israel

From the Samarian Hills of Itamar, Batya Erdstein channels all her energies into her pottery kiln, producing a stunning variety of ceramic pieces with designs inspired by the Bible and the Land of Israel. Meet Batya, a ceramist who puts all her love into her products. Originally from San Diego, California, Batya’s original career choice was quite a different one from that of a ceramicist. Back in the US, she was a nurse, earning a nice salary and enjoying a pleasant, if not very fulfilling, life. However, Batya has always been a very spiritual person, deeply connected to Judaism and...

During the week of Oct 13th - 18th, Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel, welcomed over five thousand Christians, from over one hundred different countries, who had traveled to Israel to join the celebration of Sukkot with their Jewish friends in the holy city. In keeping with the biblical prophecy from Zechariah 14:12, “Then everyone who survives of all of the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths,” thirty-nine years ago a passionate group of Christians with a love for Israel, met to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. They wanted to stand with Israel and show their allegiance to our Jewish homeland. This was the birth of the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem (ICEJ) and since that day thousands of Christians from every part of the world have journeyed to Jerusalem to show their support to Israel and the Jewish people. Participating in the ICEJ’s Feast of Tabernacles celebration is an annual highlight for us because we have the privilege of meeting so many of our Lev HaOlam family while they are visiting Israel. Lev HaOlam is supported by Jews and Christians around the world and this is our opportunity to meet with so many of our wonderful Christian supporters. We were greeted with smiles, hugs, and unwavering support. The Feast of Tabernacles gives us an opportunity to thank our supporters in person and to share their joy and appreciation for the care and love that is wrapped in every Lev HaOlam surprise package.It is a privilege for us to share a community with such a diverse group of people, all united by a love for Israel and an unwavering commitment to supporting the Jewish pioneers of Judea and Samaria. The smiles, greetings, and support lifted us up, and it is clear that while we practice our religion differently, we are like-minded in our commitment to rebuilding the Jewish homeland. The blessing that we receive from our Lev HaOlam supporters goes beyond subscribing to the monthly packages, we are empowered by our family of supporters who encourage us to continue the work that we are doing in Judea and Samaria, helping small businesses in the heartland of Israel to flourish and to withstand the effects of the anti-Israel boycott. It is an honor to share a hug and to say thank you in person. As a Jewish company based in the Jewish homeland of Israel, we are pleased to feel such warm support from both the Jewish community and other like-minded people who believe strongly in the right of return for the Jewish people. We can’t wait to meet more of our Lev HaOlam friends and family next year when ICEJ marks forty years of the nations coming up to the holy city of Jerusalem, united in friendship with the Jewish people of Israel.

​ Batya also finds inspiration for her work from her surroundings. “Things that are growing outside I pick and I bring it to the studio and I press it into the clay and I get ideas and inspiration through everything that is growing around me,” Batya told us. The history of Samaria is also something that Batya apreciate very much. “Sometimes we take walks and we find old shards of pottery pieces and it really centers me and I know that what I’m doing here is reconnecting to Jews who thousands of years ago who were living here in this...

Brandon and Stephanie Treger immigrated to Israel with their four daughters from South Africa just over a year ago. The Tregers currently live in Efrat, one of the largest communities in Judea. In the short amount of time that they have lived in Israel, the Tregers already opened a chic boutique coffee shop called Power Coffeeworks. We recently went to visit and interview Brandon (and of course to taste the fantastic freshly brewed coffee), who is one of the newst producers for Lev Haolam’s Surprise Monthly Package Project. We arrived at the shop on a cold and rainy morning and were offered a hot cup of specially brewed cappuccinos, by Avi, the barista working there. We ended up going back for seconds. It was truly amazing coffee! Avi explained that the coffee was made from a blend of three coffee beans. I tried to remember what the blend was but quickly forgot. We sat down at one of the tables in the upstairs lounge to interview Brandon, the founder. Thankfully, Brandon repeated the ingredients that were so carefully selected and blended to form the delicious drink we had just experienced. The ingredients in our coffee are the same ingredients that are in this month’s package. Brandon went on to tell us about the coffee beans and the best methods for preparing the coffee. “In the Lev Haolam package, you’ve got our lightly roasted house blend which is perfect for black coffee or the ‘botz’ coffee.” Now to fully appreciate the interview, I want to introduce some of you to a new word that I learned during the interview. The word is “botz.” Having never heard the term before, I asked Brandon what “botz coffee” was. Brandon smiled and told me it was the Hebrew term used for the coffee grinds or sediment that sinks to the bottom of the when the grinds are used straight. In Hebrew, botz translates to “mud,” which is what the grinds at the bottom of the cup closely resemble. “We call it botz, because at the bottom of your cup you’ve got botz.” Brandon continued to tell us about the coffee in this month’s package. “We got a lovely blend Kenya, Brazil and Mysore, which will give you a bit of the high end spices of Kenya, the depth from the Brazilian and the smoothening out of the Kenyan with the Mysore. So, you guys are gonna have a great coffee. We’re going to grind it very finely so that the mud on the bottom will be quite tight and won’t interfere too much in your coffee experience - for when you get to the bottom of your cup.” “When you need it quick, just pour some boiling water over it . Then add your honey or your sugar, let it sit for a few minutes and then the sediment will sink to the bottom and then you can drink it until just before the bottom.” Brandon told us. “The other way of drinking it, for when you got a bit more time, is to put it in a pot, boil it up with the sugar or honey you enjoy, let it settle for a few minutes and then boil it a second time. Let it settle, pour it out without the bots at the bottom of the cup and sit back and enjoy the caffeine hit.” After hearing about this month’s coffee, we discovered that the idea for Power Coffeeworks and Brandon’s passion for his work was a recent development. Just a few years ago, Brandon was living in South Africa and working as a security and prehospital paramedics consultant. When inquiring about how he got started in coffee, Brandon started by telling us about his life in South Africa. “After I had my first child, in 2010, I started feeling a different influence from the paramedics and security industries. I started really struggling to do that kind of work. I realized later that I was also suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). It became more difficult for me. It started triggering hyper-anxiety and unpleasantness and by about 2013 I actually didn’t want to continue at all.” “When we were making Aliyah, I realized that I wanted to roast coffee and to make coffee for people and sit and talk to people across the coffee bar. That’s what I wanted for my future. And I wanted my kids to hang out in the coffee shop and to have this environment that you see around us now. It was a dream,” Brandon concluded. Brandon then elaborated on how he actually opened Power Coffeeworks. He explained that his father-in-law has been in the food industry for quite some time. “He has a restaurant, he produces chili sauce - he’s a flavors guy.” Additionally, Stephanie, his wife, is very artistic and has a “flare” and a good sense for fashion, as Brandon put it. We got to see her natural knack for design in action by looking around the shop which she designed. The shop’s decor is unique and simply breathtaking for those who admire detail. So with his father-in-laws knowledge, his wife’s artistic flair, and his dream of opening a peaceful place to enjoy good coffee and even better company, the Tregers had all the ingredients they needed to get the Power Coffeeworks store off the ground. On a more personal note, moving countries can be extremely challenging. Especially when you have a family. And while the Tregers are no exception to the challenges they face as immigrants, we could not help but admire Brandon’s face as it lit-up when he spoke about the opportunities he has found by living in Israel and how his children are thriving in their community, Efrat. “For me, everything is about the children. The thing I love the most is the environment that it offers the children.” “For children, Judea is the best area for children and our area of Efrat is the most amazing environment. The schools, the facilities, the social environment.” In one heartfelt story, Brandon recalled, “My little twins were swimming last year in Elazar (Judea) and they started crying. And I didn’t know why they didn’t want to go swimming. I was saying but you’ve always loved swimming. I had told them that they were going swimming like when they used to go swimming in Capetown. And they thought I was taking them back to Capetown and they started crying.” “I love the fresh air here, I love the rolling hills, the vineyards and the fact that we can go for a walk through the vineyards and enjoy the open air environment,” Brandon tells us. “Those that came to Efrat 30 years ago built an environment that’s phenomenal and we’re just settling into that environment.” Not far from Efrat is the holy city of Hebron. In addition to being a superb coffee maker, Brandon is also a proactive advocate for spreading awareness and educating others about the history and the present significance of the Judea region. “I take people on tours to Hebron as a bit of a passion. I study Torah in Hebron every Tuesday. Stephanie and I have a connection to Hebron, which dates back to a Shabbat we spent there and we connected with some special people that were kind to us.” “Sometimes I do a little tour of Gush Etzion and I explain a history of the Gush. I take them down Derech Avot (path of the forefathers) and I show them how our ancestors were traveling through this area, heading to Jerusalem, stopping along the way for a mikvah (ritual bath) and that our life has been recreated in this area. That we returned as Jews in our indigenous environment. And then I go through to Hebron - the plains of Mamre. I get a lot of pleasure out of people connecting to Hebron that may be used to thinking of Hebron as an esoteric place, a place that they see in the news that it’s just another place in Israel, a part of our roots. I try to share what makes it special to Steph and I,” Brandon explained. Before this month Brandon had known about Lev Haolam for quite some time. He wanted to become involved in what we were doing and subsequently contacted our product specialist, Neriya. When Neriya got back in touch with him, Brandon recalled emphatically, “It was great! I was really happy to get the call. It felt cool - like these are the guys I want to be involved with.” Brandon told us that the order he received from Lev Haolam was the largest order he has ever received. We were, of course, happy to hear this. “We don’t deliver that volume in one delivery by a long shot. We’ll usually deliver about 12 kilos at a time. Here, we’re delivering 350 kilos.” Brandon wanted us to tell the Lev Haolam subscribers the following message, “I’d like to thank you guys, both for the business because earning a living as a new immigrant is really important to me. I’d like to thank you guys for creating the biggest order we’ve had since opening our business. Thank you guys and I hope you love the coffee!”

David Daniel has been a Lev Haolam supplier for a number of years. Among the many products from our Surprise Monthly Package Project, David has produced honey and therapeutic beeswax ointment for Lev Haolam, both of which come from the bee hives David owns and maintains in Hebron. His products are infused with his passion for the land of Israel. David was born and raised in the city of Hebron and currently lives there with his wife and 4 children. While it is true that David grew up in Hebron, his passion for the Hebron and for Israel goes beyond his personal history. In an exclusive Lev Haolam interview with David, we asked him why he chose to live, work and establish his family in Hebron, David responded “the simple answer that I give is that it’s in the Bible. I open the Bible and tell them about the holy forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and about all of the high mountainous areas around us - the places that our forefathers grew up in.” “After 2000 years of exile, it is impossible to think of everything that has been accomplished since then. Suddenly millions of Jewish people from all over the world returned to Israel. This shows the strong connection between the Jewish people and the land. the same connection between the Jewish people and Hebron is the same connection that the entire Jewish people have with the whole land of Israel,” David told us. David took us back in time to explain the deep and fascinating connection his family had to Hebron in particular. David told us of how his family returned to the ancestral land of Hebron approximately 30 years ago. He explained that the strong and vibrant Jewish community that once lived in Hebron had left the city in the aftermath of the 1929 Hebron massacre. During the massacre many Jews were attacked and murdered due to the incitement of leading Arab clerics. After 6-Day-War in 1967, there were many Jews who decided to move back to the community and reestablish the lost Jewish presence there. David’s parents were among these brave pioneers. David’s primary occupation is farming and beekeeping. In addition to harvesting honey from his bees, David uses the small and versatile creatures to also help create healing ointments and balms. David started learning about harvesting bee honey and working with bees from the time he was a young child. His Father, who was also a bee-keeper, taught him how to farm and how to raise bees and harvest their honey. David’s father went to the renowned Mikveh Yisrael school - the first agricultural school in Israel. David also explained that his father had taught him the art of creating beeswax creams and ointments. “About 7 or 8 years ago, I began to seriously produce beeswax creams and offer them for sale,” David explained. “Aside from honey, it is a wonderful product with tremendous health benefits, David continued. We got a lot of positive feedback on how great and helpful the products are. Given the positive feedback from our customers, we decided to begin mass production about 8 years ago.” In addition to being a Lev Haolam supplier David Daniel has been a friend of Lev Haolam founder Nati Rom for many years. In speaking about his first impressions and experiences with Lev Haolam, David recounted, “I started to work with Lev Haolam, a special company. I met with Nati in Hebron. We have been friends for many years and about four years ago, he mentioned to me that perhaps we could begin working together.””I am very pleased with the work that they are doing,” David continued. “They help support the economy of Judea and Samaria, and on top of that, they publicize the products produced in Judea and Samaria to the world. This gives strong encouragement to the mission of building communities in Judea and Samaria” David is very thankful for the support from Lev Haolam’s subscribers. During the interview David said, “I wanted to thank the supporters of Lev Haolam who purchase from Lev Haolam. They are really helping us develop our businesses. These large orders that I get from time to time give us the opportunity to grow and move forward.” “Lev Haolam really helps us and really gives us support financially and encouragement to continue to strengthen and build Judea and Samaria. And I wanted to say from me and my family, thank you so much!” Would you like to help support the families and small businesses of Judea and Samaria? Consider signing up for the Surprise Monthly Package Project today.

​ Boaz with 3 of his children In Alonei Habashan, Boaz was a part-time farmer and a high school teacher for teenagers with learning disabilities for 6 years. From Alonei Habashan, he and his family moved to Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu (a farm co-op), in the Jordan Valley. Boaz continued to teach Torah, only this time, to retired army veterans. “After 7 years in Sde Eliyahu I felt that I had enough ,” Boaz said. “I felt that I was doing so much talking, but was lacking in doing physical work. It was then that I began...

Amid war and hardship, our brave producers continued their work, supported by Lev Haolam subscribers who helped keep their businesses alive. How Our Producers Faced the War: A Year of Courage and Survival When war erupted on October 7th, 2023, it wasn’t just a fight for survival on the frontlines – it became a battle for the heart and soul of Israel. For our producers, this war was deeply personal. They faced not only the threat of rockets and violence but also the immense challenge of keeping their businesses alive. Every day brought new hardships, from disrupted supply chains to...

Discover the spiritual, historical, and natural significance of Mount Carmel, a timeless site revered by various cultures and faiths for its beauty and enduring symbolism. Where the Pages of History Come to Life: Mount Carmel Mount Carmel stands as a timeless symbol of faith, culture, and resilience, representing more than just a geographical feature – it embodies the spirit of Israel itself. Revered as one of Israel’s most iconic landmarks, the mountain holds a profound place in biblical history, having witnessed key moments in the nation’s spiritual journey, particularly during the days of the prophet Elijah. Its towering heights and...

​ Wheat is one of the world’s oldest cultivated grains – and in Israel, it grows across rolling hills and valleys, just as it did in biblical times. It is the grain of sustenance and structure – used in the Temple offerings, baked into matzah at Passover, and braided into challah for Shabbat. It represents abundance, but also the human role in refining the raw gifts of nature. Wheat reminds us: we harvest with our hands, but we nourish with our hearts. ​ Barley matures earlier than wheat and was traditionally seen as the grain of the poor, used in...

How Two Nations – and One Box – Celebrate the Spirit of Building Something Beautiful 🇮🇱🇺🇸 Two Stories, One Spirit Whether it’s an American homesteader or an Israeli olive farmer, the values run deep: hard work, dignity, and faith in the future. Both countries were built on perseverance – by those who planted, crafted, carved, and created with whatever they had. Just like in America, Israel’s greatest strength is found in its people – those who rise early to tend vineyards, who teach their children by example, who press oil, bake bread, and pass stories through their hands. At Lev...

How one family near the Gaza border turned a search for safe products into a mission of wellness, resilience, and redemption ​ That may be the simplest way to explain Arugot. But it hardly captures the depth of the story. Because Arugot is not really about soap. It’s about healing. About rebuilding. About rediscovering the wisdom hidden in nature and ancient roots. Why have we accepted so many harmful things as normal? Moving Toward the Border – On Purpose In 2010, the Lachmans made a decision most people would never consider. Together with six other families, they moved south to...

A Deeper Look at the June Lev Haolam Box More Than Ancient Words ​ For many people, the Priestly Blessing is familiar. It is spoken over children on Friday nights, recited in synagogues, and woven into Jewish life around the world. What makes it remarkable is not only its beauty, but its longevity. The blessing has accompanied the Jewish people through triumph and hardship, through exile and return, and through centuries of change. Generations have found comfort in its words because it speaks to something universal: the desire to protect those we love, to live with purpose, and to create...

These landmarks invite travelers to explore and connect with the past, experiencing the layers of history that have shaped the nation. The Western Wall in Jerusalem, a remnant of the Second Temple, is a place of prayer and reflection, symbolizing the enduring spirit of the Jewish people. The Wall is a focal point for Jewish prayer and pilgrimage. Israel’s natural wonders, such as the Negev Desert, offer a stark contrast to its historical sites, providing a backdrop of beauty and serenity. The desert’s vastness and quietude offer a space for contemplation and connection. Jerusalem: The Heart of History Jerusalem stands...

The prophecies Jacob gave to his sons were prophetic, outlining the characteristics and destinies of each group. For instance, Judah was promised leadership, while Joseph received a double portion of inheritance through his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48:5-6). These prophecies set the stage for their roles in Israel’s history, influencing their interactions and alliances. Understanding these foundational stories helps us appreciate the complex tapestry of biblical narratives and their lasting impact on Jewish identity. Origins of the Twelve Tribes The story of the twelve tribes of Israel begins with Jacob, also known as Israel, who had twelve sons from...

Geographical Diversity of Israel Israel’s geography is a fascinating blend of coastal plains, mountains, and desert landscapes. This diversity creates a variety of microclimates. For example, while the Mediterranean coast enjoys mild, rainy winters, the desert areas remain dry and warm. The hillier regions, such as Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, are where snow might be seen. This geographical contrast plays a crucial role in Israel’s climate, influencing the unique experience of snowfall in certain areas. The Negev Desert, known for its arid climate, rarely sees snow, highlighting the country’s climatic diversity. Snowfall in Jerusalem Jerusalem, with its elevation of...

Israel is a land where innovation meets tradition, and this is evident in its skincare and wine industries. The use of naturally sourced ingredients in skincare harks back to ancient practices, while age-old winemaking techniques continue to thrive. Israeli brands are gaining global recognition, enhancing beauty routines with Dead Sea minerals and elevating culinary experiences with unique wines. This article explores how these brands are making their mark, offering products that are both innovative and steeped in tradition. The synergy of history and modernity is a hallmark of Israeli craftsmanship. In short: Israeli skincare and wine industries exemplify the harmonious...