David Daniel has been a Lev Haolam supplier for a number of years. Among the many products from our Surprise Monthly Package Project, David has produced honey and therapeutic beeswax ointment for Lev Haolam, both of which come from the bee hives David owns and maintains in Hebron. His products are infused with his passion for the land of Israel. David was born and raised in the city of Hebron and currently lives there with his wife and 4 children. While it is true that David grew up in Hebron, his passion for the Hebron and for Israel goes beyond his personal history.
In an exclusive Lev Haolam interview with David, we asked him why he chose to live, work and establish his family in Hebron, David responded "the simple answer that I give is that it's in the Bible. I open the Bible and tell them about the holy forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and about all of the high mountainous areas around us – the places that our forefathers grew up in."
"After 2000 years of exile, it is impossible to think of everything that has been accomplished since then. Suddenly millions of Jewish people from all over the world returned to Israel. This shows the strong connection
between the Jewish people and the land. [And] the same connection between the Jewish people and Hebron is the same connection that the entire Jewish people have with the whole land of Israel," David told us.
David took us back in time to explain the deep and fascinating connection his family had to Hebron in particular. David told us of how his family returned to the ancestral land of Hebron approximately 30 years ago. He explained that the strong and vibrant Jewish community that once lived in Hebron had left the city in the aftermath of the 1929 Hebron massacre. During the massacre many Jews were attacked and murdered due to the incitement of leading Arab clerics. After 6-Day-War in 1967, there were many Jews who decided to move back to the community and reestablish the lost Jewish presence there. David's parents were among these brave pioneers.
David's primary occupation is farming and beekeeping. In addition to harvesting honey from his bees, David uses the small and versatile creatures to also help create healing ointments and balms. David started learning about harvesting bee honey and working with bees from the time he was a young child. His Father, who was also a bee-keeper, taught him how to farm and how to raise bees and harvest their honey. David's father went to the renowned Mikveh Yisrael school – the first agricultural school in Israel. David also explained that his father had taught him the art of creating beeswax creams and ointments. "About 7 or 8 years ago, I began to seriously produce beeswax creams and offer them for sale," David explained. "Aside from honey, it is a wonderful product with tremendous health benefits, David continued. We got a lot of positive feedback on how great and helpful the products are. Given the positive feedback from our customers, we decided to begin mass production about 8 years ago."