Building a Bridge With a Jar of Honey

Building a Bridge With a Jar of Honey

TEL AVIV—June 12, 2023—Building a bridge can start with something as simple as a jar of honey.

In this case, date honey—the kind that makes its way onto many a Middle Eastern dessert. It is made from dates grown by Israeli and Palestinian farmers, as part of a project from Building Together, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization whose goal is to create connections between Palestinians and Israelis for shared respect and economic benefit.

Building Together Chair Ben Jablonski spoke about the project at American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) Global Forum in Tel Aviv during a session Monday on how stakeholders are trying to forge partnerships at a time when support for a two-state solution diminishes and relations between Israeli and Palestinian officials worsen.

"While this project has a strong economic foundation it is primarily about dignity and respect,” Jablonski said. “Proceeds support the Palestinian and Israeli farming communities who are working together on equal terms.”

AJC bought $15,000 of the date honey to share with attendees at Global Forum, AJC’s annual international conference. The decision to invest in Building Together comes from years of engagement by AJC’s Business Collective, a board task force, led by Eli Ibrahimzade, committed to finding economic opportunities to promote greater regional engagement between Israel and the Arab world. 

The collective was founded in early 2020 to honor the legacy of the late Michael Sachs, an AJC Board of Governors member who died in 2019 and was committed to furthering Israeli-Palestinian business engagement. 

“This is a remarkable beginning to what we hope will be a long and fruitful collaboration among Israelis and Palestinians,” said Benjamin Rogers, AJC Director of Middle East and North Africa Initiatives. “Joint investment and cooperation are essential to improving livelihoods and promoting new realities.” 

Among other projects, Building Together is raising funds to help buy trucks that spray environmentally friendly pesticides in the Jordan Valley, where West Bank farmers have to contend with the red weevil, a pest that attacks date trees.

Jablonski, who in addition to founding Building Together is also co-founder of The Good Charcoal, a sustainable charcoal company, noted farmers on both sides of the border may have only known of each other and their respective lands through military confrontations. But now he said they can be dedicated toward a future that is more productive, profitable—and sweeter.

“I hope that when people try the products of both Palestinian and Israeli hands, they will be inspired to make their own efforts towards furthering our common humanity," Jablonski said.

The global law firm Shook, Hardy & Bacon represented Building Together on a pro bono basis about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements to bring the date syrup to market in the U.S. In a statement, it said, “The firm is honored to be a part of a coalition working to build economic development and coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis.”

 AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 offices across the United States, 14 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC's mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel, and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world.