Donate

The Olive Press Blog

7 Ways Palestinians Are Celebrating Olive Harvest This Year

by Anera

November 2, 2017

Posted in: 

As November begins, Palestine is in the midst of its olive harvest season, which began last month. That means that from Gaza to the West Bank, Palestinian farmers are heading to their trees to pick the ripe fruit, gather and sort it, and send it off to local presses to make staples like olive oil and handmade soap. But olives mean much more than tasty cooking and silky soaps. They are the fruit of an ancient symbol of Palestine: rooted to the land, hardy against the odds, and bearing branches of peace. Below, we look at 7 ways Palestinians are ringing in the olive harvest.

1. Taking the whole family out to the groves.


2. Basking in piles of ripe, juicy fruit.


3. Getting kids involved in the classroom.


4. Singing songs of devotion to the olive trees.


5. Bringing bushels of pickings to local presses.


6. Homemade olive oil—just add za’atar.


7. Preserving an ancient symbol of peace.

OUR BLOG

Related

June 11, 2019

Sing Me A Story… for Gaza

by Anera

A child’s drawing can say a lot, reflecting both their inner and outer lives. Over the years we have been fortunate to work with children throughout Palestine in our early childhood development programs. In late 2018, the Sing Me A...

Read More

June 5, 2019

Ramadan Food Packages Help Palestinian Families in Gaza

by Anera

Every year during Ramadan Anera delivers food packages to poor families throughout Gaza. The parcels include staples, like rice, oil, flour, sugar, pasta, beans, and Ramadan-specific foods like dates. Thanks to generous funding from Islamic Relief USA as well as...

Read More

May 28, 2019

On-the-Ground | U.S. Funding Cuts to Palestine: The Impact on Programs and People

by Anera

In an abrupt end to nearly 50 years of bipartisan support for Palestinian assistance, in August 2018, the U.S. administration announced it was pulling over $500 million in budgeted aid to Palestinians for the fiscal year ($200 million in bilateral...

Read More