Articles

A Plant-Based Diet Could Prevent 15 Million Deaths Worldwide

As Jews, we believe in our sacred responsibility to advocate for the health of one another and build a healthier world. We need to work together across the food system to make it easier for people across our society to access a healthy, balanced, plant-rich diet.

Veganism and Jewish Values: Revisiting the Rabbis’ Call Eight Years Later

As Jews, we should be expanding our circle of compassion, not narrowing it. We should be setting an example, not following the lead of a decadent society. Let us look at the changes that we can make.

Autumnal JVS Shabat Dinner

Our JVS Autumnal Shabbat Dinner Recap

The EU’s Failure to Implement the End of Cage Age Commitments

Despite the overwhelming support of 1.4 million EU citizens calling for an end to cage confinement in farming, the European Commission has yet to deliver a legislative proposal.

Feeding Animals and Starving People

How the grains we grow for animals could directly feed hungry populations around the world

Environmental Benefits of Plants and Flowers Over Lawns

Each blossom is a source of food for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators who make life possible. Growing local flowers and plants restores soil health, reduces the need for watering, and invites biodiversity back into your corner of the world.

Upcoming Event: Dinner & Games Night

Wed 26 Nov: Join us for a cosy evening of food, board games and drinks!

Seasonal Eating: Benefits for our Health and the Environment

Consuming seasonal produce is a meaningful way of nourishing both our bodies and reducing our carbon carbon footprint.

Finding Happiness in the Darker Months

How can we promote our happiness during the darker months?

Evening of Food, Film, and Community

88 year old Paul Youd came to JVS to answer questions about his vegan journey.

Recap: Half Term Family Event

Our first JVS Family Event

How Fallen Leaves Could Help Repair the Earth

How Falling Leaves Enrich the Soil - Nature’s Composting Cycle

The Role of Forests in Fighting Climate Change

How healthy forests can help combat climate change

Ending Factory Farming Could Feed 2 Billion People

What can we learn from the report 'Food Not Feed: How to stop the world’s biggest form of food waste'

Plant-Based Egg Alternatives for a Sustainable Food System & Kinder Diet

Microbial Protein: Benefiting Both Pets and the Planet

How this plant-based microbial protein can benefit both pets and our planet.

The Planetary Health Diet

The Planetary Health Diet offers a sustainable framework that balances nutritional needs with environmental limits.

Jewish Ethics on Naming Plant-Based Foods

As plant-based living grows, Jewish ethics can help us navigate food justice and truth in labelling.

Dancing with Creation: A Vegan Reflection on Simchat Torah

Simchat Torah is the celebration of completing and restarting the Torah reading cycle. What does this joyful holiday have to do with veganism?

From Niche to Mainstream: Why Tempeh is Rising and What That Means for Sustainability

Alicia Silverstone’s Vegan Awakening

“I did this because I love animals. Choosing this way of eating, you save so many animals”.

Veganism and Sukkot: A Time for Ethical Harvesting

The festival of Sukkot aligns beautifully our ancient Jewish traditions and contemporary ethical values.

Yom Kippur: a Vegan Perspective

A vegan perspective of Yom Kippur, and the similarities between the two.

How Cultivated Meat Can Benefit Our Planet And Animals

The world’s first cultivated meat farm in the Netherlands.

Veganism on the Rise in the UK

Research this year has shown a significant rise in the number of vegans and meat-free diet groups in the UK.

A Low-Fat Vegan Diet Yields Better Outcomes Than a Mediterranean Diet For Weight Loss

A recent study published in Frontiers in Nutrition has found that a low-fat vegan diet is more effective for weight loss than a Mediterranean diet, particularly among overweight adults.

Recap: JVS Rosh Hashana Seder

A Sweet and Compassioante New Year: Celebrating Rosh Hashanah with the JVS kehillahOn Monday, erev Rosh Hashanah, the JVS community came together to celebrate the a New Year with age old tradition...

Rosh Hashanah for Vegans: A Symbolic and Compassionate Seder

Rosh Hashanah is rich with symbolism, and for those following a vegan lifestyle, the simanim seder offers a powerful way to connect with tradition through food. Nearly all of the symbolic foods tradit...

87-year-old vegan runner striving to complete 100 ultra-marathons before his 100th birthday

Paul Youd, an 87-year-old from Somerset, is aiming to complete 100 ultra-marathons before his 100th birthday. He has already finished over 25 races, including the 50km Thames Path Challenge in just ov...

Defra aims to create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat by 2042 in England

DEFRA’s National Biodiversity Targets Team is aiming to restore or create over 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat across England by 2042. To help meet this ambitious goal, they’re working close...

The importance of plant-based pet food for the planet & for our pets

A study carried out in the US found that dog and cat food products were responsible for 20% of the total livestock animals slaughtered (17.7% for dogs and 2.3% for cats). Representing a fifth of lives...

Garden to Plate event: 8th September '25

On Sunday 8th of September, the JVS Gardening club enjoyed a wonderful Garden to Plate event. Our top gardener Simone and the volunteers had their second biggest harvest of the vegetable crops being g...

How could a plant-based diet could save animals from extinction

How could a plant-based diet could save animals from extinction?Animals are the ones who fall victim to those who do not engage in plant-based diets. Over 70% of the 80 billion land animals farmed...

Fashion, Climate & Justice: An Afternoon with Purpose: 5th October

Fashion is more than clothes; it’s how we express ourselves, connect with others, respond to our environment and make change.This Sustainable Fashion Week, JVS is excited to host an beautiful afte...

Keeping our homes warm sustainably this autumn

The upcoming festivals Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkut and Simchat Torah are approaching & the days are getting shorter and colder. What are some ways we can keep our homes warm while using less elec...

Lidl introduces new plant-based range called Vemondo Plant!

Lidl GB hoped to increase its sales of meat and dairy alternatives by 400% in 2025, but this has been significantly exceeded by almost 700%!The new range includes plant based: fish goujons, chicke...

Natural World’s Strongest Man is Vegan for Three Years in a Row

Tom Butts has won the Natural World’s Strongest Man competition for the 90kg weight category for the third year in a row. He claimed the prize for first place in 4/7 of the competitive events.He b...

VAT on meat and dairy products saves 170,000 lives anually across Europe

Research published earlier this year has shown the importance of encouraging consumers to shift towards plant-based diets.Currently, most diets are imbalanced, which is detrimental to both our...

Recap: Our Summer Social

Jewish people are duty bound to remember the kindness of animals

There are moments throughout the Tanakh where we hear of humans who are saved by the mercy and kindness of animals.This includes the lions who did not hurt Daniel when he fell into their den (Ktuv...

Calculating the Innocent Lives Saved by the UK’s Growing Vegan Community

A new report by The Vegan Society has found that 3% of the population is now vegan, with 10% reducing their intake of animal products. Young people and women are most likely to make this change, with ...

‘Just Egg’ is now available in the UK

‘Just Egg’ is now available in the UK!Tired of a tofu scramble? Made with mung beans, this a vegan egg like no other. Cook it, bake with it, scramble your way. Some recommended recipe ideas includ...

Garden volunteer celebration: from garden to plate cooking

On Monday evening, we celebrated the hard work of our garden volunteers, our beautiful vegetable garden, and the abundance it is now producing. Many of those who joined us have been part of this journ...

The Mitzvah of ‘Feeding Animals First’

According to halakha (Jewish law), it is cruel for us to eat while animals dependent on us for food, thus we must always feed animals before we eat ourselves. In the Midrash, there is a story of Noah, who while on the ark did not feed the Lion in good time, leaving him hungry. As […]

Enhance your pitta, laffa and couscous with Redefine Meat’s Shwarma, now sold in Ocado

Enhance your pitta, laffa and couscous with Redefine Meat’s Shwarma, now sold in Ocado. This shwarma is quick to cook & tastes super authentic, flavoured with coriander, clove, cumin, cinnamon and other plant-based spices. The plant-based meat offers 22g of protein, 4g of fibre, contains no chol

Iceland’s New Commitments to Shrimp and Hen Welfare

Iceland is the fourth biggest retailer of eggs from caged eggs in the UK and is known for its disregard of animal welfare. However, after campaigning by The Humane League and the Shrimp Welfare Project, Iceland supermarkets have finally committed to better welfare conditions to be introduced for chi

Blessed Hands ‘A very engaging, funny, and touching performance with some fantastic food’

Last week, we were thrilled to host Dr Michal Nahman’s Blessed Hands/ / Bendichas Manos: Cooking Up a Show With My Turkish Jewish Granny — an experiment, show, cookery class, and dinner rolled into one. Participants cooked a meal together based on seven years of research into Sephardi and other Jewi

The Mitzvah of Shiluah Haken or ‘Sending of the Nest’

“If you are to take an egg or young from the mother’s nest, you must first send the mother away so that she does not feel the loss of her young and is left to be free. By fulfilling this mitzvah, one will lengthen their days.” – D’varim 22:6-7 (Deuteronomy) The Torah recognises the harm [&hell

Oatly to be the first ‘Climate Solutions’ Food Company

'Oatly' is the first food company to be officially a 'Climate Solutions Company'! Their creamy, plant-based oat milk has gained worthy recognition. As a 'Climate Solutions' company, 90% of their revenue is achieved through climate-friendly endeavours and the compa

The Three Weeks in Judaism: A Vegan Perspective (5785/2025)

Dear Reader, In the Jewish calendar, the period we're in now, is known as The Three Weeks. It a time of mourning and reflection. It begins on the 17th Tammuz and ends with Tisha B'Av (9th Av), a day that commemorates the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem. Traditionally, it is a ti