Thank you Nathan for standing up for animal rights and at the same time standing against the rampant, follow the mob Anti-Semitism that is bringing our society down
In case you've never looked into it, Semites or semitic peoples really refers to a shared language that involves groups of people from Asia and extends to parts of Africa, for instance Ethiopians and Palestinians (Arabs) are in the category of Semitic speaking people i.e. Jewish people aren't the only ones in that category...Just saying.
A lot of Americans don't understand, and will repeat what they hear someone say but everyone in the U.S., those who only want to take one side, don't know who in the world the word Semite includes. There are a lot of Americans who don't know to be Anti Palestinian is anti-Semitism also. When Israeli officials talk about leveling Gaza or make hateful comments about Palestinians -- that's anti-Semitism too.
Thank you, Nathan -- Such a NO-BRAINER -- I do not comprehend how any one can conjure up such flawed & confused thinking — No matter WHO and WHAT we are, we MUST NOT deviate from Vegan & Plant-Based Path — In addition, why would anyone CHOOSE to believe that Dogs are IMPURE ? — What’s the criteria ? — what’s the point ? — where’s the proof ? —
“A Zionist vegan is no vegan at all.” It is really important that vegan restaurants not declare any political affiliation at all because a restaurant is common ground and so is food. We want everyone of every political affiliation to come to the same table, eat… and talk. Food is not a war zone. It unifies across borders. World Central Kitchen knows that. Groups who link disconnected causes by insisting chefs declare political public allegiances seem driven by a perverse anti social agenda masquerading behind another cause altogether: My way or the highway. So I’ll take the highway… and have an apolitical a vegan meal tonight. Hands off the table.
Thank you for your hard work, Nathan. So much hate around us. The case with Jewish vegan restaurant just shows the new level of stupidity. I am so sorry this is happening.
Dear Nathan, What is happening in our world today, with the incredible amount of inhumanity and cruelty to innocent animals?! Your October 2nd update exposes the most absurd, hypocritical, idiotic, and completely disgusting actions against voiceless Animals/Sentient Beings by "so-called” vegan organizations! How in the world can they equate being Jewish and supporters of Israel with being anti-vegan?! As you point out, Islamic inhumanity considers dogs to be impure and thus should be killed == inhumanity and ignorance in spades! This egregious “mentality” of such believers in Morocco, Turkey, and the Maldives is hard for us to fathom. And the evil Hamas with its anti-Semitic/anti-Israel mentally being equated with vegans ==more absurdity! More cruelty as the Russian troops target innocent dogs in Ukraine! As you state, “Highjacking the Animal Movement” is a result of all of the above and the failure of our educational system to educate our children and families about Compassion and Empathy and to adequately deal with the serious mental health issues in our country. Nathan Winograd, you need to continue as our Ambassador of Animal Welfare and reiterate that you need to be true vegans in order to put an end to the cruelty of animal factory farms and slaughterhouses,and to thus save the lives of hundreds of billions and even trillions of Sentient Beings/animals and fish. Each and Every Life Matters 🙏❤️🐶😸🐷🐓🐂🐇🐟🇮🇱🇱🇷
I have what might seem an off topic question, Nathan. How do you, Nathan, and others, cope with the emotional fall out of reading about and or witnessing animal abuses and abuses of citizens when it is constant every day? How do you do this work and keep hold of the pain so it doesn’t take over? Writing helps because it takes evil from behind the places it likes to hide and outs it. But the hardest thing of all as I read records and offer to help or know of cases I can find resources and help and so do volunteers and staff is to not be allowed to help and then have to stand helplessly by as the pound managers kill just to show you they are in charge. They never even give you a chance to explain how you can help and the government officials in charge look away. The personal sadness just sits there like a dark cloud and won’t go away. I know one worker would sit by the kennel of a dog ordered killed she tried to save and comfort the dog reminding her she was a good dog. It is hard to rise above the pain. I am wondering about ways others cope because quitting is walking away and that is not a option. At this point at MCAS just gets worse every day. The best you can do is comfort the wounded and mourn the lives lost. It is a feeling of utter complete helplessness.
3. Doing something you love. For me, it is softball. I play in a senior league.
4. To borrow from softball, keeping my eye on the ball. This is what I wrote about it in the past, and it still resonates with me today:
"As many of you are rescuers, shelter staff/volunteers, and No Kill advocates, you know firsthand that while trying to make the world a better place for companion animals is gratifying, being immersed in the cause to combat animal abuse means that we are also constantly reminded of it. As a result, it is easy to become bitter, to believe that most people don’t care about animals or their suffering. Living in the trenches, we can become myopic: we often focus primarily on the bad things people do to animals, and become blind to the good. Most regrettably, we can lose sight of how most people truly feel about dogs and cats, and with it, the vast compassion that already exists to make the world a better, kinder, and safer place for them. I see this regularly on this page, with comments from some of you who write that you love animals but hate people, or that people are hopeless.
"I don’t agree. In fact, I think that humanity is far from hopeless, as our moral evolution in the West, especially over the last few hundred years, demonstrates. In just a few generations, we ended monarchies and replaced them with democracies. In a short time, historically, we went from the Pony Express to the Internet and from a slave-based society to one that elected a Black president. We outlawed child labor as well as segregation; we prohibited gender discrimination and granted marriage equality. Once the path to a more compassionate future was cleared for them, most people who did not have a vested interest in the status quo pursued it willingly, because they saw it as better, and that kinder, more enlightened view became the new norm. And as for those who resisted that change, well, they were forced to come along for the ride whether they wanted to or not, as the goodwill of the majority passed laws to ensure a more civil and fair society.
"When it comes to dogs and cats, we see the same remarkable shifts. Dogs and cats have gone from the fringes of society to our backyards and from the backyard into our hearts and homes. Today, dogs and cats are members of our families. More to the point, in communities that have ended the killing of animals in shelters, it is the public that has brought it to an end through their actions, when allowed to do so, via adoptions, volunteerism, donations, foster care, and other forms of community support. These communities have proved that there is enough love and compassion to overcome the irresponsibility of the few. So we need to put to bed, once and for all, the idea that dogs and cats—animals most Americans now consider cherished members of their family—need to die in U.S. shelters because people are irresponsible and don’t care enough about them. It’s not true. Most people, the vast majority, love them as we do.
"And while I admit it is more challenging with other species, I am a man of great belief. The belief I hold is in the remarkable capacity of my fellow humans for change and compassion. As a species, we aspire to do better, to be better. We want to leave the darkness of the cave and come into the light. And when someone comes along who illuminates a path towards that light, as the figures in history did for our ancestors, history vindicates us because time and again, we follow them into a brighter future."
Now, I will admit that things seem darker today than they have in some time, but progress is rarely linear. Usually, it occurs in fits and starts. I do not know if we have hit bottom yet, and as painful as this is, especially given the body count of innocent animals, often, the most groundbreaking change occurs in response to tragic events which throw an issue into stark relief, usher in periods of reform, and thereby allow us to define as a people what it is we stand for, as well as what it is we don’t. I have to believe that reckoning is coming.
Thank you Nathan for standing up for animal rights and at the same time standing against the rampant, follow the mob Anti-Semitism that is bringing our society down
Thank you for this.
In case you've never looked into it, Semites or semitic peoples really refers to a shared language that involves groups of people from Asia and extends to parts of Africa, for instance Ethiopians and Palestinians (Arabs) are in the category of Semitic speaking people i.e. Jewish people aren't the only ones in that category...Just saying.
A lot of Americans don't understand, and will repeat what they hear someone say but everyone in the U.S., those who only want to take one side, don't know who in the world the word Semite includes. There are a lot of Americans who don't know to be Anti Palestinian is anti-Semitism also. When Israeli officials talk about leveling Gaza or make hateful comments about Palestinians -- that's anti-Semitism too.
Thank you, Nathan -- Such a NO-BRAINER -- I do not comprehend how any one can conjure up such flawed & confused thinking — No matter WHO and WHAT we are, we MUST NOT deviate from Vegan & Plant-Based Path — In addition, why would anyone CHOOSE to believe that Dogs are IMPURE ? — What’s the criteria ? — what’s the point ? — where’s the proof ? —
“A Zionist vegan is no vegan at all.” It is really important that vegan restaurants not declare any political affiliation at all because a restaurant is common ground and so is food. We want everyone of every political affiliation to come to the same table, eat… and talk. Food is not a war zone. It unifies across borders. World Central Kitchen knows that. Groups who link disconnected causes by insisting chefs declare political public allegiances seem driven by a perverse anti social agenda masquerading behind another cause altogether: My way or the highway. So I’ll take the highway… and have an apolitical a vegan meal tonight. Hands off the table.
Thank you for your hard work, Nathan. So much hate around us. The case with Jewish vegan restaurant just shows the new level of stupidity. I am so sorry this is happening.
Dear Nathan, What is happening in our world today, with the incredible amount of inhumanity and cruelty to innocent animals?! Your October 2nd update exposes the most absurd, hypocritical, idiotic, and completely disgusting actions against voiceless Animals/Sentient Beings by "so-called” vegan organizations! How in the world can they equate being Jewish and supporters of Israel with being anti-vegan?! As you point out, Islamic inhumanity considers dogs to be impure and thus should be killed == inhumanity and ignorance in spades! This egregious “mentality” of such believers in Morocco, Turkey, and the Maldives is hard for us to fathom. And the evil Hamas with its anti-Semitic/anti-Israel mentally being equated with vegans ==more absurdity! More cruelty as the Russian troops target innocent dogs in Ukraine! As you state, “Highjacking the Animal Movement” is a result of all of the above and the failure of our educational system to educate our children and families about Compassion and Empathy and to adequately deal with the serious mental health issues in our country. Nathan Winograd, you need to continue as our Ambassador of Animal Welfare and reiterate that you need to be true vegans in order to put an end to the cruelty of animal factory farms and slaughterhouses,and to thus save the lives of hundreds of billions and even trillions of Sentient Beings/animals and fish. Each and Every Life Matters 🙏❤️🐶😸🐷🐓🐂🐇🐟🇮🇱🇱🇷
I have what might seem an off topic question, Nathan. How do you, Nathan, and others, cope with the emotional fall out of reading about and or witnessing animal abuses and abuses of citizens when it is constant every day? How do you do this work and keep hold of the pain so it doesn’t take over? Writing helps because it takes evil from behind the places it likes to hide and outs it. But the hardest thing of all as I read records and offer to help or know of cases I can find resources and help and so do volunteers and staff is to not be allowed to help and then have to stand helplessly by as the pound managers kill just to show you they are in charge. They never even give you a chance to explain how you can help and the government officials in charge look away. The personal sadness just sits there like a dark cloud and won’t go away. I know one worker would sit by the kennel of a dog ordered killed she tried to save and comfort the dog reminding her she was a good dog. It is hard to rise above the pain. I am wondering about ways others cope because quitting is walking away and that is not a option. At this point at MCAS just gets worse every day. The best you can do is comfort the wounded and mourn the lives lost. It is a feeling of utter complete helplessness.
1. Bourbon: https://news.nathanwinograd.org/p/the-no-kill-revolution-cocktail.
2. Family.
3. Doing something you love. For me, it is softball. I play in a senior league.
4. To borrow from softball, keeping my eye on the ball. This is what I wrote about it in the past, and it still resonates with me today:
"As many of you are rescuers, shelter staff/volunteers, and No Kill advocates, you know firsthand that while trying to make the world a better place for companion animals is gratifying, being immersed in the cause to combat animal abuse means that we are also constantly reminded of it. As a result, it is easy to become bitter, to believe that most people don’t care about animals or their suffering. Living in the trenches, we can become myopic: we often focus primarily on the bad things people do to animals, and become blind to the good. Most regrettably, we can lose sight of how most people truly feel about dogs and cats, and with it, the vast compassion that already exists to make the world a better, kinder, and safer place for them. I see this regularly on this page, with comments from some of you who write that you love animals but hate people, or that people are hopeless.
"I don’t agree. In fact, I think that humanity is far from hopeless, as our moral evolution in the West, especially over the last few hundred years, demonstrates. In just a few generations, we ended monarchies and replaced them with democracies. In a short time, historically, we went from the Pony Express to the Internet and from a slave-based society to one that elected a Black president. We outlawed child labor as well as segregation; we prohibited gender discrimination and granted marriage equality. Once the path to a more compassionate future was cleared for them, most people who did not have a vested interest in the status quo pursued it willingly, because they saw it as better, and that kinder, more enlightened view became the new norm. And as for those who resisted that change, well, they were forced to come along for the ride whether they wanted to or not, as the goodwill of the majority passed laws to ensure a more civil and fair society.
"When it comes to dogs and cats, we see the same remarkable shifts. Dogs and cats have gone from the fringes of society to our backyards and from the backyard into our hearts and homes. Today, dogs and cats are members of our families. More to the point, in communities that have ended the killing of animals in shelters, it is the public that has brought it to an end through their actions, when allowed to do so, via adoptions, volunteerism, donations, foster care, and other forms of community support. These communities have proved that there is enough love and compassion to overcome the irresponsibility of the few. So we need to put to bed, once and for all, the idea that dogs and cats—animals most Americans now consider cherished members of their family—need to die in U.S. shelters because people are irresponsible and don’t care enough about them. It’s not true. Most people, the vast majority, love them as we do.
"And while I admit it is more challenging with other species, I am a man of great belief. The belief I hold is in the remarkable capacity of my fellow humans for change and compassion. As a species, we aspire to do better, to be better. We want to leave the darkness of the cave and come into the light. And when someone comes along who illuminates a path towards that light, as the figures in history did for our ancestors, history vindicates us because time and again, we follow them into a brighter future."
Now, I will admit that things seem darker today than they have in some time, but progress is rarely linear. Usually, it occurs in fits and starts. I do not know if we have hit bottom yet, and as painful as this is, especially given the body count of innocent animals, often, the most groundbreaking change occurs in response to tragic events which throw an issue into stark relief, usher in periods of reform, and thereby allow us to define as a people what it is we stand for, as well as what it is we don’t. I have to believe that reckoning is coming.