Israel is a vegan’s safe haven

Savory herb-infused deep-fried falafels, aromatic arrays of spices and colorful assortments of dried fruits and nuts — images like these of the Israeli marketplaces I visited this past summer infiltrate my mind as I dissociate from the stresses of school. Struck by an unhealthy dose of wanderlust after my surreal travels in the Middle East, I’ve made a commitment to travel whenever I get the opportunity, to explore foreign cultures, savor discomfort as a necessary medium for growth and to overall live more audaciously.

I spent 10 days in Israel on Birthright, an organized trip for Jewish adults, and allocated another week to exploring the metropolitan city of Tel Aviv and the holy city of Jerusalem. A key component to immersing myself in the culture consisted of my lavish indulgement in the myriad of locally grown plant-based foods.

Everything tastes better in Israel. Perhaps this is due in part to the fact that Israel holds one of the world’s most advanced agricultural systems, in both technology and sustainability, and grows most of its food, including a variety of more than 40 different fruits. Israel also happens to be one of the world’s largest citrus producers and exporters, as stated by Milind Ladaniya in her academic book, Citrus Fruit: Biology, Technology and Evaluation.

Regardless of price (although food in Israel is overwhelmingly cheap — a falafel in a pita was usually around 16 shekels, or roughly $4) and convenience, the meals I ate always maintained, at the very least, a four-star quality. I ate falafel and hummus almost everyday I was there. Although falafel, comprised of ground chickpeas, seemingly wouldn’t offer much variation, each vendor’s addition or absence of parsley, scallions, garlic or spices such as coriander and cumin worked to reinvent each falafel I bit into. My interest in the constitution of the perfect falafel led to my daily assessment of falafels based on taste, price and aesthetic (my Birthright buddies can attest to my daily Instagram-worthy food porn).

Aside from the multitude of falafels I ate, I also regularly drank refreshing smoothies infused with boba at B-Fresh  — hands down the best juice bar, located across from the Tel Aviv Beach — and helped myself to veganized chocolate chip crepes and chickpea pancakes at Benedict, delectable vegan ice creams and sorbets at Leggenda, portobello mushroom burgers at Burger Bar and superfood infused juices offered at virtually every marketplace.

Although vegetables are one of the main staples of Middle Eastern food, it’s no coincidence that most restaurants in Israel have “Vegan-Friendly.CO.IL” beet heart-shaped stickers on their front windows. In fact, Israel is quickly turning into one of the most vegan friendly countries in the world. In 2015, a survey conducted by Israel’s Channel 2 News found that “Israel is home to the largest percentage of vegans per capita in the world. Approximately 5 percent of Israelis( 300,000) are vegans [and 13 percent are vegetarian or vegan], compared to 2 percent of U.S. citizens” as stated by the Jewish Virtual Library. Jewish American animal rights activist, Gary Yourofsky, is an integral part of Israel’s vegan movement. In 2010, Yourofsky’s now famous speech at Georgia Tech, “Best Speech You Will Ever Hear – Gary Yourofsky,” was filmed and uploaded onto YouTube. The video was quickly translated into 36 different languages, Hebrew among them. The video quickly gained popularity in Israel, likely for Yourofsky’s comparison of the animal slaughter to the Holocaust. The country’s vegan transformation doesn’t stop at Israeli-owned restaurants. The Israeli Domino’s chain is the only one in the world that offers a soy-cheese vegan pizza. What’s most interesting is that,  according to Sara Toth Stub, a writer for the Tablet, “vegans in Israel are driven more by animal rights than by health concerns and adopt a militant stance in defense and promotion of their cause.”

So Trojans, whether you adopt a plant-based lifestyle for animal rights, health or the environment, I urge you to make an effort. Whether it’s Mediterranean salads once a week or a smoothie for breakfast on the weekends, you’re well on your way to peaceful protestation for the undeniably and unjustifiably oppressive and exploitative animal-based industries.

Tessa Nesis is a sophomore majoring in NGOs and social change.  Her column, “The Sentient Bean,” runs on Thursdays.