North-Israel businesses to get a three-day boost at Jaffa Port fair

Dozens of farmers, artists, and producers from Israel’s northern border area will take part in the "Heart with the North" fair at Warehouse 2 in Jaffa Port beginning Wednesday, June 17. The three-day event, organized with N12 and Jaffa Port, is meant to support evacuees and businesses from the north that were hit during the war. Visitors will be able to buy goods directly from the sellers, without middlemen.

Among the participants is "Keren Har Zemer," a family boutique winery from Dishon in the Upper Galilee. The winery tells the story of the Gidsi family, whose roots run from Yemen through the desert to the Galilean farm. The family says it has continued more than 100 years of agriculture, winemaking, and alcohol production that began in 1905.

The family history starts with Malka Gidsi, who immigrated to Israel carrying traditional knowledge of making alcohol and herbal remedies. Her daughter Mazal and Mazal’s husband Shlomo, also from Yemen, were among the founders of Moshav Dishon. They planted vineyards and passed the land-based tradition to later generations. Today, third-generation owner Ofer Gidsi runs the winery, which was founded in 2012.

Gidsi oversees the full production chain, from the family vineyards to the bottle. He says the winery combines old family traditions with modern winemaking technology, while caring for the vineyards year-round. "Full control over the quality of the grapes allows us to produce wine with minimal intervention in the production process," he said. The fair will run at Warehouse 2 next to the Container Terminal, with live broadcasts from a special N12 studio in the port and on-site participation by Guy Varon and Almog Boker.