron Laye
?Do not crossbreed your livestock with other species. Do not plant your field with different species of seeds. Do not wear a garment that contains a forbidden mixture of fabrics? (Leviticus 19:19). One man in the United States has sued the Federal Department of Agriculture to require labeling of products containing genetically modified foods, on the grounds that because of the laws of kilayim, his religious freedoms as a Jew are being violated if he cannot distinguish between GE foods and non-modified foods.
The Orthodox Union, a leading kosher authority, has ruled that genetically modified organisms do not violate kashrut. It said that since genes are microscopic, they are therefore botul, or nullified, in the new plant. (Nina Moliver, ?Forbidden Mixtures,? Natural Jewish Parenting, Fall/Winter 1999). Star-K of Baltimore, a kosher certifier, puts it ?The bottom line is, if it looks like a tomato and smells like a tomato, it is a tomato and may be eaten.?
Questions
As a Jew, what is your position on genetically engineered (GE) foods?
?And God saw all that God had made and behold it was very good.? Genesis 1:31. What right do humans have to manipulate DNA?
Should the laws of kashrut be reviewed and adapted with the aim of excluding GE foods?
Action
If you wanted to avoid eating genetically modified food, avoid processed foods, buy whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and use organic food as much as possible. Adam va-Adamah has a list of Kosher and organic foods readily available in the Vancouver area. www.ava-a.org
Topic: GE Foods and Global Concerns
Background
On the one hand, companies producing genetically engineered (GE) foods say that by improving plant genetics, enabling more nutritious and higher yielding crops to be grown using fewer natural resources and chemicals, GE foods will contribute to food security in developing countries. Industry sources also claim that genetic engineering of foods could bring desirable characteristics such as longer shelf life, improved nutrition and reduced need for toxic pesticides.
On the other hand... Joan Summers, Manager of Programs for Oxfam Canada, says ?Biotech will not feed the world. Sustainable agriculture is the most efficient way forward, one that leaves control in the hands of farmers who need it most.? Oxfam's recent position paper, ?Genetically Modified Crops, World Trade and Security? states that the introduction of GM crops in the third world may lead to a consolidation of control of local agriculture by large, agro-industrial companies.
GE foods may have unintended environmental consequences include loss of genetic diversity and declining populations of animals such as monarch butterflies.
On March 29, 2001, a Canadian judge ruled that Percy Schmeiser must pay the biotechnology giant Monsanto Company thousands of dollars because the company's genetically engineered canola plants were found growing on his field. Mr. Schmeiser argued that he did not obtain the seed illegally ? pollen from a neighboring farm blew onto his fields and contaminated his crop. Mr. Schmeiser must pay Monsanto $10,000 for licensing fees and up to $75,000 in profits from his 1998 crops. This is in addition to the legal costs he and his family have endured
Jewish Perspectives
According to Zogby International poll (July 26, 2001), 57% of Protestants oppose genetic engineering of foods. 52 percent of Catholics oppose genetic engineering, while 42 percent are in favor, according to a July 26 press release from the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology. Among Muslims, 46 percent oppose, and 32 percent favor biotech foods. Jews support it by a 55-35 margin. (Source: Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology)
Tikkun olam or repairing the world through social action is one of the traditional categories of tzedaka (righteousness and justice). . Jewish sources including many of the ancient prophets see the obligation to repair the world as originating primarily from the commandment to emulate God's holiness, for, in their view, God is the model for human righteousness. Others see the obligation to engage in social action as arising chiefly from the Jews? historical position as an oppressed people. Still others believe that engaging in acts of tikkun olam is the primary means of satisfying the need to create a sense of Jewish community and identity.
Questions
Why do you think Jews tend to support GE foods more than other religious groups?
How does a Jew?s obligation to social responsibility (tikkun olam) apply to the GE food issue?
Action
Check out voices of concern on the GE food issue:
The Council of Canadians
502-151 Slater St.
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5H3,
(613) 233-2773
www.canadians.org/
Farm Folk/City Folk
106 - 131 Water Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 4M3
(604) 730-0450
http://www.ffcf.bc.ca/
Oxam Canada
2524 Cypress Street
Vancouver, BC V6J 3N2
(604) 736-7678
http://www.oxfam.ca
Topic: GE Foods and Health
Background
Medical experts, including the British Medical Association and more than 2000 doctors and health professionals in Germany have warned that there is not enough evidence to ensure that these foods are safe in the human diet. ?Genetically engineered food involves a revolutionary kind of technology, and it is far too early to know whether there are any health hazards from eating it,? says David Suzuki, geneticist and professor at the Sustainable Development Research Institute at the University of BC.
Human health effects are still unknown but may include antibiotic resistance, increased allergies and exposure to unknown toxins. It may take decades for these impacts to reveal themselves.
Japan, China, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and 14 other EU nations, Australia/New Zealand, Indonesia, and South Korea have all implemented, or are implementing, mandatory labeling of GM products.
A Globe and Mail poll (August 30, 2001) showed that 63% of Canadians would buy GMO-free food if given the choice.
Monsanto claims: ?By improving plant genetics, we are able to safely grow and harvest more food using fewer natural resources and chemicals.?
However, the US Department of Agriculture finds that yields of gene-altered crops have been 5-12% lower than yields from normal crops, including case of complete crop failure (Nina Moliver, ?Forbidden Mixtures,? Natural Jewish Parenting, Fall/Winter 1999)
Jewish Perspectives
The doctrine of pikuach nefesh ? the preservation of human life ? is a fundamental principle of Judaism. We are told that we must go to great lengths to save a life. The Gemara says ?and wherever there is danger to human life, the laws of the Sabbath are suspended.?
?God created food and water; we must use them in staving off hunger and thirst. God created drugs and compounds and gave us the intelligence necessary to discover their medicinal properties; we must use them in warding off illness and disease.? ? Maimonides
Questions
The Monsanto Corporation states: ?We support food labeling programs which provide important safety or nutritional information to consumers, for example, labels alerting consumers to known allergens. Today's products of biotechnology have been reviewed by the FDA, including for known allergens, and the FDA has determined that no special labeling is required.? Is this sufficient?
Does the doctrine of pikuach nefesh encourage or discourage the use of GM foods?
Why do you think Loblaws stores in Canada have compelled food manufacturers to remove GMO-free labels under threat of losing their shelf space at Canada?s largest food retailer?
Actions
Contact your federal representative to voice your concern over GE Foods. Find our your representative?s position on this topic.
