Aaron Gross

Aaron S. Gross is an American historian of religions who focuses on modern Jewish ethics, the study of animals and religion, and food and religion. He serves as a professor of theology and religious studies at the University of San Diego. He has served as cochair of the American Academy of Religion's Animals and Religion group and as president of the Society of Jewish Ethics. Aaron Gross is a vegan. Gross has been particularly active in efforts to improve kosher slaughter. According to animal welfare expert Temple Grandin, “Gross has played a critical role in improving kosher slaughter . . . his knowledge about both the Jewish and animal communities is invaluable.” Writing in the New Yorker, Elizabeth Kolbert described Gross as one of the heroes of Eating Animals along with Franz Kafka and Jacques Derrida.

Gross is the author of The Question of the Animal and Religion: Theoretical Stakes, Practical Implications (New York: Columbia University Press, 2014) and co-editor of Animals and the Human Imagination: A Companion to Animal Studies (New York: Columbia University Press, 2012).