A Sacred Duty facts for kids
Quick facts for kids A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World |
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Cover image for the DVD
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| Directed by | Lionel Friedberg |
| Produced by | Lionel Friedberg |
| Written by | Lionel Friedberg |
| Music by | Andrew Keresztes |
| Cinematography | Lionel Friedberg |
| Editing by | Diana Friedberg |
| Studio | Zepra International, Inc. |
| Distributed by | Jewish Veg |
| Release date(s) | October 2007 |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World is a 2007 American documentary film. It was written, directed, and produced by Lionel Friedberg. The film was shared by Jewish Veg, which was then known as the Jewish Vegetarians of North America. This movie explores Jewish teachings about protecting our planet, treating animals kindly, and caring for the environment. It especially focuses on why being a Jewish vegetarian can help. You'll see interviews with rabbis (Jewish religious leaders), activists, and scholars. These talks are mixed with videos and pictures that show what they are discussing.
What the Film is About
The film begins with exciting footage of a NASA rocket launching into space. Then, you see an animation of our Solar System. A quote from the ancient Jewish text, Deuteronomy, is shown. It talks about choosing between life and death. This part is shown with beautiful images of Earth from space, but also a picture of an exploding atom bomb.
The movie then says that people haven't been taking care of the Earth very well. This is not what Jewish teachings tell us to do. It then shows old Jewish texts and sacred words. These texts give "specific instructions on how to be custodians of the world in which we live." Throughout the film, quotes from the Torah (Jewish holy books) are compared with the environmental problems we face today. These quotes are shown with close-ups of Hebrew scrolls, Jewish people praying, and scenes of nature.
The film shows Earth from space again. The camera then zooms in on Israel. The narrator explains that Israel is like a small example of global problems. These problems include air and water pollution, too many people, climate change (changes in Earth's weather), and health worries. The film then looks at bigger global problems, with scenes filmed all over the world.
Next, the focus moves to the United States. All the important environmental issues are talked about in detail here. The film mentions a report from 2006 called Livestock's Long Shadow. This report, by the Food and Agriculture Organization, said that raising animals for food (called livestock agriculture) creates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined. Greenhouse gases are what cause climate change.
After this, there's a short presentation with simple animated charts. It shows how making meat is not an efficient way to feed a hungry world. This leads to videos of animal abuse on feedlots (places where animals are kept to be fattened) and in factory farms. These places also create a lot of pollution.
The film then highlights the good things about vegetarianism. It explains how eating less meat can help reduce pollution and solve world hunger. The movie suggests that if we change our diets to be more vegetarian, many environmental and health problems can be fixed. The film ends with quick images of people and nature with music. It finishes with the same quote from Deuteronomy about "life and death," spoken over a beautiful sunrise.
People in the Film
- Lionel Friedberg as the narrator (the person telling the story)
- Theodore Bikel as the narrator of Biblical quotations
- Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen—Chief Rabbi of Haifa (a city in Israel)
- Rabbi David Rosen—Former Chief Rabbi of Ireland; works for the American Jewish Committee
- Rabbi Michael Cohen - Co-founder of the Green Zionist Alliance (GZA) and a teacher in Israel
- Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, an environmental activist and co-founder of the Green Zionist Alliance
- Rabbi Adam Frank - From a large Jewish synagogue in Jerusalem, Israel
- Rabbi Yonassan Gershom - A Jewish writer
- Rabbi Simchah Roth - From a Jewish community in Israel
- Rabbi Warren Stone - From a Jewish temple in Washington, D.C.; leads an environmental committee
- Dr. Yeshayahu Bar-Or - Chief Scientist for Israel's Environmental Ministry
- Raanan Boral - Director of Environmental Protection in Israel
- Samuel Chayen - An environmental activist in Israel
- Yael Cohen Paran, Yair Cohen and Eren Ben Yaminy - Leaders of Green Course, a student environmental group in Israel
- Eli Groner - Teaches environmental studies in Israel
- Dr. Alon Tal - A leading environmentalist in Israel; started the Israel Union for Environmental Defense; also wrote a book about pollution
- Yael Ukeles - Director of an organization in Jerusalem
- Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D. - A doctor who supports a diet rich in nutrients
- Roberta Kalechofsky - Started Jews for Animal Rights; an author and publisher
- Dr. Richard H. Schwartz - Author of books like Judaism and Vegetarianism; president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America
- Jonathan Wolf - Started and was the first president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America
How the Film Was Made
The idea for A Sacred Duty came from the writings of Richard H. Schwartz. He wrote books like Judaism and Vegetarianism. Schwartz also helped make the film as an associate producer. He had seen another film about honoring God's creation and thought a similar movie would be good for the Jewish community. At first, he thought the film would be about 30 minutes long. However, the final movie ended up being 60 minutes.
Making the film started in 2005. A basic plan was shared in the Jewish Vegetarians of North America's newsletter. It said that Lionel Friedberg would make the film for a very low cost, just to cover his expenses. The film was paid for by the Jewish Vegetarians of North America through private donations from people. Early versions of the script were shared with advisors and others for their ideas. The script was changed many times. Meanwhile, Schwartz and Friedberg interviewed people and filmed nature scenes in both Israel and the United States. They also bought some existing video clips.
Showing videos of slaughterhouses (places where animals are killed for meat) was a bit controversial. Some people who watched a test version of the film thought it was like propaganda. Friedberg remembered, "Richard and I were accused of making a propaganda film for the vegetarian movement." He said people thought they were showing "horrors that are impossible to watch." But he believed that the graphic footage was important. Friedberg explained that showing the process of animals becoming food without showing the "brutal cruelty and suffering" would not be true to their faith. The film starts with a warning that some parts might be upsetting to watch.
In October and November 2007, A Sacred Duty was released directly to video and on DVD. There were also public showings in both Israel and the United States. More than 35,000 copies of the film were given away for free. They went to synagogues (Jewish places of worship), schools, and individuals. People were also allowed to show the film and make copies without paying any fees to the filmmakers. In addition, many short clips from the film were put on YouTube by different users. The full movie became available on YouTube in January 2008.
