In the western Galilee, only a short distance from the Lebanese border, the Galilee Bee Queens work to foster cooperation among their diverse communities and help stem the decline in bee populations. The close to 50 “bee queens” who make up this group of women—Jews, Muslims, Christians and Druze, some secular and some observant—live in towns, villages and collective settlements in the Mateh Asher regional council, an administrative area representing much of the western Galilee.

Hiam Afifi, a Muslim woman from the village of Sheikh Danun, is a mentor for women in the group. “When I first heard about it, I was immediately drawn to the idea of this project,” said Afifi, who maintains four hives, two at her home and two at a nearby kibbutz. “It is not just a project, but a worldview representing a deep connection between Arab and Jewish women, a shared destiny and a peaceful future.”

In addition to her beekeeping, when rockets and missiles are not interfering with daily life in the North, Afifi accompanies the group’s technical supervisor for check-ins with the beekeepers and their hives. She also sells some of the honey she produces.

Galilee Bee Queens is part of the broader Bees for Peace project, which was founded 12 years ago by Yossi Aud. In addition to the Galilee chapter, seven other bee communities touch the lives of over 350 women throughout the country, from the Lebanese border to the Negev in the South. Participants learn beekeeping and honey production while also getting the opportunity to interact with other ethnic populations. A key goal, Aud said, is for women to increase their social circles and their self-confidence. Some women also generate income from local sales of honey or honey products, such as sweets and candles.

“The important value that is learned is that everything in the world is connected to everything,” Aud said, referencing how bees are crucial to the environment in their role as pollinators for plants and food crops. “Everything a person does affects all connections and contexts. This is exactly the value that I attach to the relationships between people and, as a result, between Jews and Arabs, Christians, Druze and more.”

As the Galilee Bee Queens approaches its third year, the group is looking beyond the conflict with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon with plans to expand its reach with a visitor’s center, shop and central honey-making facilities.

Michael Brown is a freelance writer focusing on farming, gardening and Israel-related stories, especially those that shine a positive light on the country.