Small business owners in the Galilee have taught me something that many of us take for granted: receiving a purchase order can mean the difference between a good day and a bad one.
As a CEO juggling site visits, meetings, and late-night WhatsApp conversations with colleagues in the United States, ordering something online is almost second nature to my busy life. I need a new notebook, a birthday gift, or a replacement for something that broke, and within a few days it's sitting on my doorstep. If I didn’t work with small businesses in Israel’s North, I would barely give it a second thought.
But here, nearly 40% of the Galilee's economy depends on family-owned businesses—wineries, chocolatiers, artists, artisans, and specialty food producers who pour generations of love into everything they create. When conflict along Israel's northern border keeps visitors and tourists away, they are the first to feel the impact.
So, what do you do when a region’s future hangs in the balance? Enter Jewish National Fund-USA.
Thanks to their online Mitzvah Marketplace, we’re to connect these remarkable Israeli entrepreneurs with supporters outside of Israel who want to make a difference simply by choosing where they shop. Every order keeps a family employed, a small business open, and a community alive.
As the Jewish New Year approaches, we are curating a special selection of items to go into our Rosh Hashanah care packages, which can be purchased and sent directly to an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier serving on the border with Lebanon. You won’t know them, but they’ll know (and deeply appreciate) you.
Many of these young men and women will spend the holiday far from home, protecting communities while their families gather around holiday tables. Some are lone soldiers who have no immediate family in Israel at all. While we dip apples in honey, hear the shofar, and celebrate surrounded by loved ones, they remain at their posts, ensuring the safety of our homeland.
I have had the privilege of seeing soldiers receive these kinds of care packages, and it never fails to move me. They are always so grateful—not because of what is inside the box, but because of what it represents. Someone they have never met thought about them. Someone wanted them to experience a moment of comfort, of sweetness, of home, even if only for a few minutes.
In Israel, when we prepare to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the entire country slows down. We gather with family and reflect on the blessings in our own lives, looking for meaningful ways to begin the new year with acts of kindness.
For businesses, our Rosh Hashanah Care Packages mean another day to keep the lights on. For soldiers, it provides a taste of home. And for you, it is an opportunity to perform a double mitzvah—bringing the spirit of Israel to your Rosh Hashanah celebrations while helping an Israeli small business owner continue building a future in the Galilee.
One package alone can support a family-owned business, strengthen an entire community, and remind people thousands of miles apart that they are connected. As I always say, when you buy from a small business, someone does a happy dance.
Send love to our soldiers and small businesses here.
Michal Shiloah Galnoor is the CEO of Western Galilee Now (WGN), a small business consortium supported by Jewish National Fund-USA. Michal is also responsible for overseeing the Jewish National Fund-USA-supported Lauder Employment Center North.