Akiva Gersh Opens Online Vegan Shul

On Aug. 1, Akiva Gersh, who has been known as the “vegan rabbi” on social media since 2020, opened the Vegan Shul. It’s the first ever online synagogue community specifically created for Jewish vegans and vegetarians to come together to study, explore, converse, celebrate and share with one another. 

“The mission and vision of The Vegan Shul is to create an inspiring and supportive space for Jewish vegans and vegetarians, who often feel ostracized in their home Jewish communities because of their food and lifestyle choices,” Gersh, who has lived in Israel since 2004, told The Journal. “It’s also to celebrate their common passions for health, compassion for animals and environmental living.”

Growing up in the suburbs outside of New York City, Gersh said he “ate lots of meat, barely ate vegetables and had a very weak connection with Judaism.” By the time he was in high school, he felt that Judaism was archaic, irrelevant to his world and uninspiring.

During his first year at Brown University, Gersh realized the negative impact modern-day humans were having on the world through seemingly innocent everyday actions. 

“By the end of that year I decided to major in environmental studies and became vegetarian,” he said. “The following year, I became vegan, at the age of 19.”

As Gersh continued his studies and activist work to inspire positive change in the world, he discovered teachings in the Jewish tradition that related to environmental ethics and animal welfare. This inspired him to look deeper into his Jewish roots. It led him down the path of studying Torah, working in Jewish education and focusing on educating others on the connection between Judaism and the environment, animal welfare and veganism.

“Adam and Eve were vegan,” he said. “Look at God’s first diet to humanity given in the Garden of Eden, a diet that lasted until after the Flood in the generation of Noah.”

“Look at God’s first diet to humanity given in the Garden of Eden, a diet that lasted until after the Flood in the generation of Noah.” – Akiva Gersh

Veganism, he discovered, also aligns with many values of the Jewish faith, such as caring for others, including God’s creatures and  planet. 

“While Judaism permits eating of certain animals, it doesn’t require it,” Gersh said. “There are rabbis who have taught that the permission to eat animals was a temporary concession based on the lowered moral and spiritual state of humanity in the generations leading up to the Flood. In the grand future that Judaism envisions and strives towards all of humanity will return to the original vegan diet.”

Gersh was inspired to create The Vegan Shul, which transcends geography and denominational affiliation, after hearing from many people in his Vegan Rabbi network. They felt that because of their food and lifestyle choices, they either didn’t feel connected to their local synagogue or Jewish community or simply chose to not engage at all.

“I hope people feel a deep connection to Jewish community through The Vegan Shul,” Gersh said. “It’s a place where vegetarians and vegans can simply be themselves and not feel like ‘other,’ where they feel connected to and supported by fellow Jews, who share their passion for healthy living, animal welfare and environmental sustainability.”

Gersh added, “It is a deep honor for me to create The Vegan Shul, and I hope it fills the gap and the void that many Jewish vegans and vegetarians are feeling in their personal and communal Jewish lives.”

To learn more, akivagersh.com/veganshul 

One of Gersh’s favorite foods is watermelon tuna.

“I love this recipe because it serves as a reminder that we love the foods we love because of how they taste,” he said. “If we can create the same, or similar, tastes without causing pain and suffering to animals, then why wouldn’t we?” 

This recipe and recipes like it show us how we can eat foods that are delicious and cruelty-free at the same time.

“No one eats animals because they want to be cruel to animals,” he said. “And today more than ever in human history eating animals means causing lifelong suffering to them.” 

The following recipe is from Ben Rebuck, the face behind @bensvegankitchen, a popular social media account in which he shows people how to make simple plant-based meals. Rebuck, who also uses his platform to discuss issues around antisemitism, has taken great pride in becoming a spokesperson for the Jewish community

Ben Rebuck’s Watermelon Tuna  

Ingredients:
1 watermelon
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp mince garlic
1 sheet of nori, cut up

To serve:
Rice
Sesame oil
Sesame seeds
Green onion

Cut watermelon up into steak-sized chunks.

Mix the marinade ingredients together in a large dish.

Add the watermelon to the marinade and leave to marinate. The longer the better, but I recommend at least an hour.

Put it in the oven at 180°c (356 356°F) and cook for 40 minutes to an hour, turning the steaks halfway.

Once cooked, sear using a cast iron pan or on the BBQ. if you fancy.

Serve over sushi rice with sesame oil, sesame seeds and green onion.