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Israeli Olive Oil Producers Win Accolades

Famed as the startup nation for its

technology industry, Israel has likewise struck gold with an endeavor whose roots lie in antiquity: making outstanding olive oil. For the second year in a row, Israeli producers have won gold and silver awards in the New York International Olive Oil Competition, which bills itself as the world’s largest and most prestigious olive oil contest. Despite harsh weather over the last year that reportedly reduced the country’s crop by more than a quarter, six out of nine Israeli entries took home awards in 2022.

Oil-yielding olives were among the seven species named in Deuteronomy as abounding in the Land of Israel. Olive oil, prized in antiquity for its culinary value, the light it provided and its ritual use in the Temple’s menorah, remains a key element of the healthful Mediterranean diet—and, of course, in the observance of Hanukkah.

But producing fine olive oil, like wine, requires exacting conditions, according to Hadas Lahav, CEO of Sindyanna of Galilee, a leading Israeli brand.

Factors that contribute to creating exquisite oil include “the timing of the harvest, not too early, not too late;

Mariellen Miller (above right, center), whose stepbrother, Lt. Kenneth Robinson (left), was killed in World War II, attended the rededication of his grave at the Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium.

Star-Crossed Soldiers Receive Proper Burial

In 2015, Mariellen Miller asked a cousin

who was touring Belgium to visit her stepbrother’s grave at the Ardennes American Cemetery, a military cemetery for soldiers killed in the European theater in World War II. Lt. Kenneth Robinson, a United States Air Force navigator, died on August 17, 1943, when his plane was shot down on a mission to Germany. When her cousin returned, she told Miller that the grave was marked with a cross.

The 85-year-old Phoenix resident was shocked. Miller contacted several agencies, including the American Battle Monuments Commission, which manages 24 American cemeteries overseas, requesting that the headstone be replaced with a Star of David. Her efforts were unsuccessful—until Operation Benjamin stepped in.

The nonprofit organization locates Jewish soldiers buried in American military cemeteries all over the world under incorrect markers, replacing crosses with Stars of David. Founded by Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter, a senior scholar at Yeshiva University in New York, and Shalom Lamm, a Jerusalem-based retired real estate developer with a master’s degree in military history, the idea for the organization was born after Schacter visited the Normandy American a very brief lapse between the harvest and the pressing; filtration and proper storage,” said Lahav. Her company won a gold medal at this year’s New York competition for its Coratina monovarietal and has garnered more than 70 prizes in other competitions. The Arabic name Sindyanna refers to the evergreen oak trees in the Galilee known for their strength. Founded in 1996, the nonprofit aims to empower Israeli Arab women by employing them, thereby helping them contribute to their family’s income through sustainable fair-trade agriculture and thus gain influence in their society, Lahav said. Furthermore, Sindyanna reinvests profits from the sale of the olive oil as well as other

Cemetery in France in 2014 and noticed that there were not enough Stars of David to match the percentage of Jewish soldiers who had fallen in action there.

Schacter and Lamm named their organization after Benjamin Garadetsky, the first soldier at Normandy whose Jewish background they were able to verify and whose grave they rededicated in 2018. According to Lamm, Operation Benjamin has located and replaced 18 incorrect markers in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Philippines, with more in the works.

The incorrect markers could have resulted from the common practice of being buried and reburied multiple times in wartime, said Lamm. Or a soldier, fearing capture by the Germans or antisemitism among his peers, may have opted for a “C” (Catholic) or “P” (Protestant) on his dog tag instead of “H” (Hebrew).

Unlike Miller, some families are not even aware of the mistake until Operation Benjamin reaches out to them. In April, she attended the rededication of her stepbrother’s grave in Ardennes.

“I really feel there’s closure,” said the Hadassah life member. “Kenny has been at rest for 80 years in this beautiful military cemetery surrounded by his comrades. But he cared a lot about Judaism, and I know he would be happy that this is done.” —Rahel Musleah

According to Sindyanna CEO Hadas Lahav (right), the mission of the leading Israeli olive oil brand is twofold: to promote the economic and educational empowerment of Israeli Arab women as well as to create opportunities for coexistence with Jewish women.

local goods and crafts such as nuts, honey and handwoven baskets made by the women, into educational programs.

The second goal of Sindyanna is to provide “a safe and friendly space for Arab and Jewish women to meet” and thus promote coexistence, she added, referring to Sindyanna’s factory and visitors center where Arabs and Jews work side-by-side.

All Sindyanna products are kosher and many are available online and in specialty shops in the United States.

This year’s other Israeli winners at the New York olive oil competition included BVS Jerusalem Olive Oil, Tamir Farm and KeremZait. —Esther Hecht

Foundation and the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life to foster community and low-pressure engagement among Jews who often have yet to put down family and communal roots.

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Setting the Shabbat Table for Guests

New to Jewish practice and

alone on Thanksgiving weekend last year, Stephen Cadoux of Miami signed up with OneTable, an organization that connects 20- and 30-something hosts and guests for homestyle Shabbat dinners.

“Everyone was so kind and understanding, and slowed the prayers down so I could participate,” Cadoux, 26, recalls of his “Friendsgiving,” the first of many OneTable Shabbats he has attended.

Cadoux is among the 180,000 American Jews who have celebrated Shabbat through the eightyear-old organization, which now sponsors dinners in more than 470 cities. OneTable began as a joint project of the Paul E. Singer OneTable participants are single, a plurality is secular and a quarter identify as non-white—reflecting, said spokeswoman Eva Laporte, its appeal to “people who may not have had access to a formal Jewish community.” She credits the program’s peer-topeer digital platform, which OneTable has customized for Hillel and other Jewish organizations, with giving users “agency over creating the community they want,” including vaccinated-only gatherings. OneTable hosts receive reimbursement, known as Nourishment Credits, from the organization based on the number of RSVPs for each dinner. New this A OneTable Shabbat spread provides a way for 20- fall, hosts of some and 30-something Jews to connect. larger-scale dinners can qualify for increased credits. Meanwhile, guests pick their desired dinner by searching the platform for nearby offerings. On its website, OneTable likens the process to “Airbnb for Shabbat dinners where hosts create online profiles, post their dinners, and invite guests.”

While the average dinner size shrunk from 10 to 7 during the pandemic, and some gatherings are still on Zoom, enrollment has skyrocketed as isolated young adults have sought to mark time through rituals and to celebrate holidays communally. In Cincinnati, for instance, OneTable Field Ambassador Ari Rubin has organized December Shabbats themed around ugly sweaters as well as “A Rugrats Hanukkah.”

But Shabbat remains the core focus.

“That weekly practice elevates through intention,” Laporte observed, “and helps people feel connected to each other and to their own Judaism.” —Hilary Danailova