Leket Israel

5/22/2013 9:26:00 PM

Upon close inspection, the first melons of the season started appearing this week on Leket Israel's self-growing farm at Moshav Nahalal in the Jezre'el Valley. For open picking days or to learn how you can volunteer at the farm, please email: volunteer@leket.org. Next picking day open to the public is Friday, May 31st from 7:00 a.m. - 12:00 Noon. Hope to see you there. Click below for directi...

5/16/2013 4:54:00 PM

Family fun: Glean with Leket Israel

Looking for some family fun? Join Leket Israel's gleaning initiative at Moshav Nahalal on Friday, May 31st, 2013 from 7:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon for a rewarding morning of picking vegetables for distribution to Israel's needy. For details and registration please contact Danelle: 09-744-1757 x120; 052-229-3881. This is a free activity and all are welcome. Please bring water, hats, closed shoes, suns...

5/8/2013 9:22:00 PM

East Bay Jewish Community Gleans on I...

A contingent of East Bay (San Francisco, CA) community members on a recent mission to Israel met with Leket Israel Founder, Joseph Gitler to learn about nutritional insecurity in the country. After hearing from Mr. Gitler, the group harvested turnips and other crops to be distributed to the poor by Leket Israel. East Bay Jewish Federation President, Claudia Felson (pictured left in the article)...

4/29/2013 3:32:00 PM

Leadership Mission from Atlanta Volun...

PARTNERSHIP2GETHER - April 17, 2013. As part of a mission representing the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, the ''Frank Leadership'' group joined Yokneam Ethiopian community members in the fields of Moshav Nahalal for vegetable picking with Leket Israel, The National Food Bank. The Ethiopian community members volunteer with Leket Israel every week and they are always excited when visitors ...

4/29/2013 1:19:00 PM

Food Waste: Turning an Environmental ...

April 2013 - Leket Israel, a member of the Global Foodbanking Network (GFN), was recently featured in online article on GFN's website. The article highlighted model programs around the world that are turning an environmental problem--namely food waste, into a humanitarian solution to help combat world hunger.

4/8/2013 10:44:00 PM

PHOTOS: ''Go North'' Nefesh B'Nefesh ...

Spring 2013 - Nefesh B'Nefesh (NBN) Go North olim recently enjoyed picking turnips for distribution to Israel's needy on Leket Israel's farm located in the Southern Galilee of Israel's north. The NBN volunteers picked about 1,500 lbs of turnips, with the harvest going to provide important nutrition to 175 needy families. Leket Israel thanks NBN and the olim for their great work and looks forwa...

4/6/2013 10:25:00 PM

LYA Students Volunteer with Leket Israel

On their recent trip to Israel, LYA students volunteered with Leket Israel, Israel's National Food Bank--picking 400 kilos of oranges in a single afternoon. According to chaperone Rochel Leah Kosofsky, ''At LYA we teach the students that we are leaders who give back to our community. It was a great feeling to know that we had helped people in Israel.”

4/6/2013 9:37:00 PM

Temple Emanu-el's Mitzvah Project

March 2013 — As reported in Temple Emanu-el's Bulletin, ''We took an hour's bus ride near Rechovot to work on our Mitzvah project with Leket Israel. In Leviticus we read that you reap a but not until it is bare; leave some for the poor. (This is called Leket). We picked oranges off many trees—enough to feed 700 people! Leket Israel feeds anyone who is needy and lives within Israel’s borders.''...

4/4/2013 11:02:00 PM

Leket Israel on JPost's Grapevine

JPOST - Grapevine - April 2nd, 2013. ''Prior to the Passover holiday, the Shapiro family joined Leket, Israel’s National Food Bank, in picking beets to supply to the needy. On Facebook Shapiro thanked Leket for the opportunity to volunteer.'' See what else is being reported on JPost's popular column: Grapevine by Greer Fay Cashman. Read on for more.

4/4/2013 9:34:00 PM

From Israel to my Seder Table

In discussing her experience on a multi-family mission to Israel, Carolyn Kolers, President of Beth Tzedec Congregation, writes, '' For my kids, the highlights were picking oranges with Leket Israel (Israel’s National Food Bank) for distribution to Israel’s under privileged children and families in need...'' Read the full update from Carolyn here.

2/24/2013 10:57:00 PM

Birmingham Jewish Foundation

The Birmingham Jewish Federation recently held its first Israel-World Jewry Bureau allocations meeting for 2013. The allocations committee comes together to decide which organizations in Israel and elsewhere overseas will receive funding from The BJF Annual Campaign. Leket Israel is a beneficiary of Birmingham Jewish Foundation's Israel-World Jewry Bureau.

2/24/2013 10:39:00 PM

Birthright Inclusion Program Gleans w...

A recent Taglit-Birthright Israel trip sponsored by Shorashim and KOACH was both a typical Birthright trip and a “uniquely Asperger Syndrome” experience rolled into one. The 21 young adults, ages 18-26 and from all corners of the US, spent ten days over Winter Break taking in many of the important sites and experiences of Israel -- including picking oranges for the needy with Leket Israel.

3/21/2013 11:36:00 AM

PHOTOS: Chol HaMoed Vegetable Picking...

March 27, 2013. Over 1,200 volunteers joined Leket Israel's gleaning initiative on Moshav Nahalal on the first day of Chol Hamoed Pesach to pick vegetables for Israel's needy. Nearly 50,000 lbs (22 tons) of beetroot (3 full truckloads!) was harvested and subsequently distributed to 190 soup kitchens, senior centers, programs for youth at-risk, shelters, and other nonprofit programs serving Isra...

3/16/2013 8:48:00 PM

Katif - Fruit Picking for Needy Families

Rabbi Michael Schwab and Hazzan Larry Goller of the North Suburban Beth El Synagogue recently led a mission to Israel that included teaming up with members of the synagogue's sister congregation in Ashkelon, Kehillat Netzach Israel. Together, the group volunteered with Leket Israel for 2 hours of ''hard but incredibly satisfying 'katif' work'' as described in Beth El's newsletter, KOL BETH EL...

3/13/2013 3:55:00 PM

Grapefruit Picking for Leket Israel

In a blog post, the Yunger Family describes their recent gleaning experience: ''Bentzi and the older kids (I stayed home with the ''junior division'') met up in a field near Rechovot, together with a bunch of our other Yunger cousins. The kids had a nice time learning about the mitzvos that Leket does, and then they went out to the fields to pick grapefruits. It was fun climbing the trees t...

2/24/2013 11:30:00 PM

Best Friends With Broccoli

''I pulled out my first turnip, marveling at how easily it parted from the rich soil. Then I pulled out my second turnip, and was shocked by the size and magnificence of its deep purple hues...The sun soon warmed my back and brightened the green fields. I plodded on, working my row meticulously, pouring full baskets of turnips into a large dumpster, then watching a tractor cart our turnips away...

2/19/2013 4:11:00 PM

PHOTOS: Gleaning for the Needy - Leke...

Open Picking Day - Feb. 22, 2013. A great time was had by all gleaning on Leket Israel's farm on Moshav Nahalal in Emek Yizrael (Jezreel Valley). Nearly 200 volunteers picked 12 metric tons (26,000 lbs) of fresh turnips to be distributed to the needy all throughout Israel. This is enough to provide turnips for over 4,000 families.

2/10/2013 1:27:00 PM

Why do Israelis throw away half the f...

HAARETZ - Feb. 7, 2013. While one billion people worldwide are suffering from hunger, up to half of the food produced − in rich and poor countries alike − is thrown out before it reaches anyone’s plate. In a feature article about food waste, written by Haaretz's Netta Ahituv, learn what Leket Israel, Israel's National Food Bank, is doing to help combat the problem of food waste and nutritiona...

2/5/2013 10:55:00 PM

Leket Israel Feeding Israel’s Poor

JEWISH IMAGE - Jan. 2013. “We all waste, but we hate it and we feel guilty about it,” says Joseph Gitler, Founder of Leket Israel. ''Leket’s goal is not to address the root causes of Israeli poverty but to relieve some of the financial burden on the working poor.'' Nearly one in four Israelis lives below the poverty line, but Gitler says that the numbers, however large, do not discourage him. '...

1/25/2013 2:38:00 PM

PHOTOS: Gleaning and Salad Making

Jan. 25, 2013. Over a 100 volunteers turned out this morning on Leket Israel's farm on Moshav Nahalal in the lower Galilee to participate in gleaning turnips and broccoli for the needy. Volunteers harvested over 4 tons of turnips and a ton of broccoli (12,000 lbs in total!). As a bonus, volunteers on site participated in a ''root salad'' making demonstration with Leket Israel's nutritionist,...

1/24/2013 7:38:00 PM

Food bank holds Tu B’Shevat fruit pic...

JERUSALEM POST - Jan. 23, 2012. To mark Tu B’Shevat, the NGO Leket Israel, which distributes rescued food to Israelis in need, held a fruit picking day on Wednesday in conjunction with youth groups across the country. Young volunteers in Ra’anana, Kfar Saba, Givat Shmuel as well as some small towns in the north rescued excess fruit left on trees in private residences for distribution to famili...

1/23/2013 11:48:00 AM

Winter in Israel: The day BEFORE elec...

WINTER IN ISRAEL bloggers, Sandy and Mel, describe their recent visit with Leket picking shamouti oranges, also known as Jaffa oranges. ''The grove had long rows of trees, all about 6 feet tall, heavy with sweet smelling fruit, ready for picking...These oranges as well as other varieties, along with beets, onions, avocados, radishes...are part of the ''food bank'' initiative called Project Leke...

1/9/2013 10:27:00 AM

Leket in the News with ''Pray with Is...

PRAY WITH ISRAEL - Jan. 6, 2013. An article about Leket Israel originally appearing on the JTA news agency's site, was recently featured on ''Pray with Israel's'' newsfeed. The site shares prayers, news, thoughts and insights about Israel, paving the way for Israel to be a positive part of people's lives.

1/2/2013 6:59:00 PM

Birthright at Leket with Shorashim

ISRAELWITHISRAELIS.COM - Taglit-Birthright Israel: Shorashim - Dec. 31, 2012. ''Picking a ton of oranges for poor people at Leket gave us the chance to 'feel' the land,'' so says a recent blog post on the Shorashim: Taglit-Birthright website: israelwithisraelis.com.

1/2/2013 3:16:00 PM

Stepping out of the American bar mitz...

THE TIMES OF ISRAEL - OPS & BLOGS - Jan. 2, 2013. Blogger, Lori Silberman Brauner, makes the case for spending a meaningful Bar or Bat Mitzvah in Israel. While in the country, she says,''...we also get to participate in a real hands-on chesed or mitzva project...picking fruits and vegetables for Leket Israel, an organization that sends volunteers into fields and orchards to gather produce dona...

12/23/2012 10:48:00 AM

Calling caterers and rescuing carrots...

AZ JEWISH POST- Dec. 21, 2012. “We all waste, but we hate it and we feel guilty about it,” says Joseph Gitler, Founder of Leket Israel. ''Leket’s goal is not to address the root causes of Israeli poverty but to relieve some of the financial burden on the working poor.'' Nearly one in four Israelis lives below the poverty line, but Gitler says that the numbers, however large, do not discourage h...

12/19/2012 8:29:00 PM

Best (political) Blog on Leket Israel

In a recent blog post, Michelle Westmiller explains, ''...we joined Leket Israel, an organization that collects unused food from weddings, events, hotels, etc. to redistribute to poor communities and in food banks. The organization gleans left over food from fields to provide fresh produce which would have otherwise been left to rot. Together we picked a row of clementines filling a crate and a...

12/19/2012 7:28:00 PM

Collecting food for the poor

The Sussman family, ranging in ages from 2 to 69, spent two hours on a recent excursion over Chanukah picking clementines with Leket Israel. According to the family blog, ''We filled two enormous crates with clementines that would soon make it to someone’s table, and we talked to our children about the importance of giving, about poverty and about need.'' One of the Sussman's boys commented, ...

12/17/2012 4:21:00 PM

US immigrant keeps Israel’s food out ...

THE TIMES OF ISRAEL - Dec. 17, 2012. Joseph Gitler, 38, is the founder of Leket Israel, an organization that salvages unsellable crops from farmers and unused food from caterers and ships them to soup kitchens, homeless shelters and other institutions that can use them — 200 groups in all. According to Leket’s research, Gitler says the organization is on pace to rescue one-fifth of the country...

12/16/2012 4:28:00 PM

Glean Grapefruit for the Needy

Looking for fun? Join Leket Israel's gleaning initiative at Moshav Porat for a rewarding morning of picking grapefruit for distribution to Israel's needy. For details and registration please contact the Leket Department: 09-744-1757 x202; 052-534-5265 or leket@leket.org. This is a free activity and all are welcome. We look forward to greeting you in the fields.

12/12/2012 10:05:00 PM

Midreshet Tzvia: Tiyul to Rechovot

Check out Midreshet Tzvia's photos from an amazing gleaning experience in Rechovot recently where the participants picked over 200 kilograms of clementines for Israel's needy.

12/12/2012 12:35:00 AM

Calling caterers and rescuing carrots...

JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY - Dec. 9, 2012. JTA News Correspondent, Ben Sales, writes about his first hand exposure to the work of Leket Israel from a recent visit he made to its operations and planning center in Ra'anana. In his article, Sales explores what Leket Israel is doing to relieve some of the financial difficulties of everyday working families and those in need through the provision o...

12/11/2012 10:54:00 PM

Calling caterers and rescuing carrots...

ST LOUIS JEWISH LIGHT - Dec. 9, 2012. Leket Israel salvages unsellable crops from farmers and unused food from caterers and ships them to 200 soup kitchens, homeless shelters and other institutions that can use them. According to Leket's research, Founder, Jospeh Gitler says the organization is on pace to rescue one-fifth of the country's total wasted food this year, a total of 22 million pou...

12/5/2012 10:17:00 PM

Pardes Fellows laud Leket Israel

Pardes Institute Fellows, Katie Greenberg (2011), and Yael Kletter (2010) describe why they chose Leket Israel for their Fellowship project. ''The work that they do is super important. Environmental issues and especially food justice...issues are two of my big passions, and Leket focuses on both...it is also great to do a double mitzvah: save food that would otherwise have been wasted, and give...

11/27/2012 3:18:00 PM

Glean for the Needy

Looking for fun? Join Leket Israel's gleaning initiative at Moshav Nahalal for a rewarding day of picking vegetables for distribution to Israel's needy. Volunteer picking is open the last Friday of each month. For details and registration please contact the Leket Department: 09-744-1757 x202; 052-534-5265 or leket@leket.org. This is a free activity and all are welcome. We look forward to gr...

10/28/2012 9:40:00 AM

One Family's Israeli Tzedakah Experience

A highlight of the Rappaport family's recent trip to Israel was picking tomatoes with Leket Israel. The volunteer experience was part of the Rappaport children's first trip to the country. According to the Rappaports, ''By the end of our two hour volunteering experience, we had picked 165 lbs of tomatoes that helped feed well over 30 families that week. It truly gave our daughters a connection ...

10/10/2012 8:24:00 PM

Leket Picking in Nahalal

''Israel's Good Name'' blogger, Shem Tov Sasson, writes about his Leket picking experience at Moshav Nahalal, organized by Leket Israel in partnership with Nefesh B'Nefesh (NBN). Sasson was part of a group of new immigrants who spent Isru Chag picking onions for the needy. The NBN group picked an estimated 900 kilograms of onions (1,980 lbs) that wil benefit an estimated 300 families. The picki...

11/26/2012 3:01:00 PM

Katif for Tikun Olam

TODAY'S ISRAEL - Fall 2012. According to Claudia Giat, Kehillat Netzach Programs Coordinator, growing awareness of nutritional poverty in Israel, prompted a group of adventurous adults and children from the Kehillat Netzach community to take part in Leket Israel's flagship project ''Gleaning the Land'', by volunteering this summer to pick vegetables for needy families. The group picked over 3 ...

11/21/2012 12:28:00 PM

Bar and Bat Mitzvahs in Israel

ISRAEL MINISTRY OF TOURISM - A bar/bat mitzvah is a ceremony marking a Jewish child’s passage into adulthood. But with adulthood comes responsibility for one’s surroundings and environment. Volunteering with Leket Israel will provide an unforgettable experience, and enable one to imbue their bar/bat mitzvah celebration with the traditional Jewish spirit of helping the needy and Zionist and soci...

11/8/2012 2:04:00 PM

Gleaning with Leket Israel, highlight...

PARTNERSHIP2GETHER - Nov. 8, 2012. The Rubin Israel Experience is a unique 10 day program for 10 young adults between the ages of 27-40 who have never been to Israel before and who are granted the opportunity through a program of the Jewish Federation of Greater St Louis. One of the highlights of the delegation's recent visit to Israel was participating together with a group of Ethiopian adult...

10/31/2012 7:28:00 PM

NOW we’re talkin!

On ''Day 4'' of the St Louis Jewish Federation's Rubin Israel Experience, participant Josh Olmsted volunteered picking turnips along with 9 other young Jews from St Louis. According to Josh's blog entry, ''NOW we're talkin!'', Josh explains how day four of the experience was the best in his opinion because of what the group was doing. After picking 4 tons of turnips to benefit the needy, Josh...

10/10/2012 10:44:00 AM

What a b’nai mitzvah fund has meant t...

THE REPORTER GROUP - Jewish Federation of Broome County, Issue 18. Elana Kuppermann is a member of the Federation's Teen Funders Committee and a B'nai Mitzvah Fund Holder. Elana describes how she became involved with teen philanthropy in the Jewish Community and how it positively affected her. Leket Israel was one of 11 outstanding projects Elana singled out for suppport from the Teen Funders. ...

9/10/2012 5:30:00 AM

Joseph Gitler on the Nachum Segal Net...

NACHUMSEGAL.COM - May 31, 2012. Miriam L. Wallach interviews Leket Israel Founder and Chairman, Joseph Gitler, on ''That's Life''. On the recent broadcast, Gitler describes the organization's upcoming Family Picking Day scheduled for Chol HaMoed Sukkot, Tuesday, Oct. 2nd and how volunteers will pick an estimated 400,000 lbs of produce for the needy. In addition, Gitler describes the organizati...

9/5/2012 11:32:00 PM

Beth Israel - The West Temple Mission

In Beth Israel's - The West Temple's recent bulletin, congregation member Beryl Palnik recounts a few highlights and unique experiences from the congregation's recent mission to Israel. One of the stops on their trip included tomato picking with Leket Israel to benefit the poor. By picking the produce, the group participated in the biblical command of ''gleaning'' which was particularly mean...

8/28/2012 11:31:00 AM

Israel with Kids / Picking crops at N...

HAARETZ - Aug. 22, 2012. On the last Friday of every month, families are invited to Moshav Nahalal, located in northern Israel's Jezreel Valley, to help pick vegetables for needy families. The activity is organized by Leket Israel, the country's largest food bank, set up in 2003 with the goal of salvaging surplus food and crops that would have otherwise gone to waste. To learn more, read the...

8/19/2012 8:14:00 PM

From swords into ploughshares

The Kaufman family recently spent a morning picking tomatoes with Leket Israel. The volunteer experience was part of the Kaufman children's first trip to the country. According to the family's ''Israel Adventure'' blog the Kaufman's proudly picked 100 kilos of tomatoes - enough to feed 50 families for a week. ''Our young gardeners (mostly) enjoyed finding, picking and tossing tomatoes into the...

7/19/2012 9:50:00 PM

As the sun sets on Tel Aviv

In a blog post by TorahLady, the blogger describes her volunteer experience on a group visit to Leket Israel where she participated in gleaning a tomato field near Rechovot, Israel. Her group worked alongside a Taglit-Birthright group and a teen group, as they all got their hands dirty filling crate after crate of tomatoes to be distributed to needy families. Way to go TorahLady!

7/3/2012 3:56:00 PM

Food to the Rescue

In its July newsletter, learn how IsraelExperts collaborates with Leket Israel to rescue food. As a highly acclaimed tour operator, IsraelExperts involves its groups with vegetable picking through Leket Israel's innovative gleaning initiative. All of the produce picked by the tour groups go for immediate distribution to the needy. Throughout the years, IsraelExperts has incorporated Leket Israe...

6/28/2012 11:42:00 PM

The Idea That Feeds Millions

VIRTUAL JERUSALEM - June 27, 2012. In an exclusive article about Joseph Gitler and the organization he founded, VirtualJerusalem (VJ) interviewed Mr. Gitler to hear insights about Leket Israel's initiatives in helping the needy, their work within the Arab Israeli community and with African refugees, and to get the full story on how millions of people benefited from one man's idea.

6/28/2012 10:33:00 PM

Walking in the Garden of Torah - TBD ...

''Walking in the Garden'' of Torah blogger Rabbi Michael Singer posts about his Temple Beth David (TBD) Israel Trip. On day 3 of his trip he writes, ''This morning we are off to Rehovot to volunteer with Project Leket. Leket comes from the Torah's command to farmers to leave produce in the fields for the stranger, poor, widow and orphan. Project Leket works w/ Israeli farmers who allow volunte...

6/14/2012 11:00:00 AM

Christians Help Israel's Poor by Prac...

NATIONAL CATHOTHIC REGISTER - June 13, 2012. Leket Israel began to reach out to Christian pilgrims 5 years ago, first because of their heartfelt desire to connect with the land and also because the majority of visitors to the Holyland are Christian. Leket Israel provides food to all sectors of Israeli society, regardless of religion or ethnicity. Volunteers, either as individuals or in groups, ...

6/10/2012 6:13:00 PM

''The Narrow Door'' blog features: L...

''This organization looks amazing,'' begins a blog post featuring Leket Israel -- Food Bank Program. ''The Narrow Door'' blog, written by blogger ''Gail'', continues: ''I applaud them for what they are doing with getting fresh produce to people and healthy food to poor school children.'' Read more about what ''The Narrow Door'' has to say about Leket Israel.

6/6/2012 2:18:00 PM

Annual trips build connections with I...

CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS - June 5, 2012. Jewish youth are building important connections to the land and people of Israel through annual summer trips. Leket Israel has become a standard stop on these trips and always makes a positive impression on the youth. Daniel Weiss, Schechter Judaic studies principal and Israel trip guide explains how by gleaning fields with Leket Israel, his students lear...

6/3/2012 4:05:00 PM

NBN & Leket Israel team up

NBN NEWS - June 2012. In the spirit of Shavuot, the ‘Harvest Festival’, Nefesh B'Nefesh joined up with Leket Israel, The National Food Bank, to pick vegetables for the needy. Seventy volunteers picked 800 kilos of beets, with the harvest going to feed approximately 200 families. Leket Israel thanks NBN and the olim for their great work and looks forward to welcoming them back again soon.

6/3/2012 10:38:00 AM

Leket Israel: closing the gap between...

THE JEWISH STAR - May 31, 2012. In an exclusive interview with Joseph Gitler, Founder and Chairman of Leket Israel, The Jewish Star's Malka Eisenberg writes about the country’s largest food bank and food rescue network. As part of Mr. Gitler's recent trip to NY, Gitler spoke at Beth Sholom and Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst to raise awareness and funds for Leket Israel, an organization t...

5/30/2012 12:05:00 PM

Gleaning the Land with Guy Yehoshua

Director of Project Leket, Guy Yehoshua, an ex-kibbutznik, shares his thoughts on why Project Leket is such an amazing initiative on so many levels. The project rescues hundreds of thousands of pounds of fruits and vegetables each week from farms throughout Israel. Excess produce that would have otherwise been destroyed, is collected by thousands of volunteers and dozens of paid workers and t...

5/30/2012 10:28:00 AM

Federation-Supported Food Program Hel...

JEWISH IN ST LOUIS - May 2012. Leket Israel, the country's National Food Bank, is working very closely with Kol HaLev, a food pantry in Yokneam, St. Louis’ sister-city in Israel, to support the organization's food parcel distribution activities among needy families. Leket Israel receives a targeted donation from Jewish Federation of St. Louis as part of its strategic plan to assist vulnerable...

5/3/2012 2:34:00 PM

Interfaith Journey through Israel

Congregants of Temple Emanu-El and Wilshire Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas recently joined together for a Journey through Israel. Follow them on their trip and see them in action as they glean potatoes with Leket Israel in the field. The group picked enough potatoes to help feed 800 families. Great work Contact volunteer at leket.org to find out how your group can schedule a gleaning project...

5/1/2012 2:27:00 PM

VIDEO: Bar and Bat Mitzvah Projects w...

Celebrating your child's bar or bat mitzvah in Israel? Learn how Leket Israel can involve your child and family group in a meaningful bnei mitzvah project via hands-on activities appropriate for all ages. What better a way to commemorate this special event than by volunteering to help the less fortunate in Israel.

4/16/2012 8:54:00 PM

Volunteer Tourism-Experience Israel H...

Tourists in Israel looking for another, hands on way to experience Israel and, at the same time, help feed Israel’s needy can now enjoy a great day out picking fruits and vegetables courtesy of Leket Israel. The free activity is available for groups of all ages, sizes and backgrounds, as part of Israel’s National Food Bank gleaning initiative to pick fresh produce for distribution to Israel’s ...

4/16/2012 1:17:00 PM

US Ambassador Dan Shapiro Gleans with...

THE JERUSALEM POST - April 11, 2012. US Ambassador, Dan Shapiro volunteered recently with Leket Israel picking vegetables for the needy. Shapiro is one of more than 40,000 annual volunteers who support Leket Israel's work. Leket Israel works with hundreds of nonprofit organizations caring for the needy and providing food and nutritional support for more than 60,000 people on a daily basis.

3/16/2012 12:54:00 PM

Bridging the gap between rich and poor

JEWISH NEWS OF GREATER PHOENIX - March 16, 2012. On a recent visit to Phoenix, Joseph Gitler, founder & chairman of Leket Israel, spent time with the local Jewish community sharing the successes of the food bank he established in 2003. Joseph's concern of the growing poverty situation in Israel propelled the young entrepenuer to form Leket Israel. The organization is the recipient of grants f...

1/11/2012 3:40:00 PM

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 project, how she came to volunteer with Leket, how it helped needy Israeli citizens, and what she learn...

4/16/2012 7:47:00 PM

Leket Israel: Fulfilling Biblical Co...

ISRAEL MINISTRY of TOURISM - Christians visiting Israel who are looking for a unique and meaningful experience are encouraged to volunteer for Leket Israel. Providing nourishment for the people is of great concern to G-d, so much so that He commanded in Leviticus: ''And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you leket (gather) every grape of your vineyard: you shall leave them for the po...

4/16/2012 4:54:00 PM

Huduyou website donates to Leket Israel

A new Israeli company -whose website, ''huduyou,'' allows users to find local service providers recommended by their Facebook friends and neighbors recently announced that it will donate $1 to Leket Israel each time a new user joins the website and $3 each time either an existing or new huduyou user writes a service provider review. Although the promotion has expired, Leket Israel thanks Yoav ...

12/15/2011 11:15:00 AM

Greenwich Students Honored for Jewish...

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 with a number of social service projects including gleaning oranges with Leket Israel.

11/20/2011 10:05:00 AM

Leket: Bridging the Divide

MAKOM - ENGAGING ISRAEL - Nov. 2011. In a blog post titled: Hungry Families, Extra Food, Makom outlines the Biblical sources that support the plight of the needy and the importance of reducing hunger and redistributing food resources to those who need them most. The blog outlines the work of Leket Israel and encourages volunteers and donors to contribute to this vital cause. Makom is a partne...

11/9/2011 6:36:00 PM

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 with Leket Israel, the National Food Bank, to pick and pack produce that will go directly to feed I...

11/9/2011 8:03:00 AM

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 of Israel's needy citizens.

11/3/2011 8:34:00 PM

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 center sorting and crating produce for distribution. Read more about the mission in an article enti...

9/21/2011 5:52:00 PM

Yeshivat Lev HaTorah Volunteers with ...

In a news post to Yeshivat Lev HaTorah's website, the Yeshiva describes the student's volunteer experience vegetable picking with Project Leket. The students picked approximately 7,000 pounds of onions to be sent to more than a 1,000 families for Shabbat and Rosh Hashana. In the Yeshiva's words, ''It was very rewarding to know that our hard work in the field has provided for so many needy fami...

9/9/2011 2:51:00 PM

Sustainable tour will hit the ground ...

THE JEWISH DAILY FORWARD (The Jew & the Carrot) - Sept 7, 2011. In a blog post by Dr. Jeremy Benstein, Mr. Benstein discusses the upcoming Israel Sustainable Food Tour including the tour's first stop where participants will hit the ground ''picking'' with Leket Israel.

9/7/2011 10:21:00 PM

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.

9/5/2011 10:16:00 AM

Directions to Rechovot Fields

Driving directions for gleaning in fields near Rechovot.

6/23/2011 6:06:00 PM

Oberlander's Volunteer with Leket

Michael Oberlander, VP of Planning & Allocations of the St Louis Jewish Federation Board, writes a glowing account of his family's recent experience gleaning with Leket Israel. In his blog, Michael relates the mitzvah of leket to the Book of Ruth. He and his family were grateful to be able to ''work the land'' and do their part to help feed the hungry of Israel.

6/21/2011 11:34:00 AM

My Day as a Leket Israel Volunteer

Jackie Goldstein, founder of I SHOP FOR ISRAEL recounts his meaningful experience as a Leket Israel volunteer from morning sandwich making to Leket gleaning. Leket Israel is the chosen ''cause of the month'' for June on www.ishopforisrael.com

6/15/2011 12:00:00 PM

Finding Food in The Land

Daphne Price describes her family's hands-on volunteer experience picking potatoes with Project Leket. Daphne Price is a key member of the executive of the senior staff at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington, DC. She and her family vacation in Israel once a year.

8/3/2011 7:33:00 PM

LYA Students Glean Oranges as part of...

A group of students from the Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy (LYA) - A Jewish Day School in Western Massachusetts - recently participated in Project Leket while visiting the country as part of the school's Israel Experience. The blog post details their activity and the sense of accomplishment the group felt after picking 400 kilos (880 lbs) of oranges for the needy.

7/16/2011 11:11:00 PM

How Israel can feed more people witho...

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.

3/1/2011 1:25:00 PM

Bess & Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy, Isr...

...Some people don’t even have enough money to put food on their table. Our next activity involved just that. We ended up in the small town of Rehovot, on the farm of a patent lawyer, Sandy Kholb. This man is a great tzaddik and gives all the fruits of his enormous farm to be picked for tzedakkah by a large organization. We were able to help in the picking of the fruits to distribute to needyfa...

2/24/2011 11:13:00 AM

Pardes Yom Iyun Shel Chesed 2011 w/ T...

Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem picks oranges as part of its Yom Iyun Shel Chesed 2011 ''What a week of learning, both inside and outside the walls of Pardes! A particular highlight for me was picking oranges for an organization called Leket Israel...''

2/23/2011 12:50:00 PM

Hasten Hebrew Academy: ''Shabbat Sha...

Page 5 (April 30, 2010) ''...WHY ARE OUR 8th GRADERS PICKING POTATOES? Mrs. Gettinger Explains: Our school became aware of the Tzedakah...''

12/29/2010 5:42:00 PM

News & Updates

Leket Israel's News & Updates section provides the reader with news and reports from Leket Israel, coverage in major news outlets, blogs and testimonials, the latest issues of our signature newsletter - the NEWS FEED, and archives of our Seasonal E-news blasts. Browse the articles and updates and get ready to be inspired!

12/22/2010 12:11:00 PM

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions