Spotlighting Israel's lesser known Gems, great places and people. For a humble fruit, olives have made an indelible impression on the Jewish soul and on the customs and writings of the Jewish people. According to the Bible, olives were cultivated in the land we now call Israel even before the settlement of the Israelites.
Olives are one of the seven native fruits with which the land of Israel is blessed.
Olives and olive branches are an ancient symbol of peace. This is a symbol that the waters of the flood are receding and that life is returning to earth. Two olive branches with fruit combined with the seven branched menorah are a symbol of Modern Israel and project its hope for peace. Olives grow in many different places in Israel, and can survive in poor soil that is not hospitable to other types of plants. Olive trees are also very long-lived.