Dear Friends,

The Olive Harvest continues and this week, as we reported, has been one of excitement, pain and success. As we reported to you earlier in the week, on Monday our staff and volunteers were attacked as they participated in the harvest near Awarta. However, even in the face of violence, threats and indifference we continue and are proud of the over 500 volunteers who have joined us thus far, where we all work to show that justice and solidarity can overcome violence and oppression.

The end of this week also saw us in Awarta where our harvest activities were focused not on the violence but on the farmers themselves. Solidarity with them and the joy of working together for justice drove as forward as our volunteers and staff joined together to pick olives, help the farmers to succeed to pick olives as they deal with the restrictions that are all to often imposed on them by the army and with the violence in whose shadow they live daily.

With clergy from different parts of the world, diplomats and our regular crew of dedicated volunteers our voices were heard and our prayers were said, with our feet on the ground and our hands in the trees. We invite you to continue to support the harvest.

As you think about the harvest  we are reminded of Rabbi Jeremy Milgrom’s Dvar Torah above and are inspired to live up to the “sublime humane values… of justice and righteousness, truth and kindness, the equality of nations and peace… the essence… of the morality of Judaism.”

If you would like to donate to BFRHR, you can find more information on the Donations page

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