Totally Real: August 2013

I am a big supporter of Israel, since I am a believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and a follower of MessiahYeshua of Nazareth. Israel and its people hold a special place in my heart. Since I am "grafted in" to the commonwealth of Israel because of Yeshua (see Romans 11), I feel a special kinship with Israel. When I visited the land of Israel it felt like home. So, when I heard about the European Union's boycott on Judea and Samaria earlier this year, I wanted to do something about it. (You can read an article about the boycott here.) My family and I learned about a project called LevHaOlam, and we signed up right away!

By signing up with LevHaOlam, we are able to support Judea and Samaria by sending some funds directly there every month. In return, we receive a box of wonderful hand-crafted, artisan quality products produced in Judea and Samaria. It is so exciting to get a box of goodness from Israel each month!

So far we have received three boxes.

Our first box was the June box. In it was a big box of organic herbal tea from the Samarian village of Ofra; a jar of organic honey from the Tzuf Harim beehives belonging to the founder of Lev HaOlam, produced from wildflowers that grow in the Judean Hills; a pair of coasters with beautiful scenic photos of Samarian landscapes; some delicious organic chocolate from Maaleh Hever, adjacent to the Tomb of the Patriarchs; a do-it-yourself mosaic kit,

and a Hebrew alphabet magnet set for the refrigerator!

In July, our box included a beautiful artistic picture of a Torah scroll which highlights Psalm 121:4; more organic chocolate; a magnet set with four magnets that say "Love", "Happiness", "Success", and "Health"; a handmade hot mitt from Kibbutz Rosh Tzurim in the Etzion Region in the Judean Hills; and a bottle of bittersweet chocolate liqueur from the Lavie Winery. It is named Lavie (lion) to commemorate the Tribe of Judah, on whose tribal land the winery is located.

I used some of the chocolate liqueur to make the best brownies I have ever tasted in my life. Seriously. Best brownies ever!

The box we got in August was equally as fabulous. In it was a package of Dead Sea Mud from the bottom of the Dead Sea; sun dried tomatoes from Tekoa Farm in the Northern Judean Desert; a handmade wooden message board, beautifully painted by an artist in the village of Hemdat in the Jordan Valley; organic "Milky Makeup Remover" made from avacado oil and citron water from the Samarian village of Itamar; a Mehalvad cheese cloth with a recipe to make traditional Israeli cheese called "lebane"; a Lev HaOlam hat;