Leket Israel in the News

Hockey Players Give Back
On the opening day of the 6th Annual IRHA Hockey Tournament, players took a break from the ice to volunteer with Leket Israel’s Sandwiches for Kids Project. The tournament’s 85 participants, joined by Leket Israel Founder & Chairman Joseph Gitler, awoke bright and early to prepare 250 sandwiches ...

Joseph Gitler on Nachum Segal
NACHUMSEGAL.COM - Feb. 9, 2012. Miriam L. Wallach interviews Leket Israel Founder and Chairman, Joseph Gitler, on ''That's Life''. On the recent broadcast, Gitler describes the vital work and new activities Leket Israel has initiated in the past year.

Community Impact: Women's Endowment Fund Featured Grantee: Leket Israel
JEWISH FED. OF GREATER SEATTLE - Feb. 15, 2012. Leket Israel's Nutrition for Life: Empowering Mothers Project recently received funding from the Women's Endowment of the Seattle Federation. The project offers workshops & training to at-risk single mothers to the benefits of healthy eating habits ...

Leket Israel app connects food donors with charities
THE JERUSALEM POST - Feb. 9, 2012. JPost Correspondent, Ruth Eglash, asks ''What do you get if you mix a charity with smart phone technology?'' The answer: ''An app that helps the needy, of course.'' That is the premise behind a new, free application available for both iPhone and Android phone...

Jewish Toronto Leaders Honoured in Israel
UJA FEDERATION of GREATER TORONTO - Feb. 8, 2012. Henry & Julia Koschitzky, two of Jewish Toronto’s most prominent and generous philanthropists & community leaders were honoured in Israel recently at Leket Israel's 2nd Annual Gala Dinner, held on Kibbutz Nir Eliyahu. The evening, ''From the Field...

Hunger in the Holyland
LILITH MAGAZINE - Winter 2011- 2012. In a column entitled ''Letter from Jerusalem: Hunger in the Holyland'', Michele Chabin writes of the struggles of Israel's poor in the face of the high cost of food, housing, and basic necessities. Quoting Joseph Gitler of Leket Israel, Chabin relates that ...

Leket Israel App makes donating easy
ISRAEL 21c - Innovation News Service - February 9, 2012. Leket Israel's new Iphone and Android applications makes donating food to the needy super easy by letting the user know where the closest food agency is located. Leket Israel, The National Food Bank and largest food rescue network is the f...

Jewish Toronto Leaders Honoured in Israel
SHALOM LIFE - Feb, 8, 2012. Henry and Julia Koschitzky, two of Jewish Toronto’s most prominent and generous philanthropists and community leaders were honoured in Israel recently at Leket Israel's 2nd Annual Gala Dinner, held on Kibbutz Nir Eliyahu. The evening, ''From the Field to the Plate – T...

New iPhone and Android Apps Released by Leket Israel to Benefit Israel's Poor
NEW YORK JEWISH WEEK - Feb. 8, 2012. Today, Leket Israel released its new iPhone and Android applications, which are available in both Hebrew and English. The new apps help the user find the closest food agency to donate any excess food from an event at a catering hall, an office party or a ce...

Reframing the Dialogue
THE NJ JEWISH STANDARD - Feb. 3, 2012. Yeshiva University students on an 8-day experiential education program called Tzedek & Tzedaka, recently participated in gleaning with Leket Israel and met with the organization's founder Joseph Gitler (a Teaneck NJ native). The students learned from Mr. G...

Israel Trip Explores Judaism and Social Justice
NEW JERSEY JEWISH NEWS - Feb. 1, 2012. Forty college students recently spent part of their semester break exploring Jewish social justice in Israel as part of an experiential education program offered by Yeshiva University. Leket Israel, working to combat the paradox of food waste in the face of...

Leket Israel leads ''Chesed Tourism''
THE JEWISH PRESS - Jan. 27, 2012. In an article entitled ''Inspiring Encounters Spur the Growth of 'Chesed Tourism' by Ken Solomon, Mr. Solomon writes, that ''...a growing number of families and youngsters are partaking in unique chesed activities designed to heighten their emotional and physical...

Women's Endowment funds Leket Israel
Leket Israel's Nutrition for Life: Empowering Mothers Project was recently selected as 1 of 7 projects to receive funding from the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle's Women's Endowment. The project offers workshops and training to young at-risk and single mothers to the benefits of healthy ea...

Koschitzkys honoured at Leket Israel benefit
THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS (CJN) - Jan. 19, 2012. Well known Torontonians Henry and Julia Koschitzky were honored earlier this month at Leket Israel's 2nd Annual Gala Dinner. The following article, by CJN Israel Bureau's Sarah Press, discusses the signifcance of the event and the Koschitzky's ear...

Grapevine:  The Polish Connection
JERUSALEM POST - Jan. 17, 2012. In a feature article, Greer Fay Cashman writes about the ''Polish Connection'' (so to speak) of those who make their mark in Israel--coming from his or her expatriate community to serve as ambassadors for good in their new homes in Israel. Leket Israel is highlig...

Hundreds come to the table to support food bank initiative
HAARETZ - Jan. 13, 2012. Hundreds of supporters of Leket Israel attended its 2nd Annual Gala Dinner on Saturday night. The evening was dedicated to raising awareness and funds for Project Leket, which is dedicated to gleaning fruits and vegetables for distribution to the poor. In 2011, Leket Is...

Gala dinner draws 700 supporters
PRESS RELEASE - Jan. 2012. Leket Israel's 2nd Annual Gala Dinner, held on Saturday night, January 7th at Eden Al Hamayim, honored Henry and Julia Koschitzky of Toronto. Nearly 700 people came out in support of Leket Israel's mission to reduce nutritional insecurity through the distribution of ex...

Gleaning mitzva crops
NEW JERSEY JEWISH NEWS - Jan. 2012. Ariella, a recent Bat Mitzvah of Livingston, New Jersey, chose to volunteer with Leket Israel (picking clementines) for her mitzva project on a recent family trip to Israel. Appearing in the ''Tzedaka'' section of the NJ Jewish News, Ariella discusses her pro...

Weil Charitable Giving Initiative Raises $32K for Leket Israel
NEW YORK LAW JOURNAL (LAW.COM) - Nov. 25, 2011. A charitable giving project entitled ''Pay It Forward'' sponsored by the Law Firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges' New York office raised nearly $175K for 30 local and int'l charities. Weil Associate, Yossie Horowitz led the employee group that raised t...

Greenwich Students Honored for Jewish Philanthropy
GREENWICHTIME.COM - Dec. 14, 2011. A group of Greenwich High School students were recently honored with the Weitzman Youth Award for Jewish Philanthropy. As part of a recent 10 day service trip to Israel sponsored by the United Jewish Appeal (UJA) Federation of Greenwich, the group volunteered ...

Teaneck Man Honored for Helping the Hungry
FORDHAM UNIVERISTY NEWSROOM - Nov. 10, 2011. Joseph Gitler, a Teaneck, New Jersey native and graduate of Fordham University School of Law, accepted the 2011 Presidential Citation for Volunteerism from Israeli President, Shimon Peres, on behalf of Leket Israel this past summer. An article by the...

Focus on Global Hunger
PALM BEACH DAILY NEWS - Nov. 3, 2011. In an effort to draw attention to food injustice and global hunger, Palm Beach's Temple Israel will observe Global Hunger Shabbat. As part of the program, Palm Beach teens are encouraged to sign up for the HIP Teen Israel Experience where they can volunteer...

Staving off Hunger - Repairing the World
YU ALUMNI NEWS - Nov. 9, 2011. In a personal interview, Joseph Gitler describes his journey to Israel after finishing his law degree and offers details of his creation of Leket Israel (formerly Table to Table) - now the country's national food bank and largest food rescue organization establishe...

Making the Most of Gleaning
NY JEWISH WEEK - Nov. 8, 2011. In a feature article about Leket Israel, Michele Chabin, The Jewish Week's Israel Correspondent, writes about the organization's amazing use of volunteers in its gleaning activities coupled with its effective use of philanthropic dollars to feed the growing ranks o...

L.A. Jews connect in Israel
JEWISHJOURNAL.COM - Nov. 2, 2011. To mark the Los Angeles Federation's Centennial year, they brought a Mega Mission to Israel. Leket Israel was fortunate to host several groups that volunteered in the fields picking vegetables for the needy as well as assistance in Leket Israel's main logistics ...

Volunteering in Israel
NJ JEWISH STANDARD - Oct. 28, 2011. On her twice-yearly trips to Israel from New Jersey, Chaya Goldsmith volunteers with a variety of charitable causes. One of her volunteer stops has been with Leket Israel to pick vegetables for the needy. Read about Chaya in the NJ Jewish Standard article en...

Succah Evening by London Synagogue Benefits Leket Israel
JEWISH CHRONICLE ONLINE - Oct. 27, 2011. A recent article entitled ''Wanstead and Woodford synagogues raise cash at Succot'' in the UK's Jewish Chronicle Online describes a men's and women's succah evening hosted by the synagogue whereby partcipants pooled donations together to benefit charitabl...

Leket Israel Co-hosts Hockey Tournament - Proceeds Benefit Needy
The Israel Recreational Hockey Association in partnership with Leket Israel is hosting its annual recreational ice hockey tournament at the amazing Canada Center in Metulla, Israel Monday February 6 - 10. Proceeds from the event will go to support the charitable activities of Leket Israel, Israel...

Goldman Sachs Gives supports Leket Israel Farm Initiative
PRESS RELEASE - Leket Israel, Israel’s National Food Bank, launched on October 16 (World Food Day 2011) a new agricultural farming Initiative supported by a $1.1 million grant awarded by Goldman Sachs Gives. The new program will allow Leket Israel to plant, grow and harvest their own fields to su...

Solomon Schechter Bicycling Fundraiser Benefits Leket Israel
NEW MILFORD PATCH - OCTOBER 2011. Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County, NJ hosted its first ''Cycle for Israel'' on Sunday, Oct. 23. A portion of the proceeds were donated to Leket Israel, Israel's National Food Bank.

Joseph Gitler on Rusty Mike Radio
RUSTY MIKE RADIO - Adam Mallerman interviews Leket Israel Founder and President, Joseph Gitler, on a recent broadcast with Gitler describing the vital work and activities Leket Israel has undertaken in the past year.

Wine Club Event Draws 50 Members
New York, NY - September 21st, 2011. Leket Israel Wine Club Event in NY City's Tribeca neighborhood draws 50 supporters and wine club members. While guests were enjoying dinner and drinking exquisite Israeli wines, Joseph Gitler, Founder and Chairman of Leket Israel, spoke about the hunger and ...

Help Wanted: Picking Produce
THE JEWISH ADVOCATE - AUGUST 19, 2011. In a column by Advocate staff member, Elise Kigner, Ms. Kigner discusses the new trend of visiting the ''farm'' to glean with Leket Israel on one's next trip to Israel.

Teaneck man honored for helping the hungry
NJ JEWISH STANDARD - July 29, 2011. Joseph Gitler speaks with the Jewish Standard about the Presidential Citation for Volunteerism recently bestowed on Leket Israel -- Israel's National Food Bank established by Mr. Gitler. The award, Joseph explains, is an affirmation of the organization’s impo...

Global Foodbanking Network congratulates Leket Israel
GLOBAL FOODBANKING NETWORK (GFN) - JULY 2011. In a recent article posted to the GFN website, Leket Israel (a GFN member) was congratulated for receiving the 2011 Presidential Citation for Volunteerism. GFN is an international organization dedicated to creating and strengthening food banks an...

Shalom TV:  Joseph Gitler in an exclusive interview on L'CHAYIM
SHALOM TV - July 21, 2011. In an exclusive interview with Shalom TV's Rabbi Mark S. Golub, Joseph Gitler explains how Leket Israel rescues unused food in Israel and provides 60,000 meals each month to hungry Israelis.

Joseph Gitler on Israel National Radio
ISRAEL NATIONAL RADIO - Walter Bingham interviews Leket Israel Founder and President, Joseph Gitler, on Walter's World. Originally broadcast on Sunday, Dec. 26, 2010, the interview is still as fresh as ever with Gitler describing the vital work Leket Israel undertakes on a daily basis to rescue ...

Leket Israel ensures food never goes to waste
YNET NEWS.COM ACTIVISM - AUG. 6, 2010. Founded in 2003, 'National Food Bank' seeks to liberate excess nutritious food that for variety of reasons would have been thrown out by delivering it to non-profit organizations who serve Israel’s poor.

How Israel can feed more people without spending a shekel
THE JEWISH CHRONICLE - May 2011. In an exclusive interview conducted by Lee Chottiner of the Jewish Chronicle, Leket Israel's CEO, Gidi Kroch, discusses how the Israeli government can better address the nutritional needs of Israel's impoverished.

JYPI Awards Grant to Project Leket
Leket Israel is grateful to the Jewish Youth Philanthropy Institute, a project of the Partnership for Jewish Life & Learning, for grants awarded in 2008 and 2010 to Leket Israel.

Grapevine: The Anglo factor in volunteerism
THE JERUSALEM POST - July 13, 2011. Many Anglos were among this year's recipients of the President's Prize for Volunteerism during a ceremony held at Beit Hanassi in Jerusalem on Wednesday, July 6, 2011. Joseph Gitler, an Anglo originally from Teaneck, New Jersey accepted the award on behalf of...

Leket Israel Becomes Newest Member of the Global Foodbanking Network
Leket Israel recently became a certified member of the Global Foodbanking Network (GFN), a global nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and strengthening food banks and food bank networks across the world.

Presidential Award Recipient 2011
Joseph Gitler accepted the Presidential Award for Volunteerism on behalf of Leket Israel during a ceremony held at the President's residence in Jerusalem on Wednesday, July 6. Thanks to the generosity of our friends, volunteers, and supporters for enabling the organization to reach this importan...

President's prize for volunteerism
THE JERUSALEM POST - July 7, 2011. President Shimon Peres presented the President’s Prize for Volunteerism during a ceremony held at Beit Hanassi in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening. Leket Israel was one of a chosen few recipients to receive this important honor.

Joseph Gitler on ''Who's on Furst?''
YU NEWS - June 2, 2011. Joseph Gitler, President and Founder of Leket Israel, offers an exclusive radio interview on Yeshiva University's ''Who’s on Furst?” broadcast.

Food charity threatens to quit due to poor funding
HAARETZ - June 6, 2011. Despite announcements that the state would allocate a sum of NIS 22.5 million over the next year and a half for food distribution, the Social Affairs Ministry has determined that only NIS 6 million would be allocated for food purchases. Haaretz's Welfare and Social Servi...

One Billion Hungry & More Than a Billion Tons of Food Wasted
GLOBAL FOODBANKING NETWORK - June 21, 2011. The recently released Global Food Loss & Waste study, commissioned by the Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN reports that approximately 1/3 of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. The report shines a spotlight on the discon...

As food prices rise, NGOs say gov’t war on poverty failing
THE JERUSALEM POST - June 17, 2011. A new government initiative to tackle poverty and food insecurity is ''not even a drop in the ocean'' of what is needed according to Leket Israel CEO, Gidi Kroch. The article reports that in light of sharp increases in food prices, especially for milk product...

Detroit Food Bank Trades BPs with Leket Israel
DETROIT JEWISH NEWS - April 14, 2011. Susan Goodell of Forgotten Harvest reports on her trip to Israel to share best practices (BPs) with Leket Israel. The collaboration and trip was made possible by a grant from the Eugene A. Miller Fellows Program of the McGregor Fund.

Sensi6 Gala:  Art Auction Benefits Leket Israel
WHITEWALL CONTEMPARY ART & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE - June 8, 2011. As reported by Katy Donoghue, the annual Sensi Gala, held in New York on June 2 offered participants a silent auction featuring the works of famous Israeli artists. All proceeds from the evening event went to support Leket Israel.

From Farm to Table
THE JEW & THE CARROT - March 22, 2011. Ilana Krakowski reports how Leket Israel contributes to the idea of ''sustainable farming'' by redirecting crops that would otherwise be wasted to the tables of those in need.

Leket Israel Participates in SIACH
THE JEW & THE CARROT - May 18, 2011. Judith Belasco reports on SIACH, an environmental and social justice conference that brought together 120 nonprofit representatives and activists from all over the world including Leket Israel's very own Gidi Kroch, CEO.

Profile:  Leket Israel
THE PHILADELPHIA JEWISH VOICE - June 06, 2011. Hannah Lee of the Philadelphia Jewish voice provides a profile on Leket Israel and reports on a recent presentation offered by Paul Leiba, the organization's Director of Development.

Teen Giving:  Lessons in Philanthropy
MERCER ISLAND REPORTER - June 08, 2011. Leket Israel was recently selected by a group of Jewish teens to receive a grant for rescuing and redirecting food to people in need in Israel. J. Team is a program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle that promotes teen giving and social action fo...

Food Bank Exec Shares Israel's Hunger Challenges
THE JEWISH JOURNAL of San Antonio - May 2011 - Food bank exec shares Israel's hunger challenges at the Global Foodbanking Network Conference held this year in San Antonio.

Doing good with your leftover food...
THE JEWISH CHRONICLE ONLINE By Jessica Elgot, February 17, 2011 ''British families wanting to give back on holiday in Israel often work with...Leket Israel''.