Asa Keisar (born September 1, 1973) is an Israeli religious scholar, known for his views on veganism as both a Torah imperative to avoid cruelty to animals, as well as it being the Torah’s ideal for mankind. He served as a Kashrut supervisor in the Israel Defense Forces – IDF, and became a vegan after learning about the widespread animal abuse that is today part of modern industrial agriculture.
He is the author of Velifnei Iver HaShalem, in which he states that eating meat and animal byproducts is no longer permitted according to Jewish sources, because of the cruelty inflicted on animals by the modern mass production of meat, dairy and eggs. The book is distributed to tens of thousands of yeshiva students throughout Israel annually.
He states that the origin of veganism is the Torah, and that it is a Torah ideal. He explains that although eating meat is permitted, not everything permitted in the Torah should necessarily be done. That the Torah permits eating meat only as a concession, in the same way it permits a couple of other cases where man’s evil nature and previous generations’ customs were too hard to fight against.
His ten minute lecture, Religious Veganism, discussing what the Torah, Talmud and scholars have to say about meat consumption has been viewed on YouTube by over six million Israelis.
In 2017 the President of Israel commended him, saying; “You are doing groundbreaking work, nothing less than a true revolution. I am hopeful more and more people will join your righteous journey so that Israel will become a light among the nations regarding it’s compassionate treatment of animals.”
He is a frequent lecturer at universities, elementary schools and high schools, religious and non-religious, and yeshivot across Israel.