As the war in Israel continues to affect the lives of Israelis, one issue often receives less attention in the headlines: food insecurity. Leket Israel has seen firsthand the need, with people they serve increasing from 230,000 to 470,000 per week post Oct. 7, 2023.
Earlier this summer, Sally Poolat, regional director of U.S. development for Leket Israel, met with Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville staff, donors, clergy and community members to discuss how the organization is helping combat the issue.
"The goal is to come out to the southern states and meet with Jewish communities and share what Leket is doing," Poolat said. "It's important for people to understand the impact they're making."
The organization's name comes from the word "leket," which means gleaning.
"It's in our Torah in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, where God commands us to leave portions of our field for the poor," Poolat said.
Founded 23 years ago by Joseph Gitler after making aliyah to Israel, Leket began with a question Gitler posed to a caterer: What happens to untouched food left over after events?
The caterer explained that he fed his staff and then had to throw out the rest, Poolat said.
The idea was to rescue surplus food and fresh produce that would otherwise go to waste and deliver it to nonprofit organizations serving Israelis in need.
Today, Leket partners with 800 farmers and 346 nonprofits throughout Israel, collecting fresh fruits and vegetables, sorting them at its logistics center near Ra'anana and distributing them to communities across the country.
The need has nearly doubled since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7. The increase reflects the economic impact of the war, the loss of workers and significant damage to farms in both northern and southern Israel.
During a recent Israel mission with Nashville community members, Jessica Cohen Banish, Israel and overseas director and Partnership2Gether Hadera-Eiron Southeast U.S. coordinator, said harvesting crops with Leket helped bring the organization's work to life in a new way.
"Hearing the farmers' stories, including the workforce shortages they've faced since Oct. 7, gave me an even deeper appreciation for Leket's impact," she said. "Knowing that Nashville's support continues beyond our time in the fields made the experience even more meaningful."
Michal Eskenazi Becker, chief impact officer at the Federation, helps oversee grants and said hearing directly from organizations such as Leket provides an important perspective.
"There's so much news coming from Israel all the time," she said. "When we're so caught up in the larger Middle East politics, it's very easy to miss these issues. They are foundational to the health of society."
She said supporting organizations that address basic needs is essential.
"I think it's very important for us to hear directly from our partners about their work," Eskenazi Becker said. "Many times, when we review reports, we're looking at a lot of numbers. But hearing from the people who do this work has a completely different impact."
In 2025, Leket provided 2.2 million hot meals and 800,000 frozen soups and stews, and worked with an average of 120,000 volunteers.
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