And they very much work together, said
Hilou. "The two poorest areas in Israel are
those of religious Jews and the Arab com-
munities," she said.
Others in the most need are Ethiopian
and Russian immigrants, the elderly and
veterans.
"This is a national problem that requires
national solutions;' Hilou said. "The food
bank is an umbrella organization that can
ensure that food is distributed to all the
needy people — Jews and Arabs alike. The
problem of food insecurity is not political."
Added Schockman, "Leket is not based
on religiosity. It will be for Druze, Arabs and
Christians. You don't have to be Jewish to
eat from the food bank."
Leket is being established, with the help
of Mazon, by the newly created Global Food
Banking Network— of which Schockman
is a board member — whose mission is to
end world hunger by developing national
food bank networks in countries where
none previously existed.
The Solution Is There
Surprisingly, the problem in Israel is not a
lack of food. It is the destruction of unused
food. Much of the country's surplus crops
— even those grown with government-
subsidized irrigation — are destroyed. "In
2004, 32,000 tons of food was destroyed
that could have been given to needy chil-
dren',' Hilou said.
The hope is that laws will change allow-
ing Leket to glean and recover these food
items to be distributed to the needy.
And Israelis are looking to America — to
Detroit — to learn about the purchase and
distribution of the food.
"For the past 60 years, the United States
has found solutions to food insecurity
through nutrition programs like the food
stamp and agricultural surplus programs:'
Kahalon said. "We learned that the U.S.
considers the food stamp program its
most successful intervention to end hunger
among Americans. And the U.S.-initiated
food bank program ensures that surplus
foods reach hungry Americans."
Kahalon said Israelis are now recogniz-
ing the need to take responsibility for this
problem. "Our government needs to set
policy, participate in funding for nutrition
programs and support nonprofit efforts
that will help food-insecure Israelis;' he
Our community . celebration of Israel's 60th will
include an exciting concert at the Max M. Fisher
Music Center. Israeli superstar Noa will perform with
the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under the direction of
Knesset member Moshe Kahalon addresses a group of students at Hillel.
said. "The food bank demonstrates how the
government, business and civil society sec-
tor can work together at a practical level to
make a difference."
According to Loren Poris, director of
Knesset Advocacy for the Israeli Religious
Action Center in Jerusalem, who visited
along with the group, "We started to lobby
for hunger three years ago and we now have
30 members of the Knesset supporting the
issue:'
One significant area in alleviating hunger
Land on page A16
conductor Itzhak Perlman. We will also premiere the
new documentary film by Academy Award' winning
producer Sue Marx, telling the story of the unique
relationship between Israel and the city of Detroit.
SAVE THE DATE: May 7, 2008
Ticket information will be available soon.
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