US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited Moshav Hayogev on Friday and took part in a moving memorial ceremony for the Bibas family as part of the My Tree in Israel initiative, which he has personally embraced. During the event, a memorial tree was dedicated to Shiri Bibas and her sons, Ariel and Kfir.
The visit took place amid the current security situation and ongoing threats, serving as a message of international solidarity and support. Yarden Bibas and his sister, Ofri Bibas, attended the ceremony. Yarden expressed deep emotion and thanked the donor who adopted a tree and chose to commemorate his family through the project.
Huckabee addressed Yarden and expressed profound sorrow over what the family had endured, stressing that people around the world had prayed for him, as well as for Shiri and the children. He also said the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack and what the State of Israel had endured must never be forgotten.
Another emotional moment came when Avi Harush, the father of fallen soldier Reef Harush, showed Huckabee and his wife the tree planted in memory of his son, a commando soldier who was killed in Gaza in April 2024. Harush shared photographs and spoke about his frequent visits to the site, saying they gave him a sense of closeness to his son. He added that in moments like these, he felt that his son was happy.
During the visit, My Tree in Israel CEO Kobi Assaf gave the Huckabee family a tour of what the organization described as the largest olive press in the Middle East, where they were shown the olive oil production process.
Huckabee, a longtime supporter of the My Tree in Israel initiative, updated the sign beside the tree he had adopted from "Governor Huckabee" to "Ambassador Huckabee." He also adopted another tree in honor of his daughter, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Huckabee said he purchases numerous bottles of olive oil each year and gives them to friends as personal holiday gifts.
The My Tree in Israel initiative connects supporters of Israel around the world with the land of Israel by allowing them to adopt olive trees or grapevines, or become partners in whisky barrels. The program directly supports farmers and strengthens the local economy. Participants maintain direct contact with the farmers, can visit the agricultural plots and receive six bottles of locally produced goods each year from the tree they adopted.
