WAR UPDATE 117 Fighting for our Future - Shmuel Veffer Galilee Green

​

We're Your Family in Israel  Link to View or Share this Email Online   Gadi Eisenkot - Moti Leitner - Bibi Netanyahu WAR UPDATE 117 Fighting for our Future Israel elections are only two months away on October 27 and the campaign chaos is in full swing. PM Netanyahu is seeking to maintain control of the government. His main opponent at this point is Gadi Eisenkot. You may recall Eisenkot who was a former Chief of Staff of the IDF and was a member of Benny Gantz's opposition party. After October 7, Netanyahu invited Gantz and Eisenkot to join his war cabinet. It didn't last long as they were at odds with Netanyahu and had aligned themselves with the Biden Administration seeking to topple Netanyahu from power. (I wrote about the intrigue in my book Faith Under Fire)  Today, Gantz has left the political scene and Eisenkot formed a new party, Yashar, positioned to the Center-Left, however "right-wing" when it comes to security.  Bibi's Likud Party and Gadi's Yashar Party are polling neck to neck at this point.  A NEW PARTY One of the more interesting developments this cycle is a new Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) party that calls itself “The Haredi Public.” Its leader Moti Leitner launched the campaign with a blunt message: the long-standing Haredi political leadership has grown detached from the people it claims to represent, and this time the Haredi public itself must take responsibility. That single word — responsibility — is the real issue before us. For years the question of shared national burden has been an election issue. The war that began on October 7 forced it to become a major national issue. While tens of thousands of families sent their sons and husbands into Gaza, Lebanon, and the other fronts, large sectors of the ultra-Orthodox community remained largely exempt. Those involved in full-time Torah study receive deferrals from service until they leave the study hall to work. In times of peace, the issue annoys Israelis. When we are in the middle of a three-year war, people get angry. The new Haredi party does not solve the problem. It does, however, acknowledge it. It says that young men who are not learning full-time in yeshiva should serve in the army or in national service. It speaks about employment and economic self-sufficiency. Whether it draws votes mainly from the two veteran Haredi parties, or from ultra-Orthodox Israelis who previously stayed home or voted for Likud, is secondary. The deeper significance is that voices inside the Haredi world are beginning to say out loud what many have long felt: we cannot continue as we are. This is not only a Haredi question. It is a national one. A NATIONAL QUESTION Our Torah is clear. When the nation goes to war, the burden is not meant to rest on a few. In the desert the tribes marched and fought together. In the days of the Judges and the Kings the call to arms went out to the people. The exemption for those fully devoted to Torah has always existed in tension with the mitzvah of defending the Land and the people. When that exemption becomes the rule rather than the exception for an entire community, the moral and practical foundations of the state begin to crack. Eisenkot has made equality of service one of the central pillars of his campaign. He speaks of expanding the ranks of the army so that no family is called up endlessly, and of requiring service, either military, national, or civil, from the overwhelming majority of young men. Netanyahu’s government has moved more slowly. Bound by the political reality of its ultra-Orthodox partners, it has managed the draft crisis carefully, seeking gradual change while protecting the coalition. Both men understand the threat from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. The difference lies in how heavily they weigh the internal cost of continuing the present arrangement. WE ARE ONE PEOPLE I do not write these words to attack any community. The Haredi world has produced giants of Torah and acts of extraordinary kindness. Many individual ultra-Orthodox Jews already serve with quiet dedication. The problem is structural. A Jewish state that asks some mothers to bury their sons while others are told their sons’ primary contribution is to remain in the study hall cannot easily and indefinitely sustain the trust required for national survival. The appearance of this new Haredi list is a small but telling sign. It suggests that the pressure of war, economics, and public resentment is beginning to produce internal reckoning. If the party crosses the electoral threshold, the total number of Haredi seats in the next Knesset may actually grow rather than shrink. That growth will matter only if it brings greater willingness to share the burden rather than simply more leverage to protect the old exemptions. STILL AT WAR We are still at war. The multi-front struggle is not finished.  Threats from Hezbollah, Hamas and from Iran have not disappeared. In such a time, leadership is measured by whether it strengthens the people or further divides them. The next government, whether led by Netanyahu, by Eisenkot, or by some other combination, will have to decide whether it will continue treating the draft crisis as a political problem to be managed or confront it as a moral and strategic necessity. The Torah does not allow us the luxury of permanent, large-scale exemptions when the nation is under attack. “Remember what Amalek did to you” is not only about external enemies. It is also a reminder that weakness and internal division invite the next blow. May the Almighty grant us leaders who understand that the strength of Israel rests on the willingness of all its sons to stand together. And may He open the hearts of every community to the truth that shared responsibility is not a threat to Torah, but one of the conditions for its continued flourishing in this Land. The election will decide names and numbers. The deeper choice is whether we will finally treat the burden of defending the Jewish people as a shared responsibility. May we choose wisely. IF THIS UPDATE WAS FORWARDED TO YOU. CLICK HERE to ensure you get my next update.     R. Shmuel Veffer and Sarah Eliana Galilee Green Galilee Green Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar Bread Dip One of my favourite starters especially on Shabbat is a classic olive oil and balsamic vinegar bread dip served with hearty bread or challah. Picture this. You meet friends you have not seen in a while. You sit down at a sweet restaurant. The first thing that arrives is a... FULL RECIPE!   When Bibi and Sara Came to Dinner Election season is a time for walk-abouts, and you never know where or when your favorite politician may show up. The other times you may run into them is during summer vacation. We are a small country with limited options for vacations. Exactly eight years ago, in the summer, Bibi and Sara showed up unexpectedly and the whole story was an amazing Galilee Green miracle.   READ MORE   Subscriber Photo of the Week   "Enjoy!"   This week's photo is from Tonya Gabbert of Brighton, Missouri. Tonya was one of our earlier subscribers in August of 2015. She posted this photo shortly after she received her first order of GGOO. You can tell because of the original label on the tin and the decanter with the color logo on it. Said Tonya at the time: Hope everyone had a restful Shabbat! We enjoyed challah with olive oil and herbs from Israel!  Dipping challah into GGOO and zaatar is one of our favorite Shabbat pastimes! Blessings for a healthy and sweet new year to you and your family, Tonya! ------------------------------------------------------- Because of the strengthening of the Israeli Shekel against the US Dollar (20 percent since January!) we are trying to make up for our effective loss in revenue by increasing the number of people using our products. Please encourage at least one other friend or relative who loves Israel to give us a try! P.S. You can forward this newsletter to a friend to introduce them to us.  GALILEE GREEN OLIVE OIL One of the greatest gifts you can give someone is the ability to support themselves. Support out small business in Israel and bring the blessings of Israel into your own home! Here's your direct link to order a Two Pack today! RAW NATURAL HONEY Bring the sweetness of the Land of Israel into your own home! HERE'S YOUR DIRECT LINK FOR A TWO PACK Have you read the first five chapters of my upcoming Jerusalem-based Thriller? CONTINUE READING HERE

This email was sent to martinlighthouse@gmail.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Galilee Green · Galilee Green - Veffer - Ahad Ha'am 46 · Unit 59 · Tiberias 1422276· Israel

- 🇮🇱 NEW RECIPE & W4R UPDATE 116 - Shmuel Veffer in the Galilee

​

We're Your Family in Israel  Link to View or Share this Email Online   WAR UPDATE 116 Things are getting chaotic, quickly We are living through one of those weeks when every front is heating up at the same time and no one can tell you with any certainty what will happen tomorrow. Gaza is still a war of attrition. We hold large parts of the territory, Hamas is battered but not finished, and the latest ceasefire understandings keep getting tested by rockets, raids, and targeted strikes.  In the north, our soldiers remain in a security zone inside Lebanon. Hezbollah is weaker than it was, yet the exchanges continue and the framework deals feel as fragile as paper. IDF soldiers continue to be killed and wounded. Iran sits on high alert after two major campaigns; the ceasefire signed in June has expired and both sides are watching the other in a game of chicken that could restart everything. The Houthis in Yemen keep firing. Syria is another open file with the Turks trying to establish bases there. Judea and Samaria simmers. Shipping lanes are threatened in the Straits of Hormuz. The information war never sleeps. It is confusing and exhausting. It feels like the pieces on the board can be rearranged overnight and we will wake up to a completely different war. After nearly three years, the question hanging over every Israeli household is the same: How long can this go on, and which front explodes next? King David's Reminder In the middle of all this uncertainty we are already in the Hebrew month of Elul. Twice a day in our prayers we recite the same chapter of Psalms that our people have been saying at this season for generations: Psalm 27, “Of David. God is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? God is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?” King David wrote these words while enemies surrounded him. He does not pretend the danger is imaginary. He looks it in the face: “If a camp encamps against me, my heart will not fear. If a war rises against me—in this I trust.” Kind David makes one request:  "to dwell in the House of Hashem all the days of my life, to gaze upon His pleasantness." And then the promise that keeps us going: “For He will hide me in His sukkah on the day of evil; He will conceal me in the shelter of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock.” That is the clarity Elul gives us. I suggest you read the entire Psalm 27. We do not have to understand every move on every front. We do not have to know whether next week brings another barrage from the north, another round with Iran, or another tense pause. We recite the same words in the morning and at night while the headlines keep changing. The Psalm does not deny the chaos. It simply refuses to let the chaos have the last word. We are approaching Rosh Hashanah. The shofar is already sounding every weekday. The King is in the field. Our job is teshuva-return, prayer, and charity. And to keep reciting, twice a day, that God is our light and our salvation. May He protect us in His sukkah. May He lift our heads above the enemies who still surround us. And may we merit to see His salvation in this year that is about to begin. With prayers for peace and a sweet year. IF THIS UPDATE WAS FORWARDED TO YOU. CLICK HERE to ensure you get my next update.     R. Shmuel Veffer and Sarah Eliana Galilee Green Lemon Honey Ginger Morning Elixer We love it when our GG Family share new and creative ways to use our Olive Oil and Raw Natural Honey. Long time Galilee Green subscriber Dolly Tabor of Seneca, South Carolina, drinks a simple metabolic formula every morning. It uses lemon, honey, ginger, cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne. Dolly drinks it 30 minutes before coffee or food. The taste is delicious. You get cinnamon, honey, and lemon first. The ginger and tiny bit of cayenne add a gentle spark that tells your body to wake up. Use our raw Galilee Green honey from Israel. It never gets heated, so you keep the enzymes and full flavor. Citrus blossom or wildflower honey both shine in this drink. Remember to share your recipes with us so we can include them on our website and newsletter! FULL RECIPE!   What is the hidden message that the clouds of Elul whisper to us at the end of the summer? Summer in Israel is almost over. I know, because it has been cloudy this past week and it rained last Shabbat! All summer long the skies have been clear, sunny and hot. And for the last few weeks, it seems the entire country has been splashing in the Kinneret, bathing at a beach on the Mediterranean or rafting down the Jordan River. But as we move into the month of Elul you can literally feel a change in the air. As we approach the New Year, Rosh HaShanah, what should we be focusing on?    READ MORE   Subscriber Photo of the Week   "Yum!"   This week's photo is from Marie Scott of Chino Valley, Arizona. Marie first discovered us in 2017 and has been a subscriber since 2021! We have featured her creations in previous updates including a delicious tuna salad recipe. This photo that she posted on August 10 caught my attention. Not becuase she tagged me, but because she had roasted her home-grown beets in GGOO!  We have beets almost every Shabbat, but we boil them, like my mother used to prepare.  Harvested my beets before I left for Colorado. Took a couple of extra days off before heading back to the office, so time to roast the beets with Galilee Green Olive Oil!  Well, we took your advice this past Shabbat, Marie and roasted the beets... they were amazing! Thanks for the idea! Keep them coming. ------------------------------------------------------- Because of the strengthening of the Israeli Shekel against the US Dollar (20 percent since January!) we are trying to make up for our effective loss in revenue by increasing the number of people using our products. Please encourage at least one other friend or relative who loves Israel to give us a try! P.S. You can forward this newsletter to a friend to introduce them to us.  GALILEE GREEN OLIVE OIL One of the greatest gifts you can give someone is the ability to support themselves. Support out small business in Israel and bring the blessings of Israel into your own home! Here's your direct link to order a Two Pack today! RAW NATURAL HONEY Bring the sweetness of the Land of Israel into your own home! HERE'S YOUR DIRECT LINK FOR A TWO PACK Have you read the first five chapters of my upcoming Jerusalem-based Thriller? CONTINUE READING HERE

This email was sent to martinlighthouse@gmail.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Galilee Green · Galilee Green - Veffer - Ahad Ha'am 46 · Unit 59 · Tiberias 1422276· Israel

Love For His People Ministry was founded in 2010 by Steve & Laurie Martin. Charlotte, NC USA

🇮🇱 NEW RECIPE & W4R UPDATE 113. Shmuel at Galilee Green

​

We're Your Family in Israel  Link to View or Share this Email Online   Netanyahu is in Washington to Talk Iran Strategy with Trump WAR UPDATE 113 From Mourning to Joy – While Our Leaders Sit in Washington Tonight, Tuesday, July 28, as the sun sets in Israel, we enter Tu B’Av - the fifteenth of the Hebrew month of Av. Six days after the deepest national mourning of the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem on Tisha B’Av, the Jewish calendar deliberately turns toward joy. TU B'AV - The 15th of Av Most people today know Tu B’Av as Israel’s “day of love,” a time for weddings and proposals. But the Talmud (Ta’anit 30b–31a) records historical reasons this day became one of the happiest on our calendar. Each one tells a story of brokenness healed and barriers removed. 1. The generation that left Egypt finally stopped dying in the desert. For nearly forty years, every Tisha B’Av, thousands of men of military age would dig their own graves and not wake up the next morning. On the fifteenth of Av in the fortieth year, the decree ended. No more graves were needed. 2. The tribes of Israel were permitted to intermarry freely again. After the conquest of the Land, a temporary restriction had limited marriage between tribes so that inherited land would not pass from one tribe to another. On Tu B’Av that restriction was lifted. Unity was restored. 3. The tribe of Benjamin was allowed back into the congregation of Israel. After the civil war that followed the terrible incident of the concubine in Gibeah, the other tribes had sworn not to give their daughters to Benjamin. On this day the ban was lifted and the tribe was reintegrated. 4. The roadblocks preventing Jews from reaching Jerusalem for the festivals were removed. In the last years of the Northern Kingdom, King Hoshea removed the armed guards that earlier kings had stationed to stop the people from going up to the Temple. 5. The dead of Beitar were finally permitted burial. After the Bar Kochba revolt, the Roman emperor Hadrian had forbidden the burial of the tens of thousands of Jews massacred at Beitar. Their bodies lay exposed for years. On Tu B’Av the decree was rescinded, and they received proper Jewish burial. The blessing “HaTov veHaMeitiv” (“Who is good and does good”) was instituted in part because of this mercy. Every one of these reasons is about the same theme: after catastrophe, after division, after desecration, the Jewish people are allowed to reconnect – to each other, to the Land, and to life itself. We are living that pattern again Almost three years after the pogrom of October 7, the last living hostages came home in October 2025. The body of the final hostage, Ran Gvili, was recovered this past January. The mourning is not over, it never fully is, yet the calendar insists we must also choose joy and rebuilding. At this very moment, Prime Minister Netanyahu is in Washington for his first face-to-face meeting with President Trump since the joint campaign against Iran earlier this year. Iran remains the top item on the agenda. There is a fragile lull in the fighting. Israel has approved the entry of a limited multinational force into Gaza under the American framework. Pressure continues regarding Lebanon and Syria. We use every tool Hashem places in our hands. We appreciate the kindness of nations when it aligns with our survival. But we also remember the words of King David: “Do not put your trust in princes, in a human being who has no salvation.”   (Psalm 146:3) And we hear the voice of Moses in this week’s parsha, Eikev: “And it shall be, because you will listen to these laws and keep and perform them, that the Lord your God will keep for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your fathers.”   (Deuteronomy 7:12) The word “eikev” can also mean “heel” and refers to the small, easily trampled mitzvot. The message is clear: the great redemptions come when we are careful with the details of faithfulness, not only with the dramatic political moves. Living with Joy In Israel, the country is on summer vacation. Children are playing. Families are swimming in the Sea of Galilee.  Young people are hiking in the mountains. And couples are getting engaged to be married. We still choose life. Tu B’Av teaches us that after the destruction of Beitar, after the graves in the desert, after the roadblocks and the bans, the Jewish people dance again in the vineyards. May the same God who removed the barriers to Jerusalem, also remove every remaining barrier to the full security and redemption of His people in our days. And may those sitting in Washington remember that the ultimate Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. A joyful Tu B’Av to all of you.   Am Yisrael Chai.     R. Shmuel Veffer Galilee Green Breaded Cauliflower Florets! Side dishes often leave me stumped. Should I bake potatoes, mash them, or serve plain rice? Do I even need extra starch in an already hearty meal? I found my answer in tender cauliflower florets. These versatile pieces transform into a golden, crunchy side dish that feels light yet satisfying. FULL RECIPE!   Sensational Sabra Cactus   Last week on our daily walk in the neighborhood, we spotted this Sabra cactus across the street. It was part of a living fence defining the property line of the neighbor's house. It was loaded with what we call Sabra fruit here in Israel. You probably call them "Prickly Pears."  These were not yet ripe for picking. However, a few days later they were already changing color under Jerusalem's summer sunlight. Did you know that the Sabra cactus is not native to Israel?   LEARN MORE HERE   Subscriber Photo of the Week   "The most delicious olive oil!"   This week's photo is from Dave Gordon of Toronto, Canada. Dave is an old friend from Toronto. He's a journalist and media professional whose work has appeared in the National Post, BBC, Baltimore Sun, New York Times, Washington Times, UK Guardian and more than one hundred other publications. He's an expert in many areas... including olive oil. I'm using the most delicious olive oil - from Israel! It came from the groves of Galilee Green. Lovingly grown and carefully pressed by local farmers. You won't think of olive oil the same again. The flavours are just incredible. (Not paid to say this -- I really like this product a lot) I'm so glad the dent in your tin didn't affect your enjoying your GGOO, Dave! (There are a lot of postal workers in Canada who may not love the Israel symbols we print on our packages)  Blessings to you and your family - stay safe in Toronto. ------------------------------------------------------- Because of the strengthening of the Israeli Shekel against the US Dollar (20 percent since January!) we are trying to make up for our effective loss in revenue by increasing the number of people using our products. Please encourage at least one other friend or relative who loves Israel to give us a try! P.S. You can forward this newsletter to a friend to introduce them to us.  GALILEE GREEN OLIVE OIL One of the greatest gifts you can give someone is the ability to support themselves. Support out small business in Israel and bring the blessings of Israel into your own home! Here's your direct link to order a Two Pack today! RAW NATURAL HONEY Bring the sweetness of the Land of Israel into your own home! HERE'S YOUR DIRECT LINK FOR A TWO PACK Have you read the first five chapters of my upcoming Jerusalem-based Thriller? CONTINUE READING HERE

This email was sent to martinlighthouse@gmail.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Galilee Green · Galilee Green - Veffer - Ahad Ha'am 46 · Unit 59 · Tiberias 1422276· Israel