Noam go olive picking

It is the olive harvest in Israel and Palestine. During October and November millions of little olives will be picked from the tens of thousands of olive trees across these two countries. This event is a huge part of the agricultural produce of the region and an act as ancient as the Torah.

Olives are not just food but also a symbol, a symbol of peace. The dove brought back an olive branch to Noach to let him know the flood was ending, and then the symbol grew and expanded during classical times.

With this in mind 9 Noam Olim (immigrants to Israel) set off last Friday morning with an organisation called Humans without Borders to assist local farmers with their olive harvest. Seth Freedman had organised the day and is often referred to as ‘Big Olive’ by the rest of us. This group brought together gnarled veterans of the olive harvest scene with new saplings eager to work and learn more about the famous olive (The Cronin sisters, Naomi and Miriam made their much anticipated debuts representing EMS also for the first time).

We arrived at the edge of a collection of fields early and met Hamed, a local farmer who lives in Qalqilya. He used to be the mayor of Qalqilya, which is a town of just over 40 000 people right on the border between Israel and Palestine. As a result of the location of the town and the fields, this farmer, and many more like him, is unable to get to his land and to bring labourers to help him with his harvest. For this reason many Israelis go to the harvest to help and for the opportunity to meet and spend time with our neighbours in the beautiful countryside setting.

We had a beautiful day in the autumn sunshine picking, talking and laughing together and with our hosts. Inspired by the prodigious olive picking abilities of Alex Stein we threw ourselves upon the trees and quickly had stripped naked dozens of trees of their bounty. Special mention also to Josh ‘the monkey’ Weiner who was able to swing through the trees getting even the most hard to reach olives.

By midday we were invited down to eat and relax and had a wonderful home cooked lunch of bread, chicken, potatoes and humus. Naomi Cronin led us, angel like, in benching as we sat back to digest and reflect on a rewarding and pleasant day.

Peace is growing here, but slowly (like the olive tree). Hopefully our actions help it to lay deep and strong roots, building trust and familiarity in a place where these values are so important. We wished Hamed and his sons goodbye, knowing we had all had a great time and had continued to help build an Israel in ours and Noams image.

Whatever happens in the future and whatever one feels about the present there is something special about Jewish people working the Land of Israel, creating continuity with our ancestors. The land is beautiful and in these olive groves you have a window to ancient times. We wish you could all come and join us.

Shalom from Israel

Nic Schlagman