The Kohn family has been beekeepers for three generations

Photos: Itzik Blintsky

The Sweetest Labor

When 39-year-old Chaim Kohn of Beit Chilkiyah picked up his phone, he was surprised to hear a representative of AgroMashov on the line. Hosted annually in Tel Aviv, Israel’s international agricultural expo attracts a wide audience of farmers and entrepreneurs who come to network, showcase their produce, and learn about the latest advances in agrotechnology,

“Chaim?” she said.

“Yes,” he answered.

“Congratulations! You’ve made it onto the list of Israel’s 40 most promising young agriculturists,” she continued. Naturally, Chaim was pleasantly surprised, but that was nothing compared to his caller’s shock  when she realized the third-generation beekeeper who’d landed this coveted honor was a chassid.

Chaim Kohn is one of Israel’s 529 registered beekeepers harvesting 120,000 hives in the collective effort to produce the 4,500 tons of honey Israelis consume annually. He owns 1,800 hives, dispersed all over the country, from the Besor region in the south to Kfar Saba in the center.

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve connected to the work. I like bees and I like nature,” he says. “You get to see the wonders of creation from up close.”

He doesn’t claim it’s easy. “The work is endless and draining,” he says. “You go out to work in the morning and return in the evening. Everything is very physical…. The work is under the open skies. Sometimes my car gets stuck in the surrouning swampy land. Other times, I almost suffocate in the steaming heat. But you can’t decide to stay home because of bad weather.”

It might sound like he’s complaining, but Chaim insists he’s never contemplated switching professions. “I love my work,” he says.