A Golden Opportunity for Peace: Sindyanna of Galilee
The olive tree was seen as a symbol of beauty during biblical times and many today are rediscovering what their ancestors have known for millennia. Olive pits have been discovered on the land that is now modern-day Israel as far back as 6,000 years ago but the first trees of Israel’s modern olive oil industry were planted in the early 1990s. Olive oil in particular has a rich history, used as oil for cooking for both the rich and poor alike as well as for lighting, medicine and it was even used as currency. Today, Israel produces around 16,000 tons of extra-virgin olive oil every year (over eight times as heavy as a house!).
The olive oil provided on the Israeli Dining course is Extra Unified Olive Oil from Sindyanna of Galilee, a nonprofit organisation in Israel led by Arab and Jewish women who are collaboratively producing premium quality olive oils. Together they are seeking change and building bridges between their two communities to promote peace for future generations.
You can find them in the heart of the Galilee region, in the village of Kfar Kana, near Nazareth where they've been since 1996. It is a region known for its natural richness, famous for producing not just olives but also pomegranates, wine and labneh soft cheese (which Chef Zoe makes from scratch on the Rassa course to use in a delicious fattoush salad). Their name, Sindyanna of Galilee (سنديانة الجليل), comes from the most common tree found in the Galilee, the Palestine oak (quercus calliprinos) that is renowned in local culture for its rootedness to the land, longevity, evergreen foliage, and endurance. With this in mind, they continue to work hard with the local communities.
