Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took part Thursday in traditional Shavuot first-fruits ceremonies held for more than a century in Israel’s agricultural communities, with events culminating in the presentation of babies born over the past year.
Shavuot, a Jewish holiday marking the giving of the Torah and the biblical wheat harvest, is also associated in Israel with agricultural celebrations and the tradition of bringing first fruits, known in Hebrew as bikkurim.
Celebrating Shavuot in Kfar Baruch
(Video: Shaul Rahamim, Inbar Shapira Buzaglo)
Dozens of new immigrants who arrived in Israel over the past year and are being housed at an integration center in Kibbutz Merhavia in the Jezreel Valley are set to celebrate their first Shavuot in Israel on Friday.
In recent days, the immigrants learned about the agricultural traditions of the Jezreel Valley’s early Zionist pioneers, customs that have been practiced in the region for more than 100 years.
“Shavuot is the valley’s holiday, a holiday of land, fields and a living, growing community,” said Shlomit Shichor Reichman, head of the Jezreel Valley Regional Council. “Seeing new immigrant families choosing to build their homes in the Jezreel Valley is a moving reminder of the strength of a welcoming community and of the hope that continues to grow here every day.”