Data from Rabbis for Human Rights indicate that during last year's olive harvest, no fewer than 1,400 violent incidents of harm to people, property, and agricultural land were reported
The olive harvest season in the West Bank, which began some weeks ago, is an agricultural tradition that dates back thousands of years. However, the tense political reality in the West Bank, which has worsened significantly since the 7th October 2023 attack, threatens the continuation of that tradition. "The olive harvest for many Palestinian families is currently under continuous and deliberate attack," warns Avi Dabush, Executive Director of Rabbis for Human Rights. "There are attempts being made to disconnect Palestinian communities from their land by burning fields, uprooting trees, and attacking farmers."
According to OCHA data, during the 2024 olive harvest season, 162 incidents of violence were recorded over several weeks, including the destruction of thousands of olive trees, looting of property, and assaults on farmers. To protect the rights of Palestinian farmers, Rabbis for Human Rights is once again leading a broad volunteer initiative this year to protect the harvest. "We have been leading the campaign to volunteer during the harvest for over 20 years," says Dabush. "Last year, we brought more than 1,000 volunteers into the fields who worked in more than 30 different villages, physically protecting the harvest, documenting acts of violence and providing a clear presence of solidarity, justice and hope in the face of harassment."
Rabbis for Human Rights is currently recruiting additional volunteers to help guard the harvest. "We made a decision to expand our activity this year to reach additional Palestinian communities and prevent attempts at harm and dispossession, as part of a human rights strategy of protective presence," says Dabush. "During the harvest days, we arrive in large groups and assist with the agricultural work itself. We help the farmers, talk with them and eat meals together – while always being prepared to stop any attempts at disruption or attack. I call on the public to join us: your presence in the field can be the difference between burned and destroyed agricultural land – and a flourishing, thriving olive grove."
"A Humanistic Jewish Tradition"
Rabbis for Human Rights has been leading an organized initiative to protect the olive harvest in the West Bank for decades. The organization, founded in 1988, is an activist, non-partisan, non-profit organization that brings together more than 170 Israeli Rabbis and Rabbinical students. The organization also routinely monitors and documents human rights violations in the West Bank and in the State of Israel, in order to protect vulnerable groups, including Palestinians in the territories, migrant workers, and various minority and disadvantaged populations in Israel.
"We act not only out of a commitment to international human rights conventions, but also to the values of humanistic Jewish culture," says Avi Dabush. "In an era in which the voice of nationalist and violent Judaism is heard again and again, it is important to remember that there is also another type of Judaism – one that sees the individual, the stranger, and the vulnerable. When I go out with hundreds of volunteers to protect the olive harvest, I am reminded of Joseph's words: 'I seek my brothers,' even when they turned away from him."
Dabush concludes: "Every volunteer who chooses to come to the groves and prevent violence continues to realize the Jewish vision of human freedom. In the face of those who justify harming others, our role is to champion the Jewish tradition that seeks peace and justice, the one that is summed up in the verse: 'Love the stranger.'"
partnered with Rabbis for Human Rights
