Biography

Alex is only five years young when he becomes a witness and victim of one of the worst crimes of mankind: The Nazis imprison the Polish-born Jew and his family in the Warsaw Ghetto, the terrible camp for deportations to the Treblinka death factory. In 1942, Alex and his mother escape the gas chambers – thanks to a Russian nanny who passes the boy off as her son.

After the war, Alex lives in a refugee camp in Italy for five years. At 16, he emigrates to the USA. He studies chemistry and earns a doctorate. The young Dr. Hershaft makes a career in environmental research. In 1972, while examining wastewater in a slaughterhouse for a consulting firm, he sees mountains of animal body parts. The sight reminds him of images of the Holocaust. His insight: a more peaceful world will only be possible if we do not tolerate violence and oppression in any form – not even towards animals.

Multi-activist and long-term vegan

Dr. Alex Hershaft has been a vegetarian for 60 years and a vegan for 40 years. In 1981 he founded the American animal rights movement FARM – famous for its international conferences and campaigns like MeatOut. He chaired numerous non-profit organizations and is a sought-after speaker at conferences in the United States and abroad.

International media such as the London Evening Standard, The Jersualem Post, Haaretz und The Times of Israel have covered Hershaft. He has appeared on various television programs, including the Israeli news channel i24 News, and is the protagonist of a documentary on factory farming by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Mags Gavan.

Learn more about Dr. Alex Hershaft – read the press articles or watch the videos.