Israel 75 Peace Garden in Melbourne
The Israel 75 Peace Garden, established by Zionism Victoria in partnership with the City of Glen Eira on the occasion of Israel’s 75th anniversary, symbolises both the friendship between the Jewish community and the City of Glen Eira, as well as the historic bonds between Israel and Australia.
The ceremony
Located at the north-west corner of Glen Eira Town Hall, at the intersection of Glen Eira Road and Hartley Avenue, the Garden will be officially opened at 8.30am on Wednesday, 24 May by Zionism Victoria President Yossi Goldfarb and Mayor of Glen Eira Jim Magee.
The Garden includes a number of species that are native to Israel and also native to Australia.
At the centre of the Garden is an Almond Tree, which has particular significance in Judaism.
The Hebrew word for ‘almond’, ‘shaked’, shares the same root as the word ‘to watch’, ‘shakad’. Hence, when the Prophet Jeremiah tells God that he has a vision of an almond tree, God responds that it is a sign that he is watching to see that his word is fulfilled.
Furthermore, it is said that Aaron’s staff was fashioned from an almond branch and that it blossomed with almonds as a sign that God had chosen him for holy service.
God also tells Moses that the branches of the Menorah, the symbol of the Jewish people, are to have decorations in the shape of almond blossom, while the cups on the end of the branches are to be shaped like almond flowers.
Other native flora of Israel featured in the Israel 75 Peace Garden are the Poppy Anemone, which is the national flower of Israel, the Bunch-flowered Daffodil, the Black Pearl Lily and the Garden Star-of-Bethlehem.
Shrubs and groundcovers include Cistus salviifolius, Satureja thymbra, Salvia fruticose and Rosa x damascena ‘Kazanlik’.
Australian natives include the Grey Cottonhead, the Scaly Phebalium and the Rose-tipped Mulla Mulla.
Glen Eira Councillors voted unanimously to support the establishment of the Garden together with Zionism Victoria as part of their Philanthropic Partnership Policy at their meeting of 8 February.
The Garden is a gift from Zionism Victoria on behalf of its 60 affiliates and wider Jewish community to the City and People of Glen Eira, home to around 23,600 Jewish community members – the largest Jewish population of any local government area in Australia.
