Spring in Israel....

Date of Issue : 19 April 2016

Here is a beautiful stamp  from Israel  Post depicting one of the greatest seasons of the year – spring. This time symbolizes blooming and renewal.In Jewish tradition, spring is also connected to the exodus from Egypt, the Jews’ liberation from slavery, which is also known in Hebrew as the Festival of Spring.

The spring stamp is one of a set of 4 stamps depicting “Four Seasons”. The first one “Winter” was issued February 9, 2016. Two others, “Summer” and “Autumn”, will be issued in June and September, 2016, respectively.

There is an atmosphere of awakening, new clothes, new shoes. Winter is over and a new season is here. “Great joy, great joy, spring has arrived and Passover is here”, wrote children’s poet Levin Kipnis. The wildflowers that began to bloom in the winter and come into full blossom in the spring are joined by the wonderful blossoming of almond trees, as well as deciduous fruit trees and more. Israel is filled with the sweet scent of its citrus trees. This can be seen on a bright stamp newly issued by Israeli Post.

Israel’s first modern city, Tel Aviv, was named for the spring (“aviv” in Hebrew). This is a brilliant translation by Nachum Sokolov of the name of Theodor Herzl’s book Altneuland (old-new land), in which Herzl foresees the development and renewal of the Jewish people in Eretz Israel.

“Here the spring is two days old, here the spring shall die young. Anyone who remains indoors is either disabled or a monk”, sang Naomi Shemer lovingly of our brief spring.