Nathan Joffe always felt connected to Israel. A native South African turned Angeleno, his dream was to retire with his wife Deborah and live in Northern Israel.
But in 2017, Nathan passed away, and he wasn’t able to fulfill his lifelong mission to make aliyah. He left behind Deborah, his wife of 25 years, along with their four children, Samuel, Ariella, Talya and Josh. Nathan was buried in Eretz Ha Chayim, outside of Beit Shemesh, thirty miles west of Jerusalem.
Now, his family and friends are planting fruit trees in his honor near Neve Daniel, 20 minutes south of Jerusalem. The trees are along the Path of the Patriarchs, which is the path that the nation of Israel walked on from Hebron to Jerusalem on the High Holy Days.
Right before Passover, Deborah and family friends gathered to plant more than 40 fruit trees — there are 80 trees total — in what they call Nathan’s Grove. Along with the olive, almond, apple, pomegranate, peach and lemon trees, the grove includes pathways, seating areas, drip irrigation, picnic areas and a plaque about Nathan.
“Nathan had a deep and enduring love for the land of Israel,” said Deborah. “I hope that this grove benefits the people of Israel, and especially Gush Etzion. I hope it becomes a beautiful place that anyone in Israel can go to relax, to pick fresh fruit, to enjoy a swim or to just look out at the beautiful vistas below.”
The goal is to build a swimming pool and a covered deck with a pergola and have 280 trees total. The fruit trees will be ready for picking within one to one-and-a-half years, and anyone can go and plant trees. The organization backing the project, Unity Warriors, runs campaigns to provide for the needs of lone IDF soldiers.
The idea for Nathan’s Grove came about thanks to a family friend, Shaun, who made aliyah to Efrat. He got involved with Unity Warriors, and then worked with Deborah to make the grove a reality.
“The view from the area is breathtaking and overlooks the entire country, which is very fitting for Nathan, since he loved Israel so much.” – Deborah Joffe
“The view from the area is breathtaking and overlooks the entire country, which is very fitting for Nathan, since he loved Israel so much,” said Deborah.
A devoted wife, mother and grandmother, Deborah strives to keep the memory of Nathan alive through this project. They met at an Aish HaTorah singles dinner, where they sat next to one another, and kept running into each other at social events around LA.
“He finally asked me for my phone number, and one thing led to another,” she said. “Two weeks later, he asked me to marry him for the first time. I said no, but I told him the next time he asked I would say yes.”
When they eventually did get married, Deborah was 35 and Nathan was 38. They proceeded to have four children in five-and-a-half-years, joined Knesset Israel Congregation of Beverlywood and raised their family in Pico-Robertson.
“Nathan was a wonderful man who contributed much to many,” said Deborah. “He often performed mitzvot anonymously and expected nothing in return. Over the last few years of his life, he donated over 5,000 copies of ‘The Garden of Emunah’ by Rabbi Shalom Arush to soldiers in the IDF. No one in his immediate family was aware of this until after his death.”
With Nathan’s Grove, Deborah knows that her late husband would be proud of everything his family and friends have accomplished, and the legacy he left behind.
She said, “No doubt Nathan is looking down from the heavens with much pride and joy watching his beautiful children, daughter-in-law, grandchildren, spouse and siblings, who continue to follow in his good-natured footsteps in so many ways, and knowing that we are perpetuating his memory. We’re making sure the unshakable terms which he lived his life by will not be forgotten.”
