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Holy local honey for the High Holidays

Holy Honey is made from beehives at Philadelphia's Congregation Rodeph Shalom.

Market Basket: Holy Honey. KAIT MOORE / Staff Photographer
Market Basket: Holy Honey. KAIT MOORE / Staff PhotographerRead moreKAIT MOORE

Beehives that sit atop a Philadelphia synagogue have produced a harvest of raw honey that is available for the upcoming High Holidays.

The Holy Honey, sold in 8-ounce jars, comes from beehives on the roof of Congregation Rodeph Shalom, on the 600 block of North Broad Street. It's the second harvest of the raw wildflower honey, which began as a bar mitzvah project by Arthur LaBan (son of Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan). Professional beekeeper Don Shump, of the Philadelphia Bee Co., has advised the project, tending the hives with help from lay members of the congregation.

The honey is infused with floral flavors that come from the wildflowers in the yards and urban farms that the bees visit in North Philadelphia, said Rabbi Eli C. Freedman.

"The bees have a radius of a couple of miles that they fly in," he said.

All proceeds from the honey sales go toward supporting the project.

Holy Honey, $15; available for purchase Mon-Fri from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Congregation Rodeph Shalom; rodephshalom.org.