Alex Hershaft
Alex Hershaft | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 1, 1934 Warsaw, Poland |
| Occupation(s) | Holocaust survivor, animal rights activist, materials scientist, environmental consultant |
| Years active | 1950s–present |
| Known for | Co-founder and president of the Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) |
Alex Hershaft (born July 1, 1934) is an American Holocaust survivor and the co-founder and current president of the Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM),[1][2] the longest-standing animal rights organization in the United States, founded in 1976, with a primary focus on opposing the exploitation of animals for food.[3] Prior to this, he pursued a three-decade career in materials science and environmental consulting, while also engaging in advocacy for religious freedom and efforts to improve environmental quality.[4]
Family and early life
Born in Warsaw, Poland, on July 1, 1934, Hershaft was the child of assimilated Jewish parents, Jozef and Sabina Herszaft. His mother Sabina was a mathematician, and his father Jozef was a chemist specializing in heavy water research at the University of Warsaw, collaborating with colleague Jozef Rotblat. Their nuclear studies attracted significant interest as Western scientists advanced nuclear energy research. Rotblat emigrated to the United Kingdom before the 1939 invasion of Poland by Hitler and later received the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize for his anti-nuclear weapons activism. Jozef attempted to secure visas for his family to join Rotblat abroad; however, their arrival came too late.
During World War II, Hershaft’s family was confined within the Warsaw Ghetto near Pawiak prison. As Nazi forces initiated mass exterminations in the Ghetto in 1942, Hershaft and his mother fled to the non-Jewish side of Warsaw, where they remained in hiding until liberation occurred in 1945. After spending five years in a refugee camp in Italy, Sabina emigrated to Israel, while sixteen-year-old Alexander relocated to the United States in 1951. Sabina passed away in Israel in 1996.
Research and consulting career
Hershaft obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Connecticut in 1955 and pursued polymer chemistry studies at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. He earned his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from Iowa State University in 1961, conducting research at the Ames Laboratory under the auspices of the Atomic Energy Commission.
He initially taught graduate-level courses on X-ray crystallography at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and subsequently headed the chemistry department at the Israel Institute for Scientific Translations. Returning to the United States in 1963, he contributed to naval operations analysis at the Center for Naval Analyses.
In 1967, Hershaft joined Grumman Aerospace Corporation to investigate emerging business opportunities related to air and water pollution control as well as solid waste management. Two years later, he founded and directed the Environmental Technology Seminar focused on environmental challenges spanning three states.
By 1972, he had relocated to Washington, D.C., where he worked with consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, assessing water resource management, electric power environmental impacts, and advantages derived from satellite data. Subsequently, he led environmental projects for both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Council on Environmental Quality through roles at Enviro Control and Interstate Electronics Corporation.
Between 1977 and 1981, Hershaft served as senior scientist at the Mitre Corporation, concentrating on emissions from heating fuels and formulating procedures for evaluating hazardous waste sites under the U.S. Superfund initiative.
Social justice career
During his time at the University of Connecticut, Hershaft took on leadership roles, including participation in the Student Senate and contributions to the campus newspaper.
In 1961, while studying at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, he spearheaded a significant protest in Tel-Aviv that led to the creation of the League for Abolition of Religious Coercion in Israel. This organization opposed Orthodox restrictions on secular and non-Orthodox Jewish customs. After transferring leadership to Israeli representatives, Hershaft returned to the United States to rally support. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, the movement was embraced by the Citizen Rights Party (Ratz), now known as Meretz.
From 1965 until 1978, Hershaft was a board member of the American Humanist Association (AHA), advocating for ethical principles independent of supernatural beliefs.
Hershaft embraced vegetarianism in 1961 and became more deeply involved after attending the 1975 World Vegetarian Congress, where he met Jay Dinshah. By 1981, influenced by Robin Hur from Harvard Business School, he adopted a vegan lifestyle.
In 1976, he established the Vegetarian Information Service (VIS) to promote the advantages of vegetarianism. That same year, he provided testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, which contributed to the development of Dietary Goals for the United States and later Dietary Guidelines for Americans. He also supported legislative efforts such as the 1978 National Consumer Nutrition Information Act and Federal Meat Inspection Act.
Hershaft organized vegetarian-focused conferences where, inspired by Peter Singer's Animal Liberation, some attendees advocated for incorporating animal rights topics into discussions.
In the summer of 1981, he coordinated Action For Life at Cedar Crest College, an event that helped launch the U.S. animal rights movement alongside figures like Cleveland Amory, Ingrid Newkirk, Alex Pacheco, and Peter Singer. These conferences continued annually in major American cities through 1991.
Subsequently, Hershaft founded the Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) to promote both veganism and animal rights causes.
As president of FARM, he initiated several campaigns including World Farm Animals Day (1983), Great American Meatout (1985), Veal Ban Campaign (1986), Letters from FARM (1996), and 10 Billion Lives (2011).
In 1997, he launched a renewed series of Animal Rights National Conferences that attracted up to 1,500 attendees yearly, significantly energizing the animal rights movement in the United States.
Beginning in 2015, Hershaft began drawing comparisons between the Holocaust and industrial animal slaughter—focusing on aspects such as operational scale, organizational hierarchy, secrecy measures, transportation methods, inflicted cruelties, and societal acceptance enabling such atrocities—and embarked on international speaking engagements alongside plans for a book and documentary.
By 2020, he delegated daily management of FARM to Executive Director Eric Lindstrom while continuing his involvement as president.
Hershaft has written hundreds of letters promoting veganism and has been featured in numerous media outlets. At national conferences, he has delivered lectures on leadership development, social transformation, campaign tactics, and strategies for building movements.
Honors
Hershaft is recognized in Marquis' directories, including Who’s Who in America and American Men and Women of Science. His achievements earned him induction into the U.S. Vegetarian Hall of Fame in 1998 and the U.S. Animal Rights Hall of Fame in 2001.
He was a member of the governing council for the International Vegetarian Union from 1984 until 2000. Additionally, from 2001 to 2009, Hershaft served on the board of In Defense of Animals, a prominent national animal rights organization headquartered in San Rafael, California.
Personal life
In 1962, Hershaft married Eugenie (Genia) Krystal in Jerusalem; their marriage ended in divorce in 1979. Their daughter, Monica Larissa Hershaft (born 1966), launched a holistic health and nutrition wellness center in Los Angeles in 2008 and currently practices in Scottsdale, Arizona.
He now lives in Bethesda, MD. Hershaft adopted vegetarianism in 1961 and transitioned to veganism by 1981. Throughout his life, he has engaged in various physical activities such as soccer, marathon running, folk dancing, and swimming.
See also
Further reading
- The Jerusalem Post
- Jewish Telegraphic Agency
- Ynet News
- The Huffington Post
- Jewish Journal
- Haaretz
- The Jewish Chronicle
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- The Jerusalem Post
External links
- alexhershaft.com
- Farm Animal Rights Movement – official website
- The Vegan Blog by Hershaft
- Never Again Global
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