Event Details

The Wisdom of Petals: What Plants Can Teach Us About Judaism (Part 2)

Let’s talk about flowers and deepen our relationships to these beautiful plants that can uplift and comfort us during difficult times. In this class we will learn about flowers that have played important roles in Jewish ritual, culture and healing traditions throughout history and across the diaspora, from Ashkenazi flower teas and balms to Maimonides’ flower aphrodisiacs and beyond. In part two of this series, we will explore Jewish teachings and uses of saffron, artichoke, linden and sunflower.

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.