On July 15, about 18 vegans, vegetarians or vegan-curious community members filled the room at Rooted3, a plant-based restaurant in Bethesda, to discuss how veganism ties into Jewish tradition.

Jewish Vegan Life’s Tikkun Circle has seen success in Montreal and Los Angeles, so Michael Gribov thought it was about time the group launched the initiative in Washington, D.C.

“We have been experimenting with this Tikkun Circle model for some time now,” said Gribov, JVL’s head of movement building.

The Tikkun Circle is a community event featuring potluck dinners and holiday celebrations, with the goal of helping people celebrate Judaism in a plant-based way. The first such event in the nation’s capital marked Rosh Chodesh Av, the first day of the Hebrew month of Av.

“Nobody even knows what Rosh Chodesh means, so we’re going to bring that back with these monthly Tikkun Circle meetings to honor that tradition and to celebrate Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of the month,” Gribov said.

This practice is important because every month has its own “spiritual energy,” according to Gribov. “If you step into that, if you honor that, you can really enhance your day-to-day living and your Jewish practice, as well,” he said.

The D.C. resident and longtime vegan addressed the group — members of local vegan organizations — to connect veganism to the month of Av and Judaism as a whole.

“Because veganism is present in so many parts of the Torah because it was the original plan for humanity, naturally, it occurs throughout the year,” Gribov said. “The month of Av is no exception to that.”

He mentioned the two notable days that fall during Av: Tisha B’Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, and Tu B’Av, the Jewish day of love.

“How do these two polar opposites [relate to one another]?” Gribov asked.

The exile of the Jewish people and the destruction of the Second Temple occurred because of sinat chinam, or “baseless hatred.” The sages said the way to heal is through unconditional love, which is why Tu B’Av celebrates love.

“What better way to celebrate, to heal from Tisha B’Av, to step into Tu B’Av and to heal from this division and to celebrate unity and love than to expand your circle of compassion to all of life, to all of creation, all of God’s creatures, as it was mandated for us in the Garden of Eden,” Gribov said.

Animals, he added, were created to be companions to humans, not our food.

“We were actually vegan in the Garden of Eden,” Gribov said.

“For many Jewish vegans, living with compassion for all living beings is a natural expression of that calling,” CEO and founder Raquela Karamson wrote in a statement to Washington Jewish Week. “It is also the spirit behind our monthly Tikkun Circle gatherings, where we come together not to look away from the injustice we see in the world, but to turn toward it. Through our shared commitment to compassion and all beings that share our planet, we believe we can bring about healing, repair and renewal.”

“The best way to embody that [compassion] is with a plant-based lifestyle by leaving our animal friends off our plates and eating what the Earth provides and returning to that Edenic ideal,” Gribov added. “That’s the connection I see in this month and what we’re doing.”

He shared this connection and more about Jewish Vegan Life DC Tikkun Circles with attendees, who dined on salad bowls, crispy breaded cauliflower, wraps and smoothies.

“Today is an opportunity for people to gather in community with one another, to mark Rosh Chodesh and to explore how we can expand and strengthen the community in Washington, D.C., through our monthly Tikkun Circle model,” Gribov said.

A couple of non-Jewish vegans attended the event as well. “You are welcome here,” Gribov told one such attendee.

Gribov estimated that there are thousands of Jewish vegans in D.C., but that the area lacked a community for them. “A lot of Jewish organizations don’t cater to the vegan Jewish community,” he noted.

“That’s why this work is so important,” Gribov said of JVL.

He’s hosted a few vegan Shabbat dinners and a Chanukah celebration in D.C. and Silver Spring. The July 15 event marked a move toward additional JVL programming.

“I thought it was a very nice reason to get together,” said Natasha Nadel, a council member of JVL who attended the event.

“Ideally, we’d like to have something every couple months,” Roey Katz, the chair of JVL, said at the event.

“I hope we can build a truly powerful community here,” Gribov said.

zbell@midatlanticmedia.com