Jurassic Pork: What Could a Jewish Time Traveler Eat?

Discussions about the Bible and science almost always focus on the relatively small segments of the text dealing with creation and how it conflicts, when read literally, with scientific views of the age and history of the Earth.

Dr. Roy Plotnick will discuss a novel approach; that knowledge of the biblical texts other than Bereishit (Genesis) can be used to spark an interest in evolution and paleontology. He will do so by explaining how paleontologists would answer a hypothetical question: would a fossil animal have been kosher?

He will review the relevant laws of kashrut, show we can apply them to extinct animals, and answer the questions: Were dinosaurs kosher? Could you find a Kosher meal in the Devonian, or would you need to pack a lunch?

Roy Plotnick is a Professor Emeritus in Paleontology at the University of Illinois Chicago, and a long-time Research Associate at the Field Museum in Chicago. He is a member of Oak Park Temple in Oak Park, Illinois, where he helped organize a Scientist and Synagogues project. He has a wide range of interests, including how fossils form, how ancient animals moved, and how knowing the history of life can help predict its future. Roy is a Fellow of the Paleontological Society and of the Geological Society of America and the author of Explorers of Deep Time: Paleontologists and the History of Life.

Dr. Roy Plotnick will answer the burning question:

Could Fred Flintstone have kept kosher?

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