jewish
Rabbi Bigman: Prohibited to Purchase Oil from Arab Olive Harvests
Rabbi David Bigman, president of the Ma'ale Gilboa Yeshiva, has issued a religious ruling stating that it is forbidden to harvest olives from groves owned by Arabs in Judea and Samaria without the owners' permission. He emphasizes that such actions constitute theft and, when performed by observant Jews, also represent a desecration of God's name. Furthermore, the Rabbi ruled that purchasing olive oil from mills that openly source olives from these unauthorized harvests is prohibited. He argues that buying from such establishments provides support to those committing transgressions and encourages the continuation of these illicit activities, even if the specific bottle purchased cannot be definitively traced to stolen produce.