SHIMON BARDA

Itamar Perfumes

From the outset Shimon’s mission has been to produce all natural deodorants, perfumes, and creams. He studied and collected thousands of plants and established a laboratory. Itamar Perfumes achieved what no one thought they could and today manufactures a wide range of products, all natural.

Itamar Perfumes was founded in the community of Itamar in 1994 by Shimon Barda.

YAEL ROZMARIN

Fashion and Design Studio

Yael recalls, “after being here for 2 weeks, my son [who just started talking], began to say words like bird, dog and sky. When we in Jerusalem, his first words [there] were car, bus and train. It’s amazing how the environment inspires speech in such a way… this is a place that kids should grow up in”.

Yael continued to tell us how much she loves her community. “I live in an amazing place with an amazing community. Besides the views and everything else, the people here really makes the place. Everyone accepts one another which is so amazing. We live in a mixed community, with a mixture of religious and secular people”.

Yael Rozmarin opened her design studio at home in Kfar Admumim. She has been making clothing since she was 15 and then studied industrial design at the Shenkar School of Design.

OLGA ALIEVSKY

Boutique Candle Maker

Olga is the mother of 6 children. She lives in Tekoa (pronounced T’koa) a beautiful community in the Judean Hills, just south of Jerusalem. Tekoa is part of the area of Judea known as Gush Etzion (Etzion Block). Tekoa like all the communities in Gush Etzion, is located near the historical road called Derech Avot (Path of the Patriarchs) – a road traveled by all of the Jewish patriarchs.

“I hope that with the help of Lev Haolam the business will be able to further develop, not just in Israel but also outside of Israel as well.”
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Olga Alievsky, who is the proud mother of 6 children, produces beautiful hand crafted candles in Tekoa, in Judea

SHLOMO KESHET

Saboneto

Winding up Route 458, just half an hour North of Jerusalem, Kochav Hashachar peeks out from the horizon on the top of one of the hills apart of a vast chain of rolling mountains.

The sunrise must be breathtaking, especially since the village is named “Morning Star” in English. It is here, in Kochav HaShachar, Shlomo Keshet has set up his workshop for his business, Saboneto.

For the scents and texture, the Saboneto family goes to the fields in the morning to collect fresh, organic herbs. Some of these include: rue, rosemary, rose hips, sage, daphne, olive leaves, mint, melissa, nettle, thyme, lemon grass, hyssop, oregano, frankincense, lavender, lemon verbena, basil and more. They then take these fresh herbs and cook them in hot water, turning nature’s finest plants into a fragrance.

Shlomo Keshet opened Saboneto in 2013 in Kochav Hashachar, half an hour North of Jerusalem in the Benyamin Region. Saboneto has a wide variety of all-natural and organic soaps with healing properties and many benefits.

BATYA ERSTEIN

Ceramics by Batya

Batya and Baruch Erdstein, with their six children, live in Itamar, a community located amidst the Samarian hills. Batya is originally from San Diego, California. She has a very pleasant, easy-going and spiritual demeanor. Batya has produced some of the fine ceramic products that have been sent in Lev Haolam’s Surprise Monthly Packages. We went to Itamar to interview Batya and to hear about her journey to and in Israel.

Batya told us that her and her husband had always been interested in living in Judea and Samaria. “When we first got married, we lived in Bat Ayin [Judea], but then we moved to Tsfat and then we found ourselves back here in the Shomron again… It’s one of the most beautiful places in Israel,” Batya tells us.
Batya continued to tell us about the ‘why’ that brought her and her family to Samaria. “I could have lived my life in San Diego, California working as a nurse and making a lot more money, but I believe that being here is our duty as Jews and I’m willing to put my life on the line to live here. And to be a part of the return of the Jewish people from all the four corners of the world to here, and to raise my children here… and it’s hard work but it’s beautiful work and we’re very excited to be here.”

Batya also finds inspiration for her work from her surroundings. “Things that are growing outside I pick and I bring it to the studio and I press it into the clay and I get ideas and inspiration through everything that is growing around me,” Batya told us.

Batya has been working with clay for over 18 years.

NACHMAN GUTMAN

Sde Bar

Based in the community of Nokdim, just South of Jerusalem, at the foot of Herodian, Sde Bar Farms was originally established in 2009 to help at-risk youth through farming. Over the years, Sde Bar has expanded to include the production of goat cheese, jams, olive oil, olives, herbal tea and pomegranate juice.

Nachman Gutman owns and manages Sde Bar Farms.

SHLOMIT COHEN

Gift of Nature

In light of all of the historical and present treasures that Israel has to offer, traveling through the area of Judea known as Gush Etzion (Eztion Block in English) is nothing short of mesmerizing. The Gush Etzion region, snugly nested within the Judean hills, is an area that starts approximately 20 kilometers south of Jerusalem and extends to just north of Kiryat Arba and Hebron. All of the communities of Gush Etzion are located adjacent and connected to a road called Derech Avot (road of the fathers). This road, which still exists, gets its name from the fact that it is the road that all of the Jewish patriarchs traveled while they resided in Israel.

It was after Shlomit and her family moved to Bat Ayin that a chance encounter created the impetus for Shlomit to start producing her own organic cosmetics. Shlomit recounts that about 11 years ago, her husband Tomer, who was running a survival training camp for the boys in their community, became sick and was unable to continue leading the camp. He asked Shlomit to take over the camp that day and to teach the kids something special.

Shlomit Cohen started Gift of Nature Cosmetics after teaching a group of boys about natural herbs and plants that grow outside their home in Bat Ayin. After their mother's called Shlomit for more of the cream she had made with the youth group, she was encouraged to start her business.

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