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NEWS
Farmers Honored at Gathering to Mark End of Shmittah
Year
By Yechiel Sever
With joy over the completion of a mitzvah, thousands of
Shmittah-observant farmers gathered for a large event held in
their honor in Netivot, where gedolei Yisroel
expressed their admiration for the farmers who left their
fields and orchards standing to fulfill the mitzvah of
Shmittah in accordance with halochoh.
The large event was sponsored by the National Center for
Shmittah-Observant Farmers, a part of Keren Shevi'is. When
the farmers arrived, boys from talmudei Torah
throughout the Southern Region greeted them with flags and
song.
The seudas mitzvah was joined by prominent rabbonim,
roshei yeshivos and admorim, who used the
opportunity to express their appreciation in the name of
chareidi Jewry. The event featured musical accompaniment and
a film called Yishar Koach LeGiborei Hakoach. At the
conclusion of the gathering certificates of appreciation were
awarded to all of the farmers.
A second event for Northern Region farmers is scheduled to
take place Sunday, 21 Elul, in Afula.
Thousands of farmers were invited to the two events, which
even drew rabbonim from outside of Eretz Yisroel, including
HaRav Azriel Shechter, a rov and moreh tzedek in
London and chairman of Keren Shevi'is of England, Rabbi
Shmuel Bloom, executive-vice-president of Agudas Yisroel of
America and a leading activist for Shmittah-observant
farmers, and Rabbi Avrohom Halperin, chairman of the
fundraising campaign in the US. Rabbi Ben-Tzion Kugler,
chairman of the Keren Shevi'is executive board, welcomed the
rabbonim, noting their dedication to efforts in support of
giborei hakoach in Eretz Yisroel.
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