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Finally there's a community where you can be Jewish and vegan or vegetarian and feel at home.
TESTIMONIALS
"Rabbi Gersh's teachings have created a bridge between the beautiful teachings of Judaism and humanity. The teachings have brought a sense of compassion, mercy, and an inspiration of doing tikkun olam (fixing the world)." - Rande, Iowa
"The holidays have been so different this year for me, to know and understand the true reason behind what we do really brings another dimension of appreciation for them. Together with all the Jewish students that support my vegan lifestyle, the Vegan Shul has become a place of great learning and support for me." - Jennifer, Calgary
"Thank you for creating The Vegan Shul. It's exactly what I've been missing in my life." - Leah, Israel
Why "The Vegan Shul"?
Community is one of the most foundational pillars of Jewish life. It fulfills our natural desire and need to feel connected to other people with similar values and goals and with a similar life path.
A shul (Yiddish for "synagogue") helps to foster this by bringing Jews together in a diversity of ways: prayer, study, holiday and life-cycle celebration, guidance and support.
Many Jewish vegans and vegetarians today find it challenging finding a shul community where they feel seen and heard as well as included and supported in their food and lifestyle choices.
That's why I started "The Vegan Shul", to create a space for Jewish vegans and vegetarians of all backgrounds and demoninations and from all locations to come together and feel that connection, that community and that support as they engage in study, dialogue, prayer and celebration together.
What does being a part of The Vegan Shul include?
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3 classes each week via Zoom on a wide range of Jewish topics
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Weekly Pre-Shabbat music/ruach session
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Q and A sessions with Rabbi Akiva Gersh
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Membership in a private Facebook group and WhatsApp group for further sharing and strengthening community connections.
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Special classes for all holidays
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Occasional special guests and speakers
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Recordings of all classes are shared in the FB group for those who couldn't attend live
How do you become a member of The Vegan Shul?
It's very easy. Just two quick steps.
1) Fill out the form below with the email address where you want to receive all important information.
2) Click on button below to make either a monthly or annual payment.
You're part of "The Vegan Shul"!
Membership is $36/month.
15% off if you pay for entire year.
(If you want to join but the cost is prohibitive, please be in touch with me privately at akivagersh@yahoo.com)
Upon registering you will receive a welcome email with all the information you need to join the classes via Zoom as well as the FB and WhatsApp groups. Every week you will receive links for classes and programs to your email.
If you have any questions, fill out the FORM below or contact akivagersh@yahoo.com
PAY MONTHLY
$36/MONTH
PAY ANNUALLY $367
SAVE 15%
ABOUT AKIVA GERSH
"THE VEGAN RABBI"
Shalom and thank you for considering joining "The Vegan Shul".
Allow me to share with you a bit about myself and how Vegan Rabbi came to be.
I grew up in the suburbs outside of NYC, ate lots of meat, barely ate vegetables and had a very weak connection with Judaism. By time I was in high school I felt that Judaism was archaic, irrelevant to the world (and my life) and, most tragically, uninspiring.
During my first year at Brown University 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 (a huge change for someone who ate tons of meat and almost no veggies growing up!).
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 in the world.
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, yet, I saw that it has for thousands of years.
This inspired me to look deeper into my Jewish roots which turned into a journey that lasted a few years.
Eventually that journey led me to studying Torah in a yeshiva in Tzfat, Israel and it is there that I fell in love with and deeply connected to the Jewish path of life.
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.
Over the years, in addition to other subjects and topics, I have taught extensively about the connection between Judaism and the environment, animal welfare and veganism to thousands of students through classes, courses and workshops.
(Along the way I got married to my wife Tamar in 2003, we moved to Israel in 2004 where we continue to live with our four kids, received an MA in Jewish Education from Yeshiva University and rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Sulam Yaakov in Jerusalem.)
In 2020 "Vegan Rabbi" was born on Facebook and then Instagram and the response has been incredible and inspiring. So many Jews, from all different backgrounds and affiliations, are eager to learn more about the connection between Judaism, food ethics, animal welfare, environmental stewardship and human health.
And it's been an honor and a joy for me to share about this through social media posts, interviews, articles, lectures and webinars.
And now it is my honor and joy to start "The Vegan Shul".
Looking forward to connecting to you in shul!
