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Jewish National Fund Will Establish 400-acre Botanical Garden Near Lydda

July 19, 1968
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A 400-acre botanical garden will be established by the Jewish National Fund. It will contain all the plants mentioned in the Bible and the flora growing in Israel today. The garden will be located in the Modiim area near Lydda. It will be established under the supervision of Noga Hareuveni, a Biblical scholar and horticulturist. The area will be designated a nature preserve and national park.

The Jewish National Fund has agreed to take care of a tree on the grounds of a Russian monastery in Hebron which, according to Christian tradition, is “Abraham’s oak” mentioned in chapter 18 of Genesis.

The JNF was approached by the Father Superior of the monastery and sent a forestry expert to examine the tree which was not thriving. It was found to be many centuries old. The monastery belongs to the Russian Orthodox Church which has its headquarters in New York. The church does not recognize the Soviet regime.

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