Roberta Kalechofsky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roberta Kalechofsky
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Kalechofsky in 2013
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| Born | May 11, 1931 Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Died | April 5, 2022 |
| Occupation | Author, activist |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | Brooklyn College, New York University |
| Genre | History and biography, short plays, religious genre novels, vegetarian cookbooks, Jewish religious literature |
| Subject | Feminism, animal rights, Jewish vegetarianism |
| Spouse | Robert Kalechofsky (mathematician, retired professor, author), until his passing in December 2020 |
| Relatives | 2 sons |
Roberta Kalechofsky (born May 11, 1931 – April 5, 2022) was an American writer. She was also an activist for women's rights and animal rights. She focused on how animal rights connect with Judaism. She also worked to encourage vegetarian eating within the Jewish community.
Roberta founded a group called Jews for Animal Rights. She also started Micah Publications (or Micah Books). This company publishes books about animal rights, Jewish vegetarian topics, and literature about the Holocaust.
Her Life Story
Roberta Kalechofsky was born in Brooklyn, New York. She went to Brooklyn College and earned her first degree in 1952. Later, she studied English literature at New York University. She received her master's degree in 1956 and her Ph.D. in 1970.
She taught at the University of Connecticut and Brooklyn College. Roberta was married to Robert Kalechofsky, who was a math professor. He was also a vegetarian. They often attended events together for their publishing company, Micah Books. They had two sons, both of whom earned doctorates.
What She Wrote
Roberta Kalechofsky wrote many books. One important book was Animal Suffering and the Holocaust: The Problem with Comparisons (2003). She also wrote poetry, seven stories, and two collections of essays.
In 1975, Roberta started Micah Publications. This company has published special books for the Passover seder. A seder is a traditional Jewish meal. One of these books, Haggadah for the Liberated Lamb, has been shown in exhibits. It was displayed at Harvard University and the Jewish Museum in New York.
Helping Animals: Jews for Animal Rights
Roberta Kalechofsky started Jews for Animal Rights (JAR) in 1985. The group's main goal is to follow a rule from the Talmud. The Talmud is a collection of Jewish laws and teachings. This rule is called tza'ar ba'alei hayyim, which means "do not cause suffering to living creatures."
JAR promotes the ideas of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. He believed in vegetarianism for Jewish people. The group also works to find ways to test products without using animals.
Roberta was a member of PETA. She sometimes had different ideas about how some animal rights groups presented their messages.
Books She Wrote
- Autobiography of A Revolutionary: Essays on My Life as an Animal Rights Activist (1991)
- Judaism and Animal Rights: Classical and Contemporary Responses (1992)
- Haggadah for the Vegetarian Family (1993)
- Journey of the Liberated Lamb: Reflections for a Vegetarian Seder (1994)
- Rabbis and Vegetarianism: An Evolving Tradition (1996)
- The Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook (1997)
- Vegetarian Judaism: A Guide for Everyone (1998)
- Animal Suffering and the Holocaust: The Problem With Comparisons (2003)
- The Vegetarian Shabbat Cookbook (2010)
