H. Jay Dinshah (1933-2000)
Executive Committee/International Council Member 1967-84
Executive Vice-President 1971-84
Organiser of the 1975 IVU World Vegetarian Congress

1960: Founder of the American Vegan Society (link to their history page)

18th World Vegetarian Congress 1965 - Swanwick, England
The Indian Delegates led by Mr. J. N. Mankar, arranged a whole session, and gave a series of most interesting talks - by Mr. Mankar, -Mr. Amrit Lal Jindal, Mr. Jay Dinshah and Mr. M. Somani.
The Congress greatly appreciated the interesting reports of activities in various Member countries. From: . . . Mr Jay Dinshah (America),

19th World Vegetarian Congress 1967, Delhi/Bombay/Madras, India
There were no nominations submitted beforehand to fill the two vacancies occurring on the Executive Committee but Miss H.Nixon B.A., Mr.B.J.Gunn-King, Mr H.J.Dinshah and Mr.P.L.Pick were put forward from the floor for the positions in that order.
As there was not a quorum of the Executive Committee present the positions could not be confirmed until a following meeting in London on 10th May 1968. Miss Nixon and Mr.Gunn-King were confirmed on the Executive Committee and Mr. Dinshah and Mr. Pick co-opted for the year.
One of the outstanding events of the Congress was the Vegetarian Youth Session which was attended by more than 2,000 students. and by the end of the session some 300 had registered to form the Madras Youth Organisation. International youth was well represented on the platform by . . . Jay Dinshah (U.S.A.),

"Man must get his thoughts, words and actions out of this vast moral jungle. We are not predators. We are, hopefully, more than instinctive killers and selfish brutes. Why take such a dim view of our potentialities and capabilities?" - Out of the Jungle, 1967 (book by Jay)

"Man cannot pretend to he higher in ethics, spirituality, advancement, or civilization than other creatures, and at the same time live by lower standards than the vulture or hyena.
The Pillars of Ahimsa indisputably represent the clearest, surest path out of the jungle, and toward the attainment of that highly desirable goal." - Out of the Jungle, 1967

"To anyone who believes that life itself has some purpose - or is even its own reason for being - one should not wantonly destroy even plants. The destruction of any life is thus an act not to be taken lightly, or presumed to be isolated in the scheme of things. It is to be preceded by careful consideration of the responsibilities and the possible alternatives involved, and accompanied by an understanding that one is indeed doing the right thing according to his present state of existence . . . The ethical vegetarian is seriously interested in lessening the suffering that he may be causing in the world - even inadvertently inflicted upon relatively low forms of life." - Ahimsa, August 1971

International Council Meeting at Roso Hotel, Ronneby Brunn, Rlakinge, SWEDEN, on 22nd and 23rd April 1972.
Suggestions for lectures, brains trusts and seminars were read for the next Congress from . . . Mr Dinshah; . . .

1972 - First Latin American Congress in Caracas, Venezuela - inlcudes detailed reports from Ahimsa by Jay who was a lecturer at the Congress.

22nd World Vegetarian Congress - SWEDEN - 1973
Among the many distinguished visitors attending . . . President of the American Vegan Society, H.J.Dinshah (photo below- Jay is 2nd from right)

Minutes of International Council Meeting at University of Maine - on 3rd February 1974
Present:- . . .Mr.H.J.Dinshah (Exec Vice President),

"The year 1975 was an important year for vegetarian advocacy. With the formation of the NAVS [North American Vegetarian Society] the stage was set for the 23rd World Vegetarian Congress held in the late summer at Orono, Maine. The event marked the first time that the International Vegetarian Union held its congress on American soil. Arguably it was the most important gathering of vegetarians in the United States in the twentieth century." - Vegetarian America, A History. Karen and Michael Iacobbo, Praeger, 2004

23rd IVU World Vegetarian Congress 1975, Orono, Maine, USA (Jay was the main organiser of this Congress)

A FUNERAL FOR FAMINE was held Aug. 20 in the evening. A speech was delivered by Richard St. Barbe Baker of New Zealand and it was followed by a short funeral dissertation by NAVS Pres. Jay Dinshah who spoke about the age-old problem of hunger and malnutrition. In his speech Mr. Dinshah called upon the people to adopt a vegetarian diet as the only alternative to mass starvation and said, "Let us bury famine and not its victims".

"The man who powered it all - Jay Dinshah, whose total dedication and incredible energy made possible the first-ever World Vegetarian Congress to be held in the USA. Jay was the key figure in amalgamating local organisations into the North American Vegetarian Society, responsible for planning the Congress . . . but his work didn't stop at the planning stage. It was Jay who masterminded virtually every aspect of this stupendous happening, worked round the clock to ensure the whole operation ran smoothly." - from the UK Vegetarian Society magazine
General Meeting: Executive Vice Presidents . . . Mr H.J.Dinshah (U.S.A.);

"The American Vegan Society, founded by Indian-born Jay Dinshah, follows similar views [as Natural Hygenists] but enhances them with Jainist attitudes of ahimsa and the elimination of all animal products and clothing apparel. Freya, Dinshah's wife, helps to run the active organization that includes a retreat called Suncrest and a magazine" Ahimsa. - Janet Barkas in 'The Vegetable Passion', 1975

25th World Vegetarian Congress 1977 - India
from the General Secretary's report, 1979, referring to the 1977 Congress:
The International Supplement for I.V.U. printed as a newspaper by Mr.H.J.Dinshah at the request of the I.V.U. Congress spread the word round well on the Congress generally.
International Council meeting at Vigyan Bhawan, Delhi, India on Monday 21st November 1977.
Those present from the International Coumcil were:- . . .Exec Vice Presidents:- . . .Mr H.J.Dinshah

"Mankind cannot, I submit, save itself from destruction through mere cleverness of scientific technology selfishly applied, nor through wishful thinking. But through a deep sense of brotherhood of all life, and a willingness and eagerness on the part of each and every person to work constructively for the preservation and enhancement of life, mankind may yet be preserved and go forward into the next millennium with confidence, competence and compassion." - The Vegetarian Way, XXIV World Vegetarian Congress, 1977

25th World Vegetarian Congress 1979, Loughborough, England
Minutes of Meetings of The International Council - 1979, August 28:
Those present:- Council Members:- Mr H.J.Dinshah (Exec V-P); (photo right, Jay on the left, with Surendra Mehta)
Mr C.D.Fettes, Mr H.J.Dinshah proposed that simultaneous translation be guaranteed to any linguistic group exceeding 30 (thirty) in number whose members pay the next Congress Registration Fee not less than six months in advance - to go forward to Congress as a resolution.
Any other business. Mr Gunn-King read out report from VEGFAM showing how the Congress donation from Maine University in 1975 was used to feed poor children in India and Bangladesh. Display supplements from Mr H.J.Dinshah (NAVS) for IVU news were as agreed at the 24th Congress.
Program:
Mr Gunn-King & Mr.H.J.Dinshah compered the rest of the events:-
3rd Sept - 11.30 Mr.H.J.Dinshah "What one person can do for Vegetarianism"
Minutes of the General Meeting:
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTS: Mr.H.J.Dinshah (U.S.A.);
Regional and National Society reports were read out at two following sessions of the Congress from 30th Aug. 1979:- North America - Mr.H.J.Dinshah

Minutes of Meetings of The International Council - 1981 July
Apologies had been received from: . . .. Mr H.J.Dinshah, . . .
North America - Reports have been received from Mr Jay Dinshah and Mr Brian Graff. There is a large number of local societies throughout the United States and Canada. Many are affiliated to I.V.U. through the North American Vegetarian Society. N.A.V.S. has had a number of changes over the past few years which have caused a number of problems but these are now being overcome and new growth is looked for.

26th World Vegetarian Congress 1982 - Neu-Ulm, West Germany
Minutes of the IVU General Meeting
Executive Vice Presidents: Mr Jay Dinshah,
Minutes of Meetings of The International Council - 1982 July 23
Minute 6 It was confirmed that Mr Dinshah had suggested North America as the venue for the 1984 World Congress.
Executive Vice-Presidents: Mr Jay Dinshah, . . .

Minutes of a meeting of the International Council of I.V.U. held at the University of Maryland, Catonsville, U.S.A. on the 9th and 10th July, 1983
Present: . . . Mr. Jay Dinshah

27th World Vegetarian Congress 1984 - Baltimore, USA
Minutes of Meetings of The International Council - 1984 August
Present: . . . Mr. Jay Dinshah, . . .
Hon. Vice-Presidents - Mr. Jay Dinshah.
Minutes of the IVU General Meeting
Hon.Vice Presidents: Mr Jay Dinshah.

28th World Vegetarian Congress 1986 - Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia
Hon.Vice Presidents: . . . Mr Jay Dinshah

8th International Vegan Festival -- Aug 6-13, 1995 -- San Diego, California (photo right from this Festival)
Sunday, August 6 - Welcome from AVS - H. Jay Dinshah, AVS President
Monday, August 7 - Veganism and Reverence for Life, H. Jay Dinshah
Tuesday, August 8 - Menu Merry-go-round, Freya Dinshah
Wednesday, August 9 - The Pillars of Ahimsa, H. Jay Dinshah
Thursday, August 10 - The Audience, Freya Dinshah, Moderator ; The Vegan Story: Freya Dinshah; The Nonviolent Imperative: H. Jay Dinshah
Friday, August 11 - Gardeners Discussion Time - Freya Dinshah, Moderator
Saturday, August 12 - Panel: Forum for Vegan Families - Marcia Pearson, Freya Dinshah, H. Jay Dinshah, Peter McQueen
Sunday, August 13 - Veganism and Ethical Dilemmas: H. Jay Dinshah

VUNA Guide for Local Groups (1995) - Books:
The Vegan Kitchen. Freya Dinshah. The American Vegan Society, P.O. Box H, Malaga, New Jersey 08328; 1987.
Dinshah, H. Jay. Out of the Jungle. Malaga, New Jersey, The American Vegan Society, 5th Edition, 1995.

32nd World Vegetarian Congress 1996, Johnstown PA, USA
Wednesday July 31st - From a Vegan Kitchen: Slide show / food demo - Freya Dinshah
So You Want to Write a Book? Some Hints, Ins and Outs of Writing, Publishing, Distributing and More - H. Jay Dinshah
Thursday August 1st - Veganism & Ethical Dilemmas: How Far Can We Go in Animal Abstention? - H. Jay Dinshah
Beyond Organic: Animal-Free Growing for the Home Gardener - Paul Willems, DC and Freya Dinshah
The Value Of Freedom by Freya Dinshah (right) - Español - El valore de la libertad ; Italiano - Il valore della liberta
Friday August 2nd - Hunger: Vegetarian Solutions Now - Vegfam - Freya Dinshah
Saturday August 3rd - Transition to Veganism: What Do We Do with Objectionable Items We Already Have - Options, Ethics and Practical Results - H. Jay Dinshah
Sunday August 4th - Raising Vegetarian Children: Challenges and Joys - Freya Dinshah (moderator), Pat Griffin and Victoria Moran

The Vegetarian Society of DC (VSDC) held VegFest DC on Saturday, October 18, 1997
. . . Other major sessions featured well-known movement speakers . . . Freya Dinshah, Jay Dinshah, . . .

VUNA Views, Vol. 8, No. 2, Spring (June), 1999
Simply, a Better Life: 39th Annual Convention of the American Vegan Society, July 28-August 1, 1999, Boulder CO
Experience a Rocky Mountain high on the University of Colorado campus while you enjoy a program of lectures, classes, panels, and vegan cooking demos in the company of likeminded people from all over North America. Health, ethics, religion, non-violence, and practical issues of living a vegan lifestyle; cruelty-free fashion show; music and entertainment.
Information; American Vegan Society, 56 Dinshah Lane, Malaga, NJ 08328; VISA, MasterCard, Discover

• VUNA Views, Vol. 8, No. 3, Summer (June), 2000 - H. Jay Dinshah, 1933-2000 In Memoriam
  On Tuesday morning, the American Vegan Society will hold its 40th Annual Convention--tragically without its Founder and President Jay Dinshah, who died suddenly on June 8. The Convention will take the form of a memorial to the lifework of H. Jay Dinshah and will be held on July 11 from 10 AM till noon in a larger room in order to accommodate the anticipated audience. One or more memorial funds to help carry on Jay's work are being established, as well as more tributes to Jay at the Congress.
• Jay Dinshah, 66, American Vegan Society Leader - obituary from IVU News, October 2000.
• "The AVS held their annual meeting which was also a memorial and tribute to its recently deceased Founder and President H. Jay Dinshah who was a true visionary and pioneer of veganism in North America." - from Congress report by Saurabh Dalal
  

• Freya's report on the 2004 Congress for the AVS magazine (PDF)