Few chareidim today are doing more to break down stereotypes of the chareidi world than Yehuda Shine a young avreich from Beit Shemesh I wrote about a few weeks ago who unfurls a long banner at social-justice protests reading “Chareidim and secular Jews refuse to hate one another.”
At one of those rallies a secular animal rights activist approached Yehuda and demanded to know why chareidim are so indifferent to the suffering of animals. Yehuda initially had no idea what the activist was talking about: He then knew nothing about commercial production methods involving animals. And the secular activist could not understand Yehuda’s confusion since he knew nothing of the Torah’s commandment to avoid tzaar baalei chayim (pain to animals) — among the first mitzvos every cheder yingel learns and a concept at the root of many different halachos.
Eventually Yehuda grasped some of the issues that so exercised the young activist and announced that he was forming B’Chemla – Chareidim mitnadvim l’maan chayot (Chareidim volunteering on behalf of animals). He printed a flyer jammed with Torah sources discussing different aspects of preventing tzaar baalei chayim. At the top of the flyer in big letters is the logo: “Rachamim (mercy) is a Jewish value.” Below is the verse: “And His mercy is on all His creations.”
Ostensibly the flyer was designed to attract chareidi volunteers (which it did to some extent) but primarily it was for distribution at secular gatherings to present the wealth of Torah material on the subject to those completely unfamiliar with it.
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