Israel calls for volunteers to save Israeli agriculture

By SAM HALPERN

Published: NOVEMBER 29, 2023 02:17

Updated: NOVEMBER 29, 2023 10:10

Volunteers work on Israeli farms. (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT) — Volunteers work on Israeli farms.

(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Members of Knesset from all over the political spectrum came together to highlight the importance of volunteers coming to save Israel’s agriculture sector.

Ministers from across Israel’s political spectrum recently signed a joint call spearheaded by deputy Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Moshe Abutbul, asking people to come volunteer on Israeli farms to help save the nation’s agricultural sector, the ministry stated.

The ministry explains the need for this on its website page, where volunteers can go to sign up to assist Israeli farms.

After October 7, many people who would otherwise have been working on these farms were either called up for army service, did not return due to safety concerns or were subject to a “closure imposed by the Palestinian Authority.”

Additionally, many foreign workers who were employed on these farms decided to return to their home countries.

Covering the costs for volunteers

To address the problem, the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry “decided to fund logistical costs to bring volunteers to work in agriculture amid the emergency situation faced by Israeli agriculture,” the ministry wrote. “This includes covering transportation, accommodation, and food for the volunteers in order to fill the gap until permanent workers can be brought in.”

An Israeli volunteer walks with a weapon as he helps farmers from Kibbutz Beeri, Israel, to pick avocados from their land as part of an initiative to help farmers from Kibbutzes in Israel near the border with Gaza to pick the crops after the October 7 deadly attack by Hamas gunmen from Gaza in the K (credit: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

Further, the ministry stated that it supports volunteer efforts from organizations within the public sector to fuel this agricultural effort.

Members of Knesset from Likud, Shas, the Religious Zionist Party, United Torah Judaism, Yisrael Beytenu, National Unity, and Labor all came together to sign onto Abutbul’s initiative.

According to the ministry statement, Construction and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf stated that employees of the Israel Lands Authority were among those to volunteer to help pick fruits and vegetables.

In a recent interview with The Jerusalem Post, Lt. Hila Wilf of the IDF’s national mission chapter highlighted that soldiers were also among those helping Israeli farmers along with additional volunteers from local schools.

For people who wish to sign up for the agricultural volunteer effort, the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry website provides registrations. Otherwise, interested individuals may call the ministry’s hotline *6016.