Boaz Ido: A man who planted his olive grove on the Word of G-d

It takes a great man of faith to trust in G-d and obey His Word even when others tell him not to.
Boaz Ido, one of the producers in our Lev Haolam family, is just such a man.

When Boaz faced the problem of how to grow a flourishing olive grove while all he had were a few weak and withered trees, he knew he had to put the Torah first in his business, and G-d would bring the increase.

To understand the situation that Boaz found himself in, we need to look back to 1979 when 10
Jewish families first started the settlement of Kfar Adumim in the Judean Desert. These early
pioneers planted 47 acres of olive trees to support their community.

But while the settlement of Kfar Adumim grew and flourished, the olive trees did not fare so well.

Tending the olive groves was fraught with difficulty from the very beginning. Environmental issues, problems with watering the trees and acts of terror and sabotage were some of the reasons why, within just 10 years, the olive groves fell into neglect.

Over the coming years, all but 5 acres of olive trees were cut down for wood. The trees that were left standing were weak, withered and no longer bearing fruit.

Boaz Ido, who lives with his wife and family in the nearby community of Alon, always loved walking through the olive groves, and it pained him to see the once-beautiful trees destroyed. As a devout man of G-d, he was also keenly aware of the Torah’s teaching against cutting down trees.

With the blessing of the community, Boaz took upon himself the mission of replanting the olive
grove and making it flourish again. He sought counsel from the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, and they advised him to cut down the old, non-fruit-bearing trees and start from scratch with new saplings.

Boaz responded: “I’m not going to make the same mistake that was made 35 years ago. G-d will
decide what to do with them – whether or not they will bear fruit – but I will not cut them down.”

So, he planted new saplings alongside the old trees and tended to both with care and diligence.

Then the miracle happened. The old trees started to bloom. Within just a few months, they were
fresh and revitalized. And the following year, they bore fruit! The government adviser had told Boaz that the old olive trees would take at least 3 years to bear fruit, if at all. Now G-d was doing wonders before everyone’s eyes!

Boaz’ olive trees continue to thrive, and he gives all the praise to G-d. At Lev Haolam, we’re proud to work with Boaz’ company – Carma Olive Oil, and our supporters always tell us how delighted they are when we include his products in our packages.