Roy Yaari

Roy Yaari, a Senior Medical Advisor at Eli Lilly and Company and a father of three Hasten Hebrew Academy graduates, decided to use his winter break to help struggling farmers in Israel.

In December 2023, Yaari was planning to attend a family wedding in Israel and to visit his eldest daughter who lives there. When the Oct. 7 attacks occurred, he bought his plane ticket and extended his trip so he could volunteer.
Following the attack on Oct. 7, many farmers and local workers were either killed or called to serve in the IDF. This left fields of crops without workers to harvest them. From Dec. 4-19, Yaari volunteered at many farms to pick olives, tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, and he assisted in the construction of a water irrigation network In Israel.
“I could have sat at home during winter break or I could have gone and helped,” Yaari said. “I went to help Israel, my country, a beautiful country, for the Jews at a time when they needed help.”

In order to be of greatest service, Yaari joined a few online groups, where farmers posted when they needed volunteers. He would connect with the farmers, show up early, and stay until the day was done. Though he didn’t have much farming experience, Yaari would watch the farmers and follow their lead.

“And if they needed an extra hand with the activities that they weren't giving the volunteers like me, I would just do it. I wouldn't even ask," Yaari said. “I just go in and start lifting and hauling and doing things that weren't asked of me. They really appreciated that.”

The farmers were grateful for the extra help. One farmer gave Yaari free olive oil, from the fields they had worked in. Yaari was joined in the fields by other volunteers including many families with children. He also saw other volunteers tying tzitzit (tassels worn on religious male garments) for tallit (prayer shawls) and making meals for soldiers and displaced people.

While working outside at the farms, Yaari could hear the explosions coming from Gaza and the blasts overhead from the Iron Dome (an Israeli mobile all-weather air defense system) intercepting rocket fire from across the border. This reminded him of the reason he was in Israel: to help his brother in a time of need.

“It may be scary. Some of my family members here at home in the States said, ‘Don't go. Why are you going to a war?’ But life isn't about being 100 percent safe all the time. It's about living,” Yaari said. “If living is helping your brother in a time of need, then that's what you do.”

There are many ways to “help a brother” both locally and abroad. “Helping a brother might look like volunteering in Israel, donating money and supplies, or simply correcting misinformation,” Yaari said.