Richard H. Schwartz

Richard H. Schwartz (born April 10, 1934) is professor emeritus, mathematics, College of Staten Island; President of the Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA); and co-founder and coordinator of the Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians (SERV). He is best known as a Jewish vegetarian activist and advocate for animal rights in the United States and Israel. His writings inspired the 2007 documentary film, A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Heal the World, directed by Lionel Friedberg. Schwartz and JVNA have arranged to give away about 40,000 complimentary DVDs of the video and have arranged to have it seen freely at aSacredDuty.com.

Schwartz was born in Arverne, New York. As a youth, he was not a vegetarian. He describes his upbringing as being a "meat and potatoes person" whose favorite dish was pot roast. In 1975 he began teaching a course called "Mathematics and the Environment" at the College of Staten Island.

As an Orthodox Jew, Schwartz began to explore what Judaism had to say about diet, ecology, and the proper treatment of animals. The result was his best-known book, Judaism and Vegetarianism. It was first published in 1982, with later, expanded editions published in 1988 and 2001. It explores vegetarianism from the standpoint of biblical, Talmudic, and rabbinical references, and concludes that vegetarianism is the highest form of kosher and the best diet for Jews in the modern world. The second edition was a B'nai Brith Book Club Selection that same year. Schwartz argues that the realities of animal-based diets and agriculture conflict with basic Jewish mandates to preserve human health, treat animals with compassion, protect the environment, conserve natural resources, and pursue peace.

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