820 U.S. Maccabiah Athletes Volunteer With Gaza-Border Farmers

Eight hundred twenty athletes from the U.S. Maccabiah delegation spent their final day in Israel volunteering in Gaza-border fields through Leket Israel. The participants, ages 16 and older, picked lemons and worked with flower crops in July heat, giving local farmers extra hands amid continuing labor shortages. Leket Israel guides also briefed the athletes on the area's experience since the October 7 attack and the role of farming in sustaining its communities. The volunteer day matched the Maccabiah's official Gaza-border program, which joined Diaspora participants with local residents around community renewal and solidarity.