Sixty-four percent of cropland in the U.S. is used to produce livestock feed. Over one half of the water consumed in the U.S. for all purposes goes to livestock production. Fifth is hunger. Last, but certainly not least, and closely related to hunger, is world peace. Hunger and famine are tremendously destabilizing forces.
Desperate people do desperate things, including going to war and other acts of violence.
To the extent that vegetarianism can alleviate hunger, then it can lead to peace. Hopefully you are convinced that there are many benefits to a vegetarian diet - direct benefits to us as individuals, benefits to animals, benefits to our planet, and benefits to other people. Before going on, take a moment and think about which benefit resonates most loudly inside of you. The Connection to Judaism Being Jewish and being a vegetarian does not automatically make one a Jewish Vegetarian. To be a Jewish Vegetarian means being consciously aware of the connection between the benefits of vegetarianism and related Jewish laws, precepts, and values.