The return to the land of Israel reconnected the Jewish people with the soil, reviving the sensual experience of plants consigned to text during 2000 years of exile. At Neot Kedumim, an extensive park between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, biblical texts are brought back to life. In the evocatively-named Forest of Milk and Honey, Dale of the Song of Songs, Isaiah’s Vineyard and the Fields of the Seven Species, there is an opportunity to rediscover Judaism as an ecological culture deeply connected to the land.

In this series of short videos, Australian-turned-Israeli guide Elly Waller walks us through the Biblical landscape, introducing us to the stories and symbolism of some significant plants.