Date-Wand 

Left: Dates on the palm tree
Right: After the harvest. .

Date wands (palm fronds - sansanim) are the branches of the palm tree that contain the dates.

The first to weave with date wands in this country were Ruth Deniv and Herzel Auster thirty years ago. They adapted the traditional Mediterranean method of weaving local branches. Olive, mastic and other branches have always been used by the Arab farmers of Galilee, who used them to make rough, simple baskets for private use. Better known were baskets of straw. These were made by the women of Galilee, using a wrapping technique.

Weaving with date wands brought innovation to traditional basketry. The fronds are collected during the date harvest in the autumn. It takes six months until they dry and are ready for use. Unlike olive or willow branches (which have a hard shell and are soft inside), they are made of fibers. In this respect they resemble rattan, which comes from a tropical palm in the Far East.

One can put a lot of weight on a palm-frond basket, because it is made as a single unit (unlike willow baskets, whose bottom and sides are woven separately). It is strong, lightweight and durable.