Is fur a Jewish issue?

Letters

Editor: Jewish worshippers chant every Shabbat morning, "The soul of every living being shall praise God's name" ("Nishmat kol chai tva'rech et shim'chah"). Yet, some come to synagogue during the winter months wearing coats that required the cruel treatment of some of those living beings whose souls praise God.

The psalmist indicates God's concern for animals, stating that "His compassion is over all of His creatures." (Psalm 145:9) And there is a mitzvah (precept) in the Torah to emulate the Divine compassion, as it is written: "And you shall walk in His ways." (Deuteronomy 28:9) Perhaps the Jewish attitude toward animals is best expressed by Proverbs 12:10: "The righteous person considers the soul [life] of his or her animal." The Torah prohibits Jews from causing tsa'ar ba'alei chayim, any unnecessary pain, including psychological pain, to living creatures.

Fur is obtained from animals who are either trapped or raised on ranches. Both involve treatment of animals that appears to be far from the Jewish teachings that have been previously discussed. Animals caught in steel-jaw leg-hold traps suffer slow, agonizing deaths. Some are attacked by predators, freeze to death, or chew off their own legs to escape. Treatment of animals raised on "fur ranches" is also extremely cruel. Confined to lifelong confinement, millions of foxes, beavers, minks, ocelots, rabbits, chinchillas and other animals await extinction with nothing to do, little room to move, and all their natural instincts thwarted.

The Talmud teaches that Jews are rachamanim b'nei rachamanim, compassionate children of compassionate ancestors. (Beitza 32b) One has to wonder if the wearing of fur is consistent with that challenging mandate. What kind of lesson in Jewish values are young people getting when they see worshippers coming to synagogue in fur coats on the Sabbath day?

In view of all of the above, shouldn't Jews (and the many others who wear fur garments) shift to the many warm, non-fur alternatives that are available? Not only do animals benefit from our compassion and concern; we, too, benefit by becoming more sensitive and more humane, as Jews and civilized human beings.

(For more information on this issue, visit www.jewishveg.com.)

Richard H. Schwartz
Author of Judaism and
Vegetarianism
New York

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