AKIVA GERSH  EDUCATOR - SPEAKER - WRITER - MUSICIAN

Here's a little bit about me...

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I grew up in the U.S. eating lots of meat, barely any vegetables and with a very weak connection with Judaism. (Yes, my life changed dramatically!) By time I was in high school I felt that Judaism was archaic, irrelevant to the world and my life and, most tragically, uninspiring.

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During my first year in college I had many realizations about the negative impact we modern-day humans are having on the world through our seemingly innocent everyday actions. By the end of that year I decided to major in Environmental Studies and became vegetarian.

 

The following year I became vegan at the age of 19 and continued my studies as well as my activist work trying to inspire positive change. 

 

Around that same time I began to discover teachings in the Jewish tradition that related to environmental ethics and animal welfare. I was absolutely in shock. I never knew that Judaism focused on these issues and now I was realizing that it has for thousands of years.

 

This inspired me to look deeper into my Jewish roots which turned into a spiritual journey that lasted a few years.

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Eventually that journey led me to studying Torah in a yeshiva in Israel and it is there that I fell in love with and deeply connected to the Jewish way and path of life.

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After about six months in Tzfat I returned to the U.S., continued my yeshiva studies and began my work in the field of Jewish Education, a field I continue to work in today over 20 years later. 

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Over the years, in addition to other subjects and topics, I have taught about the connection between Judaism and the environment, animal welfare and veganism to thousands of students through classes, courses and workshops.

 

(Along the way, in 2003, I got married and in 2004 my wife Tamar and I moved to Israel where we continue to live with our four kids.)

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In 2020 I began sharing about Judaism and veganism on social media through my "Vegan Rabbi" Facebook and Instagram accounts. 

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And the rest is history! Or, really, the future!

 

For me it is a great honor to be able to share just how much Judaism promotes compassion for animals and supports going vegan in our world today because of the detrimental impact of an animal-based diet on God's creations, the environment and human physical and spiritual health.