Photo: David Roth
David and Judy Roth gift wrap a jar of honey from their beehive in London, England, when they need a Rosh Hashanah gift. Honey is traditionally eaten with apples on the Jewish new year. But the hobby has a spiritual dimension. Observing bees gave him “an immense appreciation for the marvel of God or nature, depending on your perspective,” Roth said. One US nonprofit, Bees for Peace, encourages rabbis, imams and priests to launch beekeeping projects for their spiritual aspect. An average colony has 50,000 individuals and “all have a role and a purpose to them,” David says. “They look after each other. None of the bees go to bee school. They instinctively learned it.” While bee mortality has skyrocketed recently, home beekeepers can make a difference, said Roth. “From a beekeeping perspective, you can’t change the world, but you can make a difference. And every little bit helps.”
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