Jewish Veg Launches First Vegan Birthright Trip

Vegan organization Jewish Veg recently announced its partnership with Mayanot Israel, a group that organizes Birthright trips—or free excursions to Israel offered to people of Jewish faith living around the world. Through the partnership, Jewish Veg will introduce an itinerary—in collaboration with vegan activist and food writer Ori Shavit—for the duration of an inaugural Vegan Birthright trip this August. The 15-day trip will be open to 40 participants—of which, 10 spots will be reserved for Israeli citizens—and consist of visiting vegan restaurants in the country as well as meeting with vegan leaders in Israel. “So many young Jews who are vegan or vegetarian have become distanced from Judaism because their needs have not been met by our communal institutions,” Jewish Veg Executive Director Jeffrey Cohan said. “This is a phenomenal way of re-engaging them.” Israel was recently named one of the world’s most vegan-friendly cities, and processed meat consumption in the country plummeted by 30 percent in 2016.