Community Member Spotlight: Rakefet Cohen Ben-Arye
Rakefet Cohen Ben-Arye is helping build the plant-based advocacy in China through research and challenging the “default”.
As a doctoral student in social psychology, Rakefet moved from Israel to China to pursue this work. Today, she’s working as Research Manager at the China Vegan Society. Rakefet is fueled by her belief that lasting change happens when compassion is paired with evidence. Her journey is a curious blend of academia and on-site movement work.
Rakefet’s Journey
Rakefet’s journey into animal advocacy began right at home with the animals she raised herself. “What inspired me to start my vegan journey was the animals I raised,” she shares.
That personal connection eventually led her to study social psychology, where she saw an opportunity to contribute at scale. Rakefet chose a research-driven path, focusing on understanding human behavior to unlock change across entire systems.
Her work led her all the way to China, where she joined the China Vegan Society.
“I was pleasantly surprised to have the opportunity to meet some of Hive’s friends face-to-face at the China Vegan Summit, through which I joined the China Vegan Society.”
What she once imagined would be a one-year chapter of her life is slowly becoming a place she and her partner are considering home for the long run!
The Work
The China Vegan Society works to make veganism accessible to everyone in China. This mission calls for cultural awareness and sensitivity, strategic insights, and strong data.
In her role at the China Vegan Society, Rakefet has been involved in surveying and evaluating major initiatives, including the China Vegan Summit and the V-March vegan challenge. She has also authored a comprehensive report on promoting plant-based diets in China. Her work helps ensure that advocacy efforts are guided not only by compassion, but by effectiveness as well.
“In addition to building the movement in China, I would like to make our advocacy efforts science-based and evidence-based,” she reflects.
Her research interests reflect her commitment and passion. She studies the identifiable victim effect — how giving animals names, faces, and stories can increase empathy and donations — as well as the default effect — exploring how plant-based defaults can shift behavior at scale.
The default effect isn’t just an academic concept for Rakefet; it’s also deeply personal:
“I’ve found that every time I didn’t stick to the default — switching to veganism, taking action, moving to China — it became clear in retrospect that I made the right decision. So, I highly recommend: don’t stick to the status quo and practice active thinking about everything you do!”
Reframing Challenges
For many, moving to China for advocacy work might seem like a sacrifice. For Rakefet, however, the reality has been quite the opposite:
“The living conditions here are so good that although we initially considered it only for a year, we’re now very positive about staying long term,” she shares.
She was also pleasantly surprised to meet members of the Hive community in person at the China Vegan Summit: a moment that made the work feel more connected, and the movement feel closer.
“If I could offer advice to my younger self just starting out in animal advocacy, it would be simple and powerful: Follow your inner compass!”
The Road Ahead
Looking ahead, Rakefet hopes to see more collaborations move from intention into action.
She’s especially keen to see:
More research on effective interventions to promote plant-based nutrition, especially meta-analyses
Work that closes the gap between attitudes and actual purchasing behavior
Broader adoption and shared support in adopting technology, particularly the thoughtful use of AI in farmed animal advocacy.
She’s also inspired by organizations working within China, and is particularly excited about the Good Food Fund, which recently also became a Recommended Charity by Animal Charity Evaluators.
Beyond her advocacy work, Rakefet’s life is closely intertwined with the movement she’s part of. She’s happily married to Tom Cohen Ben-Arye, whom she met while promoting alternative proteins, and who is also a Hive community member! Together, they’re proud parents to two bunnies, Or and Liz.
Thank You, Rakefet!
Rakefet’s work depicts the heart of our community: thoughtful, unafraid to ask hard questions and always open to sharing knowledge and resources.
We’re grateful for her contributions to research-driven advocacy, her commitment to cross-cultural movement-building, and the insight and dynamicness she brings to the Hive community!
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Feel free to also reach out to Rakefet via email or on LinkedIn!
