Fresh 2600 Year Old Dates

Jewish Press ^ | 4 Tishri 5781 - September 22, 2020 | Abigail Klein Leichman

[SunkenCiv]

Mazal tov to Hannah and Methuselah on their 111 miracle babies! The proud parents are date palms grown from ancient seeds uncovered in archeological excavations in Israel.

These dates, recently picked at the Arava Institute at Kibbutz Ketura in southern Israel, are a type that hasn't been tasted since the times of Jesus and the Maccabees.

"Dr. Elaine Solowey, our director of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture, grew our first ancient date tree, Methuselah, in 2005," explained Miriam May, CEO of Friends of the Arava Institute.

"He came from a 2,000-year-old seed found in excavations at Masada; his growth was an unprecedented success that no one was expecting. However, because he is a male tree, he could not produce fruit."

But then Solowey succeeded in germinating six more ancient seeds, one from Masada and five from the caves of Qumran, home of the Dead Sea Scrolls written between 150 BCE and 70 CE.

One of the Qumram trees, Hannah, was pollinated by Methuselah and grew dates that ripened at the beginning of September to great international fanfare.

[Pelham]

“Sallon, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem from 1983 to 2000, founded the Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center at the hospital in 1995. For the past 15 years, she’s focused full time on how plants could be used as medicine.”

[flaglady47]

It has occurred to me, sitting her in my recliner with my shawl (throw) laying on my lap, half dozing off, that I am indeed an old date. Have to find me my Methuselah.

[Yaelle]

That is just too old to date. If they are older than Grandpappy, I’m out.

[Yaelle]

That is cool!

[Scott from the Left Coast]

Joe Biden went on dates 2600 years ago...just ask him, he’ll tell you all about it.

[SunkenCiv]

The date in the article is some fruit, ya woulnd't want that anyway. ;^)

[HeadOn]

Ha! And it often IS me, I won’t deny it.

I like the Hebrew calendar years, but I was just pointing out an irony:

They mention Jesus, yet won’t use BC and AD...

See you around. I enjoy your posts.

[SunkenCiv]

It should come as no surprise that the Jewish Press doesn't use BC and AD.

[HeadOn]

Leave it to me to overlook the source...

[SunkenCiv]

relevant topics from the FRchives:

• After a 2,000-Year Rest, a Seed Sprouts in Jerusalem [2005]
• BBC: Date palm buds after 2,000 years [2005]
• 2,000-Year-Old Seed Sprouts, Sapling Is Thriving [2005]
• 2,000-Year-Old Judean Date Seed Growing Successfully [2006]
• 2,000-Year-Old Judean Date Seed Growing Successfully [2006]
• Tree From 2,000-Year-Old Seed Doing Well (Methuselah) [2008]
• Tree Grown From Ancient Seed Found in Jewish Fortress [2008]
• Tree Grown From 2,000-Year-Old Seed Has Reproduced [2015]

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• Seeds 200 Years Old Breathe Again [2006]