As Jews we have a beautiful, complex and ancient relationship to garlic. This class will introduce the field of Jewish Herbalism through a deep dive into Jewish relationships with the allium family, through Torah and Talmud, Jewish folk stories and songs, traditional garlic remedies, and garlic amulets from across the diaspora.

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.