Help Curb Vandalism and Theft in Palestinian Olive Groves

Dear Supporter,

We received a huge outpouring of support in response to our e-mail last week about Rabbis for Human Rights’ (RHR) work bringing rabbis and lay volunteers to bear witness and assist Palestinian farmers who face threats of violence, theft and vandalism by Israeli settlers during the fall harvest season.

RHR’s work is making headlines around the world with news of olives being stolen from thousands of Palestinians trees and hundreds of other trees being vandalized. On Tuesday, The New York Times published RHR’s findings that in the Palestinian villages of Yanoun, Jit and Imat alone, olives were stolen from hundreds of trees in the past few days.

On Wednesday, the Jerusalem Post quoted Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Executive Director of RHR, as saying “I have never seen olives stolen [from Palestinian groves] to this degree.” The article went on to cite a source within the Israeli police as confirming that Palestinian complaints of crop theft were up from last year.

As Rabbi Ascherman explained to a Ynetnews reporter over the weekend, “In 2006 the High Court demanded the State provide security for the harvest season, to protect the trees and allow farmers to access their plots.” He went on to say: “…security forces are neglecting to adhere to the court's orders.”

Later in the week, Rabbi Ascherman told the Washington Post: "As long as Israel is maintaining an occupation, it has got to bear the cost…It is legally obligated to protect the Palestinians, but the record of the security forces has not been adequate."  RHR’s lawyers are now considering taking the IDF to court once again to make sure that Israeli security forces fulfill their obligations.

Help our Israeli colleagues at Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR) make sure that Palestinian farmers can implement their right to safely work their land. Make a secure online donation today to support the brave efforts of RHR. We are grateful that JustGive.org has generously offered to add $10 to any donation of $10 or more made by October 20th, so act quickly!

1.    Go to www.justgive.org/10years

2.    Search for Rabbis for Human Rights-North America (your search results will show our name as SHOMREY MISHPAT RABBIS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS NORTH AMERICA)

3.    Click “donate now”.

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,
Joshua Bloom

Director of Online Communications

Rabbis for Human Rights-North America