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Olives and olive trees in Israel and Judaism

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The olive tree and its oil were a major component in the Ancient Israelite society, and have been important to the Jewish people for millennia.[1][2] Olives are often mentioned in Jewish religious texts and are generally seen as a symbol of peace,[3][4] wisdom,[5] and vitality.[6] It had a key role in the agricultural life, industry and religious practices of ancient Israel and Judah.

History

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Prehistory

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The olive tree is endemic to Israel and the greater Mediterranean Basin.[7][8][9][10] The cultivation of olive trees has been important to the agricultural life in the Land of Israel since the Neolithic period.[11][12][13] The world's oldest oil press, dating to the Chalcolithic period, was discovered in an underwater excavation near Haifa.[14][15][16] Pottery containing olive pits, remnants of olives and olive presses discovered on archaeological sites provide evidence of early olive oil production.[17][18][19][20]

Ancient times

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The Canaanites taught the rising Israelite culture how to cultivate olive.[21] In the age of The Kingdom of Israel and Judah, industrial villages dedicated to oil production, likely under royal patronage, were established.[22][23][24] These villages housed dozens of presses, exemplified by discoveries at sites such as Khirbet Khadash.[25][26] During the ~8th-7th centuries BCE, the olive oil industry experienced a boom in mass production across the two Israelite Kingdoms.[27][28][29] Even after the Assyrian conquest of the northern Kingdom, the production of Olive oil continued in Kingdom of Judah.[30] It was then shipped to other vassal states of the Assyrian Empire.[31] Olives in general were used as a source of food, light, hygiene and healing.[32][33] Israelite and later Judean populations mostly planted the trees in the Galilee, Judea and Samaria.[34][35][36]

Classical and Roman Era

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Olives remained a key product for Jews in Israel, despite the land changing control under various powers. Under Roman governance, Jews remained strong in their connection with olives.[37][38][39][40]

Early modern history and decline

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By the 19th Century, the tradition of olive was kept by the symbiosis of Arab farmers and oil press and Jewish households procuring from them olive products and maintaining the cultural use of olive oil. Under the British Mandate, olive oil itself experienced a gradual decline and almost disappearing from Jewish kitchen.[41]

Following the First Aliyah, new Jewish immigrants organized by the Jewish National Fund planted more than 240 million trees; the majority of which were pines, suitable for Mediterranean climate,[42] but also Olives and Figs.[43][44][45] Since 1948, Israel witnessed a drop in olive trees coverage: from 137,000 dunams in 1949; down to 123,000 dunams in 1960; and then to 107,000 dunams in 1968, of which 82,000 dunams were olives planted on non-Jewish farms.[46]

Revival

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Over the 20th century, the Jewish population inherited olive groves that were conquered from Arabs during the civil war and the first Arab-Israeli war, while also establishing new olive plantations. The Kibbutz movements played a significant role in fostering the cultivation of olives.[47][48][49]

At the turn of the 3rd Millennium, Israel saw an increase in olive oil consumption due to its health benefit; and Israel's Ministry of Agriculture promoted and supported the production of olive for olive oil pressing[50] The public perception of olive greatly improved.[51] Today, Israel only produces the highest quality of olive oil.[52]

Ancient jewish olive production sites

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In Judaism, Jewish tradition and culture

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The seven species
The olive (left) is one the Seven Species listed in Deuteronomy 8:8.

The olive tree is one of the most important trees in Judaism and Jewish culture.[79][80][81][82][83] They symbolize Jewish connection to their historic homeland.[84][85][86][87] Olives are a part of the Seven Species.[88][89] They were part of the diet of the Ancient Israelites, and are still used in modern Israeli and Jewish cuisines.[90]

  • In the times of the Holy Jewish Temple, olive trees, olive oil, and olives played significant roles in various aspects of religious rituals and practices. Olive oil was crucial for lighting the Menorah inside the Temple. The Menorah was a central fixture in the Temple's sanctuary. Pure olive oil was used to keep the Menorah burning continuously.[91]
  • On Tu BiShvat, the Jewish holiday known as the New Year for Trees, olive trees hold a special significance along with other fruit-bearing trees.[92] Olive trees are among the seven species (shiv'at haminim) that are traditionally associated with the Land of Israel's fertility and abundance.[93][94][95]
  • Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by the Seleucid Empire. According to Jewish tradition, during the Maccabean Revolt, only a small amount of pure olive oil sufficient for one day's lighting of the Menorah miraculously lasted for eight days until new oil could be prepared.[96] This miracle is celebrated as a symbol of divine intervention and perseverance.[97][98]
  • Following the Great Flood, Noah sent out birds from the ark to check if the waters had receded. First, he sent a raven, but it found no place to rest and returned. Then, he sent a dove, but it also came back.[99] On the 301st day of the flood, Noah sent the dove again.[100] This time, the dove stayed away all day and returned in the evening with an olive leaf in its mouth. Noah then knew that the waters had abated from the earth.[101][102][103]
  • Anointing Oil: Olive oil was used to anoint kings, priests, and prophets in ancient Israel. The anointing oil, known as "shemen hamishchah," symbolized sanctity and was a critical element in various rituals.[104]

In modern Israel

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In 2021, The Jewish National Fund conducted a poll and with a 33% majority from the Israeli people, the olive tree was chosen as the new national tree of Israel.[105][106][107] Its branches are depicted on the Emblem of the State of Israel and the insignia of the Israel Defence Forces (Incl. The Military Rabbinate).[108]

In Israel, olives are an economically important fruit.[109][110] Within Israel’s olive plantations, some olive trees have stood for centuries. The trees can be found in various regions, from the elevated mountain areas to the coastal plains. The landscape contains ~340,000 dunams (84,000 acres) of olive plantations.[111] These expansive groves are home to a variety of olive types. Among them are the: Zuri, Barnea, Manzanillo, Picual, Muhasan, Nabali, Souri, Kalamata, Picholine, Maalot and Coratina.[112][113]

See also

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References

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