Recently some 80 people from the Rochester, New York Jewish community purchased the majority of a large parcel of private land in the Lower Galilee village of Yavniel. They didn't purchase the land to build houses. They didn't purchase the land right next to housing or next to an industrial area for speculative reasons hoping to make a big 'score' should the land be rezoned. They certainly didn't purchase the land to 'flip' it for a quick profit. They purchased the land to develop it into an olive grove which will produce boutique quality Holy Land olive oil. Will they make a huge annual income return on investment from this endeavor? Most probably not. Then, why did they choose this investment?
Buying private Galilee land for agriculture supports Jewish farming and strengthens regional Jewish regional sovereignty
For the last several years, Buy a Piece of Israel founder and director, Joel Yosef Busner, and associate director, Rabbi Yisrael Kaniel, have offered Jews both in the Diaspora and in Israel the opportunity to own their own private agricultural land in the Galilee (Northern Israel) and in the process observe many mitzvot (commandments) that otherwise they could not. In addition to owning their own piece of the Holy Land, owners receive a portion of the income from sales of oil pressed from the olives that grow on their properties. Nationalistically, more Jews purchasing Galilee lands to be worked by Jews would help stem the tide of massive Arab purchasing of Jewish lands. Most of the lands were purchased and developed in the Rosh Pina area of the Upper Galilee. Most amazing in today's high tech heavy Israel, is the fact that all labor from planting the trees, to maintaining the trees, to harvesting the olives, to pressing the olives, is all performed by Jewish Manual Labor (Avoda Ivrit). Then one day about 3 years ago, well known Patent Attorney, Howard Zaretsky, who had been residing in Rochester (now back home in Israel), introduced his longtime friend, Yosef Busner, to Mr. John August, a community leader in Rochester, New York.
John August brought in a good friend, also from Rochester, Larry Kovalsky, and they came up with the idea of creating a group, or community, purchase. John August was determined from the very beginning that his community purchase would be a model for the future. He espoused the idea of additional Jewish communities replicating the Rochester project by encouraging more Jewish communities to buy in groups in order to create their own community agricultural land projects in the Galilee.
Not simply donating trees....buying your own piece of Israel
On September 16 2019 almost 1,000 olive trees were planted on a large parcel in Yavniel in the Lower Galilee. This wasn't another charity organization planting in the name of its organization. This was Jews of all ages from many backgrounds working together to strengthen Jewish sovereignty in the Galilee. There were about thirty (30) volunteers from the Girls Agricultural High School in Ramat Magshimim in the Golan Heights. There were about twenty five (25) adult and even senior citizen volunteers from Netanya and Jerusalem. Some of the purchasers from Rochester came to plant their land including; John and Jane August, Larry and Paulina Kovalsky, and Jack Ross. All of the planting was supervised by Buy a Piece of Israel's farming couple; Craig and Janice Sher, formerly of South Africa, now residing nearby in Moshav HaZorim.
The following Mitzvot (commandments) can only be observed by owning and working land producing produce in the Land of Israel:
- Purchasing land in Eretz Yisrael
- Orlah (refraining from fruit during first 3 years after planting)
- Shmitta (Sabbatical year during which work on land is prohibited)
- Trumot / Maasrot / Leket / Shikcha / Peah (Tithes to Kohen, Levi & Poor)
Telling It Like It Is and How it Should Be
Pressure against Israel to continuously compromise on Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel? The answer begins with purchasing and working the land!
Buy a Piece of Israel Director, Joel Yosef Busner speaks to about 60 people after planting a large parcel of land with olive trees in Yavniel, Lower Galilee, September 16, 2019.
The private land was purchased by 80 people from the Rochester, NY Jewish community. In this video Mr. Busner addressed some of the Rochester purchasers who flew to Israel for the planting and about 60 workers and volunteers who after working in the hot field (37 Celsius/Almost 100 Fahrenheit) for several hours, were now relaxing after enjoying a well deserved smorgasbord of prime marinated grilled meats.
Connect your future and your children's future to the Holy Land by buying a piece of Israel
With an investment starting for as low as $1,500 you can be physically part of the connection between the Jewish People and the Land of Israel.