In partnership with Leket Israel
Col. (res.) Asaf Israeli has served about 600 days in reserves since October 7, but his mission continues in the fields of northern Israel, where he donates surplus produce to families in need and teaches his son that love of people comes before love of land
In Moshav Ram-On, in the Gilboa region, between wheat fields and artichoke plots, farmer Asaf Israeli moves through the rows under the heavy sun.
Leket Israel - Col. (res.) Assaf Israeli
Israeli, 57, describes himself simply: “I’m a military man, a farmer and a moshavnik.”
He was born into agriculture and returned to it after a long military career.
“I’m the son of farmers. I was born and raised here in Moshav Ram-On,” he says. “In the past, I was a soldier. I grew up in the Golani Reconnaissance Unit and eventually became a battalion commander in Golani. Then I came back here, to agriculture.”
Today, he mainly grows artichokes. The work is small-scale, physical and deeply personal.
“I mainly grow artichokes. I don’t have workers. It’s just me and my son,” he says.
In the field, he guides his son as they harvest together: “Elad, pick only the good ones, okay?”
For Israeli, the demanding labor is not a burden. It is part of the connection.
“With all the physical aspects of planting, watering, fertilizing and harvesting by myself, I really love the physical work,” he says. “I love the satisfaction it gives me.”
Then, holding up the crop, he adds: “Look what a beautiful fruit you have here.”
Israeli sees farming as more than a profession. It is also a way to pass values to the next generation.
“I teach my children first of all to love people, and only afterward to love the land,” he says. “My son works with me every day. He is part of it, and that is important to me.”
“Just as it strengthens the connection to the land, it also strengthens the bond between me and my children.”
Don’t throw it away, donate it
Toward the end of the artichoke season, when the fields fill with striking purple flowers, farmers can be left with significant surplus produce. Instead of selling at a loss or destroying the crop, Israeli chose to donate it.
“The abundance this plot gives back to me, in return for all the love, is an abundance of produce,” he says.
Through Leket Israel, the national food rescue organization, his surplus artichokes reach people who need them.
“Leket Israel allows me to share my surplus produce with people who need it and cannot afford to go to the greengrocer and buy it,” he says. “It allows me to share this amazing produce with others.”
As he works with his son, the lesson is practical as much as verbal.
“Keep going in this row, Elad, and don’t skip any,” he tells him.
Israeli’s story is part of Leket Israel’s “May for Farmers” project, held ahead of Shavuot to honor farmers who donate produce and thank them for their work throughout the year.
For many farmers, May marks the height of the agricultural season, a period of intense work, growth and peak local produce.
Leket Israel is calling on farmers across the country not to destroy surplus crops. The organization arranges for produce to be harvested by professional workers or collected if it has already been picked, then transfers it to hundreds of charities and aid centers.
That means months of agricultural work do not go to waste. Instead, they become critical help for families, especially during a period of deep security and economic strain.
Israeli, who has served about 600 days in reserves since the start of the war, sees this as another form of service.
“I invite every farmer who has surplus produce to contact Leket Israel,” he says. “They are amazing people, cooperative and helpful. Leket Israel is the right place to turn.”
Farmers with surplus produce can contact Leket Israel’s agricultural hotline at *8054.