The vegan movement is spreading around the world, but the country with the highest ratio of vegans to non-vegans is decisively Israel - five percent of the population now identify as vegan. In the country there are hundreds of restaurants that are either solely vegan, or serve vegan foods, and basically every corner store sells supplements of milk and milk products. Why is this happening?
What undoubtedly plays a role here are historical and religious causes. Practicing Jews are joining the ranks of vegans in ever greater numbers, with the same motivation as vegans in different countries. Another potential cause is the general strong humanist current in the society, which still carries the memories of the Holocaust, and stands upon the deeply rooted principles of avoiding violence and treating both animals and nature with respect.