Taam Hacahim — Taste of Life

Taam Haachim is a vegan restaurant in Tel Aviv run by owners who actually practice veganism as part of their religion.

The restaurant owners are Black Hebrew Israelites, a group of African Americans from cities like Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta and Washington DC. They believe they are the descendants of the Israelite tribe of Judah and adhere to their own interpretation of Jewish law, which includes a strict vegan diet, and their cuisine is influenced by their religion, the regions where they came from and Israeli cuisine.

Members of the group began coming to Israel in 1969 and despite not qualifying for citizenship, hundreds more came over the next 2 decades, establishing communities mainly in Israel’s southern communities. Until a 1990 agreement with the Israeli government they did not have permission to work or social services, but over time, they’ve become part of the society and in 2003 were granted permanent resident status.