Upcoming UK Israel breakfast guest speaker Joseph Gitler is on a mission to end food insecurity in Israel through the charity, Leket.
According to a report published by Leket in 2024, approximately 1.5 million people (485,000 households) in Israel suffer from food insecurity – limited or uncertain access to adequate and nutritious food. The charity’s sole focus is rescuing healthy, surplus food and delivering it to those in need through partner nonprofit organisations to put an end to food insecurity.
Growing up in Manhattan, Joseph Gitler had been exposed to poverty his whole life, which continued when he made aliyah with his family: “In New York, people knock on your door asking for charity. When I moved to Israel and at the height of the intifada, the same thing was happening, but it was the middle class who were out of jobs because their industry had suddenly dried up. Unfortunately, we’ve seen this multiple times since throughout COVID and multiple wars and it’s the hospitality and tourism industry that’s been hit the hardest where its workers often fall into a place that’s hard to get out of.
“Israel can feel like the land of plenty but with that comes a lot of waste. As a country, we import a very small amount of produce so you’re never too far away from where it grows and once you start paying attention to how much food waste there is, you can’t ignore it.”
In 2003, Joseph created Table to Table (now Leket) where he began rescuing meals from catering halls and corporate cafeterias out of his car: “I quickly realised I was onto something and recruited some volunteers. One thing led to another, and we had our first refrigerated van with our first employees, started to raise money, and it just grew from there.
“The key from the beginning was that we were going to work directly with agencies that take care of the poor rather than feeding them directly, except for in emergency situations. We’ve had quite a few of those over the last few years, so we shifted focus to making sure those such as the elderly and housebound were looked after.”
Leket is a non-denominational charity which works with all communities equally: “We’re Israel’s secular food bank and we have 350-plus partners across the country ranging from after-school clubs to homeless shelters and serve over 400,000 Israelis every week – I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished but there’s lots more to do.”
The charity focuses on rescuing surplus food which is slightly different to the traditional food bank model, something which Joseph expected to be a topic of conversation when he first started: “There’s been very little pushback as the world has definitely changed; people are more aware of food waste and its impact on the environment. Me and many others are firm believers that if you make too much food on Shabbat, you eat leftovers – it doesn’t matter who you are or how much money you have!
“Some of the concerns I’ve heard are more about quality, but we get a lot more grade A and B produce than people might think. A lot of what goes to waste isn’t just ugly fruits and vegetables, it’s because of price, order cancellations, and overproduction, so it’s often as good as what you buy in the store.”
“It’s not just about filling bellies; as a country, we have enough high-quality food to feed people properly.”
The charity also emphasises nutrition: “In the food bank world, there’s a feeling that they were guilty of being the dumping grounds for big food companies. Israel already had an established food distribution system when we started but I wanted to fill the gaps where nobody was dealing with cooked meals, produce, and chilled goods. It’s not just about filling bellies; as a country, we have enough high-quality food to feed people properly. Solving poverty as a whole is bigger than anyone, but in the West, Israel included, food insecurity can be solved by food rescue.”
Joseph reflects on what keeps him motivated in an industry that can be quite challenging: “What really keeps me going is new projects and initiatives. I really wish that so many of them weren’t based on emergency situations – we’ve probably had 20 special initiatives since October 7th – but I love these projects we’ve done that are making an impact.”
You can catch Joseph at the UK Israel Business breakfast on 3rd June! Contact jane.clynes@ukisraelbusiness.co.uk to register your interest. | Leket.org
