Dove of Peace

A customer asked me for a special card to send to a fellow professional in Australia. She wanted something "Israeli" but nothing religious or political. She had already thought about a white dove, the symbol of peace. After some thought, I suggested adding some Jerusalem-style buildings, in the creamy, gold colour of the ancient Jerusalem stone, along with some bright red pomegranates, one of the Seven Species mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as being native to the Land of Israel. Many Jewish families serve the fruit on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) in the hope that the coming year will bring many blessings.

I created a card which was predominantly blue and white, the national colours of Israel. I cut out a white dove carrying an olive branch. The dove is a symbol of peace from the biblical story of Noah's ark. Noah released the dove to find dry land after a flood, and the dove returned carrying an olive branch, signaling that the flood had receded.

The Vilna Gaon, a scholar and one of the greatest Talmud experts (the Talmud is a record of the rabbinic debates in the 2nd-5th century on the teachings of the Torah), declares that a dove is a symbol of the human soul. The dove is also considered to be a symbol of the people of Israel.

I added the word "Shalom" in English. The word Shalom is a very important word. It has several meanings: it is a greeting word (like Hello, but also Goodbye), it means peace and health and stems from the root S.L.M. that means complete or perfect.

The green trees behind the Jerusalem stone buildings are cypress trees. For centuries, Middle Eastern culture has identified the cypress with the afterlife, prompted by its evergreen quality and the fact that it is roughly shaped like a candle, a symbol of the soul in both Judaism and Islam. It is commonly planted at cemeteries of both faiths throughout Israel - including the military cemetery at Mount Herzl.
Long ago the wood of the Mediterranean cypress was used for building the Temple, ships, and musical instruments. Locals believe potions and ointments made from the fruit of the Mediterranean cypress can treat diabetes, strengthen the immune system, heal gum infections and fungus, and alleviate toothaches.

In 1898 Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism, planted a cypress tree to symbolize his dream for the future of the Land of Israel and the birth of a Jewish State. The cypress tree started to grow and with it, the hope of Israel to see a state. For several years the cypress was a symbol of hope for all the Jews who sat in its shade on the way to Jerusalem. Sadly it did not last long; in 1915 it was chopped down and burned!

I cannot finish this post without mentioning the Hamas war on Israel. Yesterday morning, 1st September, it was announced that Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alex Lubnov and Ori Danino had been murdered whilst held in captivity in Gaza. Hamas kidnapped them on 7th October 2023. They kept them hostage for 330 days and then murdered them and left them in tunnels, to be found by Israeli soldiers. Their captors had fled. These young people were killed for no reason but hate.

May their memory be a blessing.

101 hostages remained in captivity in the Gaza Strip.

Bring them home now!

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun., Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) and Tuesday Turn About.

Climbing

Ro'i likes the idea of parkour jumping. His Mum isn't so keen. She didn't want me to show her son jumping between buildings, so together they decided on a picture of him climbing a tree instead. Apparently he climbs on everything!

Mum also suggested that I show him wearing a grey hoodie, and she asked me to add his favourite football team Chelsea F.C.'s badge too. He's a big fan!

When Mum received the card she messaged me to say "I love it! It looks just like him. Thanks!", then on Ro'i's birthday she sent me this fabulous photo. Looks like he was happy to receive his card.

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade, Seasons, Creative Mondays, Blue Monday, Inspiration Monday, Monday's Musings, Amaze Me Monday, The Good. The Random. The Fun. and Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday).

The Ilanot National Arboretum

The Ilanot National Arboretum (Ilanot is the Hebrew word for trees) was founded in 1950 by the newly established State of Israel to study which species of trees would flourish here. The information was later applied in afforestation projects all over Israel. Major studies were done at Ilanot, among others in seed collection and tree pests. The arboretum occupied the site for over thirty years but was closed by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1986. It fell into neglect, becoming overgrown with weeds, and some of the trees died because they did not suit the climate and soil conditions, or withered from lack of care.
Fortunately, in 2013 the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) decided to restore this little forest, transforming it into a spot where tree buffs could spend days, but also as a park for the general public as well. Trees have been planted, including some of the original species that died, and explanatory signs, many with a QR Code that leads you to a webpage with information about the tree, have been prepared. Today you can find more than 750 species of trees here, local and exotic, among them over 100 different eucalyptus species.

The trees are arranged in a grove with twenty-five sections, in accordance with the geographical regions from which they were collected. We saw the Japanese Sago Palm, a relic of the ancient plant world, a variety of eucalyptus trees, an Australian conifer, a Chilean Mesquite tree, an American cypress and others. A labyrinth is a new attraction in the arboretum, formed with concentric circles of two kinds of shrubs, Blue Kuni-rhus and Crepe Myrtle. Both of these species are easy to shape and therefore suitable for labyrinths. Across from the labyrinth is the Casuarina Circle, very tall She-oak trees creating a circle and a very special atmosphere eight metres high. A little further along the paved trail, across a wooden bridge over a dried-up stream, are two beautiful specimens of cork oak, below. The oak's wonderful bark is the source for corks that are used in bottling wine.
The 130-dunam area has wheelchair-accessible pathways running through it, picnic tables, and benches where visitors can rest and enjoy the trees. A tour through the arboretum is a fabulous experience for nature lovers and a great place to get to know exotic and amazing-looking trees from foreign lands.