In historic Jewish communities of the Pale of Settlement, the gathering, harvesting and preserving of plants for use as food and medicine each year was a matter of communal survival. Even if they could not access hospitals or formal healthcare, many Jews had their own internal communal systems in place for caring for their sick, keeping them company, and supplying them with food and homemade medicine. Plant remedies in the form of syrups, preserves, cordials, wines, and liqueurs were staples in the folk Ashkenazi medicine cabinet.  In this class we will learn about how Ashkenazi farmers harvested and prepared fruits, vegetables, and herbs for healing.

Naomi Spector is an ethnoherbalist, plant historian, and educator whose practice draws on Sefardi, Ashkenazi, and Mediterranean plant traditions. She is the author of The Jewish Book of Flowers.

Naomi is also a passionate educator, and has led courses and workshops through both bibi and ni and partnerships with other organizations including various synagogues. Topics have included introductory Jewish herbalism, Sefardi herbalism, Jewish end-of-life herbalism, Jewish amulets, Jewish honey elixirs, Jewish flower teachings, and more. She holds a Masters of Arts in Education from Tufts University. She is one of the co-creators of the Jewish Herbalists Network, an affinity group within the Jewish Farmer Network, and was the keynote speaker at LimmudFest Atlanta 2023. Some of her favorite plants include garlic, pomegranate and chamomile.