“a Land of wheat, barley, grape, fig, and pomegranate; a Land of oil-lives and date-honey” — Devarim/Deuteronomy 8:8
The “seven species” for which the Land of Israel is noted and praised are a regular part of the Israeli diet today and are included in — the “seven species salad,” for example.
The seven species are also a common theme in Jewish art, including traditional paper-cutting. The piece above was originally designed by Yaakov Ne’eman and is now offered as a print, through the efforts of his daughter-in-law, Zipora.
Zipora Ne’eman, an artist in her own right, teaches around the world. She offered a workshop in 2008 for Temple Micah’s Kol Isha, presenting an overview of the art form, its relationship to Judaism, her father-in-law’s contribution and her own work. Participants had the opportunity to create their own simple paper cuts.
