Friday Focus with Sue Surkes: Israel’s biblical flora resurrected

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what’s behind the news that spins the globe. In today’s episode, environment reporter Sue Surkes makes a guest appearance, stepping in for Berman.

This is a week of spring holidays, and so we are dedicating the program to some of the biblical flora of the Land of Israel.

In honor of Easter, which is celebrated by much of Christendom on Sunday, we begin with a date palm that was brought back from the dead and a plant that resurrects itself.

In 2008, Dr. Elaine Solowey germinated a 1,900-year-old date palm seed that took the name Methuselah after the long-lived biblical character. She has since gone on to revive several more ancient seeds, including females that bear fruit. Surkes tells the story of Solowey’s amazing success — and describes how the dates taste.

Next, we hear about the Rose of Jericho, which was named for the biblical city of Jericho that constantly rose from its ashes — and still stands today. It’s an extraordinary story of a plant surviving in the harshest of circumstances.

We then turn to a tree that is called the Christ-thorn jujube (shezaf). Traditionally, this type of tree was used to create the thorny crown that Jesus wore on his last journey down the Via Dolorosa.

Surkes then speaks about the olive tree — both the last few remaining “wild” variety located near Atlit, and the cultivated variety. She turns to Psalm 128 to show how being acquainted with the flora of the Land of Israel gives a deeper meaning to the text.

And finally, we speculate on the Garden of Eden’s “forbidden fruit.” Was it an apple? Or maybe a fig?

This conversation can also be viewed here:

Friday Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and the video was edited by Thomas Girsch.

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