As soon as the recent ceasefire in northern Israel was announced, the HaShomer Organization witnessed an overwhelming wave of volunteer registrations. Dozens of members contacted the organization, eager to head north and support local farmers in their recovery efforts.
Responding quickly, HaShomer set up a hotline and WhatsApp groups and arranged transportation to three farms in northern Israel. Last Friday, a group of volunteers set out for the region, marking the first such activity in northern Israel in over a year, and this week we are sending dozens of additional volunteers.
Among those who received help was Moshe Weinstein, an apple farmer whose orchard in Metula became the site of an unimaginable tragedy. Just a month ago, his son, Omer Weinstein, was tragically killed by shrapnel from a rocket launched from Lebanon while working in the family orchard.Omer, a father of four, was deeply committed to farming and had been recognized for his contributions in the field. Despite the immense pain, Moshe welcomed the volunteers, who helped pick apples and bring the orchard back to life.

According to Yoel Zilberman, founder and executive director of the Hashomer Organization: “According to assessments carried out in the northern region, approximately 2.000 dunams of orchards have been damaged. The assessor who assessed the damage reported that the average cost per damaged dunam is about NIS 20.000, which means that many farmers have lost and will lose millions of shekels. Most of these farmers have not received any compensation from the government for their losses.”.
Zilberman continues: “During the war, we mobilized more than 300.000 volunteers to help farmers. At first, we focused, of course, on the south. Later, we shifted our efforts to the northern region. However, until the recent ceasefire, access to this area was impossible. Tragically, the farmer who died in Metula is part of this very story. We are currently developing a plan with the aim of bringing in at least 100.000 volunteers in the coming months to support farmers in the north.”
“We are now working,” Zilberman continues, “to create the conditions for farmers to be able to work with volunteers. Our main challenge is that people are afraid to come to northern Israel. But more than that, not all farmers have returned home yet. We understand the need to secure millions of shekels to help farmers make the decision to replant their orchards as soon as possible. Orchards typically take four years to start producing fruit and six to eight years to recoup the initial investment. Every year of delay represents another year without farmers actively working in this region.”
Yoel Zilberman concludes: “The ceasefire brings volunteers back to farms to strengthen Israeli agriculture on the country's borders. The hundreds of thousands of volunteers throughout the war period demonstrate the strength of civil society, in contrast to the country’s need to invest in food security and independence. We are all committed to supporting farmers who, during this period, suffered significant losses of produce and damage to their farms. Hashomer will continue to provide all the necessary tools to strengthen Israeli agriculture and food security.”