This excerpt below is from a newly released video of the Holy Land from 1913 made for the 11th Zionist congress. It was a showcase of Jewish success. It showed a winery then, they spent some time filming bee keepers making honey. Why is it that a huge bunch of grapes proved the Promised Land was one flowing with milk and honey? And how might a Christadelpian have helped the Jewish wine industry?
Recently Amit, a Jewish historian, wrote that some time after 1887
A member of the Brotherhood (Christadelphian), who was an expert beekeeper and who insisted on remaining anonymous, volunteered to work amongst the settlers and instruct them in his trade. The idea was accepted and he did indeed make his way to Palestine. His reports were so positive that various additional ideas were put forward, to a point where commercial projects were mooted, all in the guise of experimental stations. The one which was finally adopted, in 1889, was the growing and processing of sugarcane.
The bee keeping was successful (but not the sugar cane at that time). We have a gap of less than 25 years, and evidence in that the Jews valued their professionally set up bee keeping, and showed it off to the Zionist congress.
Until recently bees were essential for good grape crops, and even now bees are good for new vine growth
“Because grapes are [now] self-pollinating, attracting pollinators may be less of a concern for grapegrowers, but pollinators can help with vineyard cover crop species by enabling them to produce viable seeds each year. (here)
But more than that bees are good for a fruitful land, with fully one third of all the food we eat requiring pollination. From being desolate and with fears the land might not support even a million people, Israel now is net exporter of food and a leading exporter of citrus fruits. Citrus are pollinated by honey bees.
In April 2012 Arik Rubin posted this one-hour YouTube clip. The film is narrated by Israeli entertainer Yehoram Gaon. Unfortunately only in Hebrew. (Vineyards at 48 and bee keeping at 50).
Also Jerusalem in 1918