ANIMAL SPIRIT The Animal Interfaith Alliance Magazine Spring 2018 - Issue 8 Faiths Working Together for Animals Issue 10 - Spring 2019 In This Issue: World’s First Jewish Vegan Centre Lara Balsam The UK Based Animal Coalition: Better Deal for Animals Chris Fegan Concern for Helping Animals in Israel Nina Natelson Unity is with the Animals Too! Natalia Doran Eastern Orthodox Initiatives Dr Christina Nellist AIA’s Campaigning Activity - August 2018 to March 2019 Marian Hussenbux www.animal-interfaith-alliance.com 1 People Member Organisations Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals (ASWA) - www.aswa.org.uk The Team Animals in Islam - www.animalsinislam.com Barbara Gardner - Founder & CE The Bhagvatinandji Education & Health Trust - www.beht.org Catholic Concern for Animals (CCA) - www.catholic-animals.com Marian Hussenbux - International Christian Vegetarians & Vegans UK - www.christian-vegetariansvegans.org.uk Campaigns Secretary Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA US) - www.christianveg.org Dharma Voices for Animals (DVA) (Buddhist) - www.dharmavoicesforanimals.org Sheila Thomas - Membership Secretary Institute of Jainology (IOJ) - www.jainology.org The Jewish Vegetarian Society (JVS) - www.jvs.org.uk Directors The Mahavir Trust Oshwal Association of the UK (OAUK) - www.oshwal.co.uk Rev. Feargus O’Connor - Chair Pan-Orthodox Concern for Animals - www.panorthodoxconcernforanimals.org (Unitarian Minister, Secretary - World Quaker Concern for Animals (QCA) - www.quaker-animals.co.uk Congress of Faiths) Sadhu Vaswani Centre (Hindu) - www.sadhuvaswani.org Chris Fegan - Deputy Chair The Young Jains - www.youngjains.org.uk (CCA Chief Executive) Sarah Dunning (CCA trustee) Rev. Prof. Martin Henig (Vice President - ASWA) Keval Shah (Jain Vegans) Judith Wilkings (QCA) Presidents, Patrons & Advisors President: - Dr Richard Ryder Vice-President: - Dr Deborah Jones (Vice Chair - CCA) Patrons: Kay, Duchess of Hamilton Rev. Christa Blanke (Christian) Joyce D’Silva (Ambassador CIWF) Satish Kumar (Jain) Nitin Mehta MBE (Jain) Dr André Menache (Jewish) Dr Alpesh Patel (Hindu) Dr Matthieu Ricard (Buddhist) Anant Shah (Jain) Muhammad Safa (Muslim) Ajit & Charanjit Singh MBE (Sikh) Advisors: Vision Cultural & Diversity - Dr Atul Shah Legal - David Thomas A peaceful world where people of all faiths and none work together to treat Scientific - Dr André Menache all animals with respect and compassion. Mission The Animal Interfaith Alliance is a registered not-for-profit company, To create a united voice for animals from all of the world’s faiths and spiritual beliefs, based on their founders’ teachings, to bring about the number: 8958588 humane treatment of animals. www-animal-interfaith-alliance.com © Animal Interfaith Alliance 2019 2 Index Animal Spirit Page Articles Magazine AIA’s Campaigning Activity - August 2018 - March 2019 … Marian Hussenbux ….. ……...6 Previous editions of The UK Based Animal Coalition - Better Deal for Animals ... Chris Fegan …………. ....….10 Nina Natelson ……….. …….13 Animal Spirit can be Concern for Helping Animals in Israel (CHAI) …………….. Eastern Orthodox Initiatives ……………….………………... Dr Christina Nellist …. …….20 found on the AIA Unity is with the Animals Too! ...………………………….... Natalia Doran ……….. …….22 website . Items of Interest CE’s Welcome …..…………………………………………... Barbara Gardner ……. ……...4 Message from the President …………………………………. Dr Richard Ryder …… ……...5 Interfaith Celebration for Animals 2019 …………………….. …………………….…. ……...5 World’s First Jewish Vegan Centre …………………………. …………………….…. ……...9 Ecumenical Animal Welfare Retreat 2019 ………………….. …………………….…. …….11 Wim Dekok Speaks at the CCA 2018 AGM ………..………. ……….…………….… …….12 Hundreds Attend 2018 ASWA Memorial Service ………….. …………………….…. …….16 ASWA 2019 Events ………………………………...……….. …………………….…. …….17 Manchester Interfaith Celebration for Animals ……………... Sonia Waddell ...…….. …….25 APPG on Vegetarianism & Veganism ………………………. Judith Wilkings ……... ….....25 Humane Being ………………………………………………. ………………….……. …….27 RSPCA Governance Changes ………………………………. ………………….……. …….30 Blue Cross Pet Bereavement Service ………………………... Jane Stanley ……...…. …….29 Events ……………………………………………...…..….…. …………………….…. …….29 Membership Form ……………………………….…..………. …………………….…. …….31 Recipes Hearty Brown Lentil Soup from MACROVegan ………….... M. Watson-Tara …….. …….26 Book Reviews Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Animal Suffering by Dr Christina Nellist …………………………………...…….. Barbara Gardner …….. .…....18 Toro! Toro! By Michael Morpurgo …………………………. Marian Hussenbux …... .…....28 Hymns, Prayers and Meditations Animal Intercessions for Animals in War Memorial Service .. Fr Martin Henig ……... …….17 Baha’i Quote ……………………………………………..….. …………………….…. ….....32 Front Cover - Beluga Whale Please Help AIA Support Animals AIA is a unique alliance of organisations which represent all the major faiths. Not only is it the only organisation to speak out on the moral treatment of animals by drawing on the combined wisdom of all the faiths, but it also promotes social harmony by bringing the faith groups together on an issue that they all share a concern for. Such cooperation between the faiths is what politicians are encouraging and, as such, they are listening to AIA. Therefore AIA is in a uniquely strong position to campaign for animals. However, in order to continue campaigning for animals AIA needs funds. Please make any donation you can by visiting our website and donating via PayPal or by completing the ‘Friend’ form on page 31 and sending a cheque. Your support is very much appreciated. 3 CE’s Welcome Barbara Gardner Welcome to the spring 2019 We report on ASWA’s Animal Memorial Service held edition of Animal Spirit. last November at the Animals in War Memorial in Park I’m delighted to bring you a Lane, which attracted the largest turnout ever and grows report in this issue about the first each year. This year’s animal memorial service will be held of a new Interfaith Celebration on Sunday 10th November to which you are all welcome. for Animals which was held at the Catholic Concern for Animals (CCA) has played a Cross Street Unitarian Chapel in major role in the Better Deal for Animals group which Manchester last September. This Chris Fegan, CCA’s Chief Executive, reports on in this follows the format of the original issue. CCA continues to be a member of the Eurogroup for Interfaith Celebration for Animals and Chris is still on the Brexit working group to Animals, started 15 years ago by our own Rev. Feargus ensure the UK’s animal welfare standards are upheld after O’Connor at the Golders Green Unitarians which we Brexit. This is likely to be a challenge if we enter into new continue to celebrate every year. This year it is being held trade agreements with other countries outside of the EU. on Saturday 22nd June at 3.00pm and you are all welcome. CCA’s Ecumenical Animal Welfare Retreat will be held at Hinsley Hall in Leeds from 3rd to 6th September to News from the Member Organisations which you are all welcome. We are very pleased to report on the new Vegan Centre which was built by our member organisation the Jewish AIA News Vegetarian Society (JVS) in Golders Green. We congratulate A couple of years ago AIA made a small financial JVS on an amazing achievement in fundraising for and contribution to the Compassion Project to make a faith developing this wonderful new centre. They will be holding based film about compassion to animals. The film ‘A a grand launch on Sunday 2nd June to which you are all Prayer for Compassion’ is not out. Details are on page 27. welcome. I am delighted to welcome Dr Richard Ryder as AIA’s It is an honour to be able to bring you a heart warming new President. He was proposed by our Chair, Rev. article by Nina Natelson, the Founder and Director of Feargus O’Connor and unanimously elected to the position Concern for Helping Animals in Israel (CHAI) on their at the AGM last November. We would like to thank Satish wonderful educational and rescue work in the Arab areas of Kumar for a sterling five years as our first President and Israel. Their education programme in schools Expanding the we are delighted that Satish remains a patron of AIA. Circle of Compassion is truly inspirational. I would like to thank Thom Bonneville of QCA, who I review the new book Eastern Orthodox Christianity and stood down as a director at the last AGM. Thom worked Animal Suffering by Dr Christine Nellist, founder of Pan- extremely hard in his role and will be sorely missed. I am Orthodox Concern for Animals, a member of the AIA. Her delighted that Judith Wilkings will continue to represent book, which is a first in animal welfare in the Orthodox QCA on the AIA board. I am also sorry that Harshad Church, is a must read for anyone wanting to understand Sanghrajka had to step down from the board this year due what the Christian, and indeed Abrahamic, faiths really do to ill health. Harshad represented the Institute of Jainology say about our treatment of the animal creation. I would of which he was Deputy Chair and brought great Jain recommend reading it alongside Dr Deborah Jones’ Catholic wisdom to the board. We send him our warmest wishes for book, The School of Compassion. a speedy recovery. Keval Shah of Jain Vegans, who Dr Nellist has also contributed an article on Eastern recently joined the board, will continue to bring us that Orthodox Initiatives which highlights all the new work being much valued Jain wisdom. undertaken by the Orthodox Church in the areas of the AIA’s Campaigns Secretary, Marian Hussenbux, environment