Olive tree selected as Israel's 'national tree' by KKL-JNF

The Olive trees in Israel have been around for centuries if not millennia.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
THE ANCIENT olive tree in Jerusalem’s Garden of Gethsemane. (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
THE ANCIENT olive tree in Jerusalem’s Garden of Gethsemane.
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
The KKL-JNF held a three week competition with the end goal of selecting a "national tree" to mark the 120th anniversary of the Jewish organization and the Tu B'shvat holiday.
The seven contestants included the Palm tree, the Tabor oak, the Cypress, the Eucalyptus, the Fig, the Atlantic goddess and the Olive tree.
The Olive tree received 32.94% of the nearly 148,000 votes, followed closely behind by the Tabor oak and Palm trees, respectively.
"The Olive tree is very impressive and the general public has a spiritual connection to this tree," said the KKL-JNF's Chief Forest Officer Suhail Zeiden. "It is one of the most important symbols of ancient settlement and agriculture in the Land of Israel, the cultivation of Olives in the Land of Israel has been proven in ancient history from the First Temple period - when its fruits were used to produce oil - to this day."
The Olive tree appears in many Israeli symbols in addition to Jewish texts. It is prominently displayed on the seven-branched menorah. As well, a white dove carrying the Olive leaf back to Noah, symbolizing the end of the flood, also appears on the book of Genesis.
There are currently 340,000 dunams of Olive trees planted across Israel, producing over 15,000 tons of oil and over 24,000 tons of edible olives annually.
The Olive trees in Israel have been around for centuries if not millennia.
The oldest Olive tree in Israel is located in an olive grove in Shefar'am and is estimated t be over 100,000-years-old.
According to studies, Olive trees in the Jerusalem garden revered by Christians as the place where Jesus Christ prayed before he was crucified, known as the Garden of Gethsemane, have been dated to at least 900 years old.
Referred to several times in the New Testament, the grove is at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, an important site for the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths.
"KKL-JNF is currently marking 120 years since its establishment and over the years, we have had the privilege of planting around 250 million trees throughout Israel," said KKL-JNF Global Chairman Avraham Duvdevani. "I am glad that the Olive tree was chosen as the national tree."
"The Olive tree is mentioned many times in the Bible, it is one of the seven species in which the Land of Israel was praised and above all the Olive has become a symbol of peace," he added. "I thank the hundreds of thousands of voters who took part in its election."
Reuters contributed to this report.


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