To illustrate how great his commitment and love for working in the family barn in Moshav Yachini in the northern Negev, Ariel Zehavi enlists one of his other great loves - the Maccabi Tel Aviv football team.
"I have a subscription, and since the beginning of the year I have only been to two games," he says. .
In general, it is the great love for the industry that has led Ariel (36) to each of the stations where he has been in the world of adventure since he started helping his father, Saadia, at a young age.
"Already as a high school student I would get up every morning to milk, my dad would bounce me to school and in the afternoon I would come back and they would wait for me to milk."
Mutual paragon in the family
The barn that Ariel now runs is established by his father, but even before that the father worked with his grandfather.
"Grandpa immigrated from Yemen, first settled in a plant near the Sea of Galilee, and then moved to Moshav Yachini," says Ariel. One, we would milk it and Dad would pour the milk into my uncle's container. "
A little over ten years ago, Ariel was discharged from the regular army, and when he returned home he realized that the economy was in a very serious economic crisis.
For him, as someone who is devoted to the family barn and also loves the profession with all his heart, it was clear to him that he was staying to help his father get out of the crisis.
"For the first two years after my release, Dad did not let me get too close to the barn, but in 2012, while I was studying labor law at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, he approached me and asked me to come and lend a hand.
"Over the next two years, to rehabilitate the place, we were helped by a lot of good people, including Eli Giorno from Tnuva, who guided us every step of the way. To this day I take my hat off to him, he connected me with whoever needed, brought me engineers' phones, Officials he knows, made sure to inject funds and helped with loans.
"At that time I also received a best tip from a dairy farmer named Yoni Dimari from Moshav Gilat, whom I met by chance - he told me to prepare the food for the cows myself. "All the food alone for the cows, which is very significant in the economic aspect. We prepare the marinade, sow the wheat and harvest it, buy nothing but the mixture for the little calves and the basic raw materials."
After stabilizing the barn, Ariel told his father that he had received a call from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor asking them to return to work with them. But he had other desires:
The very offer that came from him did me very good, it was clear to me that I was staying.
I was excited to hear it, and I have been in the barn ever since. "
Photo by Eric Sultan,
At the same time as working in the barn, Ariel began working as the deputy chief of staff (security coordinator) of the locality. About five years ago, the chief of staff died suddenly and the tender for the position opened.
Ariel approached, was accepted for the position and since then he combines it with the management of the barn.
"Dad really encouraged me to take the extra role, knowing I could stay and continue working with him," he says.
Firm standing in an emergency
Ariel has been pulling every morning lately at a quarter to four, after one of the Thai workers who helped him left, and the law does not allow for a time overlap between the foreign workers who leave and those who arrive in their place.
"In the window that is created I take on quite a bit of work, get up with the new employee to teach him to prepare the milking and the food for the cows, he goes on and I go out to do a tour as part of my second job, then I go back to check that everything is going properly.
"Waking up in the barn is always early, it's an occupation that is around the clock, there are no holidays, Saturdays or holidays, etc. I really like what I do and do not grumble, on the contrary - I wish everyone would love their work as much as I love the barn.
"On the other hand, my dad is 70 and if it depended on him the barn would close tomorrow. He really likes the industry but tells me that unfortunately I 'bury myself'. I can understand him, look what has been happening in agriculture in recent years, and especially in the dairy industry. "The policy on the part of the decision-makers bothers me very much, and the fact that it is difficult to find someone who wants to get into all this with the younger generation. But I do not intend to leave anywhere."
Apart from the economic challenges, Ariel and his father also face the fact that the location of the settlement forces them to function in difficult conditions during military operations in the Gaza Strip.
"Our work continues even in emergencies," Ariel emphasizes. Already accustomed to knowing when the barrages are heavier and when it is quieter.
"Fortunately, during Operation Wall Guard, Tnuva gave a grant to every barn, only for standing firm in an emergency. In general, Tnuva accompanies us and helps us with everything we need, as they helped us during the great crisis, our relationship with Elazar Cohen, Tnuva's Manufacturer Relations Coordinator in the south "They are beyond the supplier-customer relationship, it is a friendly relationship for everything. We get answers from him for everything."
Ariel: "In order to rehabilitate the barn, which was in a very bad condition, we enlisted the help of a lot of good people - Tnuva helped us with loans, as it also gave us a grant in Operation The Wall Guard. In Moshav. It can be said that this is what saved our business "
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us
