In this on‑site monologue, Simon Jacob documents a community effort to transform a barren hillside near Itamar in northern Shomron into a new vineyard for Tomer Panini’s Tom Winery, just two days before the fast of Tisha B’Av. He describes the swift planting process—running irrigation lines, using axes to dig holes, inserting grape sprouts called “stilim,” and securing them with bamboo stakes and protective paper containers. The workforce consists mainly of local children and volunteers, with co‑owner Arie Polak present. Simon highlights the symbolic importance of the work as a collective act of building and nurturing Eretz Yisrael, noting the surrounding landscape of hills that descend toward the Jordan River and the distant Jordanian mountains. He concludes with a blessing, emphasizing unity, purpose, and the beauty of cultivating the land.
Chapters
This is Simon Jacob with a short video from outside of Itamar, up north in Israel. It's amazing to witness 2 days— today is Tuesday, so Thursday is Tisha B'Av— in literally 2 2 days it will be Tisha B'Av. And here they have taken a hillside in literally the last 4 hours and they're planting a new vineyard. So the land has gone from hillside, barren hillside, into vineyard in the length of a morning. It's really pretty amazing. I guess the whole vineyard will end, will be finished by tonight. But this, for the first half of today, is where we've been working to plant. Initially they use, they run the irrigation, and then what they do is they use axes to form the first holes. Then they plant the actual grape sprouts, the grape initial plants. They call them 'stilim.' And then they put up a little bamboo and they put a paper, you know, a box container around them to protect them. As they grow at the beginning. And this is a workforce of kids, basically, from very, very young till a little bit older. I'm certainly the oldest here. So it's really great. This is actually the vineyard of Tomer Panini and Tom Winery. Also, Arie is here, Arie Polak, who's a co-owner in Tom Winery, and children from all over the area. It's just awesome to watch, and they all know that they're planting and growing Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel. It's an absolute beautiful thing to watch and to see. Such incredible efforts and such incredible unity, all with one common purpose, to build the Land of Israel. It's great. It's great. And how they're putting up some posters. About building the Land of Israel, but the real work is going on here in the vineyard, which is just amazing. So, okay, enough for now. I just wanted to give you a flavor of what's going on. By the way, in the background are the hills looking down towards the Jordan River, which you can't quite see today because of the fog, but in the very, very background are the mountains of Jordan. So that's what's going on. That's what's going on. So, okay, take care. Shalom u bracha. Peace and blessings. This is Simon Jacob from somewhere up near Itamar, signing off.
