Iranian Missiles Ravage Carmel's Sacred White Lily Heritage

What international media casually dismissed as another hit in an open area during Iran's missile assault on Israel earlier this week has revealed itself as a devastating blow to the Jewish people's living connection to their land. Interception fragments falling between Sunday and Monday struck the unique white lily plot at the Simantov family's Seeds from Zion nursery, crushing a rare preservation project cultivated over more than twenty years.

A Biblical Flower Reclaimed from the Earth

The initiative was born in 2004, during the excavation of the Carmel tunnels. Bulbs of the white lily, a flower woven into the fabric of Jewish scripture, were unearthed during engineering works. With approval from the Nature and Parks Authority, the Simantov family took on the mission of saving this rare botanical treasure. Through Israeli tissue culture innovation, they produced thousands of new bulbs. Some were returned to the wild across the Carmel, while others remained at the nursery for propagation and conservation.