SPONSORED CONTENT / Over 2,200 years ago, at the heart of the Hanukkah story, a miraculous jar of olive oil burned in Jerusalem for eight nights. Today, that legacy lives on with a modern twist: a handmade ceramic jar filled with olive oil from the Holy Land, blended with organic ingredients to soothe burning muscles, aches, dry skin, and more.
For Simcha and Rachel Gluck, the creators of Salves of Jerusalem, olive oil from Israel is truly “the balm.” Unlike water-based lotions, their salves are oil-based and enriched with beeswax, infused with organic herbs renowned for their anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial, and antiseptic properties—bringing ancient wisdom to modern wellness.
The couple has beautifully combined their personal miracles with a rich family legacy. After more than a decade of infertility, they experienced the blessing of natural childbirth, deepening their connection to wellness and spirituality.
For Simcha, as Chief Salve Maker, this transformative journey is intricately woven into his work, inspired by his great-grandfather—a third-generation Jerusalem rabbi who crafted and sold natural soaps on donkey journeys between Jerusalem and Jericho. Today, they continue this cherished tradition, creating organic herbal salves from their home in Jerusalem, infused with love, blessings, and the healing power of the Holy Land.
Salves of Jerusalem’s Herbal Family Salve is a testament to ancient healing traditions, crafted with organic, medicinal-grade frankincense and myrrh—key ingredients in the biblical incense offering. These premium ingredients are also featured in their Fountain of Youth Face Serum, celebrated for rejuvenating and restorative properties. The Herbal Family Salve nourishes and protects skin, making it ideal for scars, rashes, stretch marks, and dry skin. Instagram influencer and orthodox nurse, Miriam Ezigui shares, “The Herbal Family Salve is on my bedside table because I really like it!”
Building on the Herbal Family Salve’s foundation of care, the Magic Muscle Balm takes relief to the next level, targeting sore muscles, joint pain, and tension. Infused with organic arnica or artemisia judaica, the balm harnesses the anti-inflammatory and soothing properties of these herbs, complemented by the cooling effects of peppermint, camphor, and eucalyptus essential oils. Handmade with care, the Magic Muscle Balm transforms ancient remedies into modern solutions for athletes and active lifestyles.
Embraced by Jerusalem’s Athletes
Top athletes in Jerusalem have embraced the salves, including Olympic-hopeful runner Beatie Deutsch and basketball star Tamir Goodman. Known as the “marathon mom,” Deutsch became famous for running the 2017 Tel Aviv Marathon seven months pregnant.
Now one of Israel’s fastest female runners, she calls the Magic Muscle Balm “essential” for soothing sore muscles, adding, “I use it almost every night—it’s relaxing, tingly, and smells amazing.”
Goodman, dubbed the “Jewish Jordan” after appearing on Sports Illustrated’s cover in 1999, first tried the balm after hearing Deutsch’s glowing reviews. “I’ve got lingering basketball battle wounds,” he explained, noting the balm provides relief within minutes. As a former professional player in Israel, Goodman highlights the salves’ unique energy, suggesting their use in athletic rehabilitation.
The Power of Herbal Infusions
“There is so much divine wisdom in plants, and combining them the right way makes a huge difference,” Rachel Gluck explains. Their process begins with months-long infusions of organic olive oil and herbs, allowing the oil to extract medicinal properties. The infused oil is then strained, heated, and blended with essential oils, beeswax, shea butter, and coconut oil, before being poured into tins and jars to cool into a therapeutic salve.
The Holy Herbal Family Salve showcases this dedication to quality, featuring chamomile for anti-bacterial and calming effects, helichrysum for antioxidant and antimicrobial benefits, and calendula for its anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. “A lot of the medicinal herbs we use are anti-inflammatory, and many illnesses tend to be inflammatory,” Simcha explains. “When you rub the salves into the skin, which is the largest organ of the body and part of the integumentary system, you’re able to give your body all-natural ingredients from the outside-in.”
Happy Hand Balm: A Balm for the Harsh Winter
A relatively new addition to the product line, the Happy Hand Balm was created by Simcha to address dried, cracked, and red hands—and even feet. This balm, unique for being completely free of essential oils, caters to individuals with hyper-sensitive skin or conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. With the ongoing cold winter, Simcha notes a significant uptick in demand for this soothing and protective product.
The Glucks’ journey into salve-making began with their friend Devorah Levine, who brought years of experience crafting natural remedies and herbal medicines in the Amish community. Inspired, Simcha recalls diving into intensive research on health products like supplements, juicing, and herbal salves. “When it resonates, I dive in and include it, and make it part of our lives,” he says.
Rachel shares that the business “started accidentally” in 2013 when they began making salves for personal use. Homemade batches soon turned into thoughtful gifts for friends, whose enthusiasm and encouragement eventually convinced the couple to bring Salves of Jerusalem to life as a thriving business.
Healing hits home
The therapeutic and soothing properties of their salves became even more personal than expected when the Glucks’ middle son, then less than 3-years old, was diagnosed with stage-four liver cancer. Rachel recalled rubbing the salves on her son’s feet every night to soothe him.
Following chemotherapy, a host of alternative treatments and major liver surgery, their son has miraculously been cancer free for over 6 years. (The Glucks do not imply that their salves cure cancer by any means.)
During their son’s recovery, the Glucks started putting more energy into mass-producing the salves, in part to take their mind off the traumatic experience. The known healing properties of the salve’s natural ingredients plus the harrowing story the Gluck’s nightmarish-turned-miraculous ordeal have resonated with many Jerusalemites who now regularly purchase the salves.
Now being carried by the local hip skin-and-body-care shop called Dusha, in Downtown Jerusalem to being featured in Lev HaOlam’s Jerusalem box, which goes out to more than 10,000 supporters of artisanal Israeli businesses, Salves of Jerusalem has really begun to scale. “As the world get more digital and virtual, I feel called to be more tactile, real, and natural. That connection with “Hashem ingredients” (specifically grown here in Israel) has me feeling deeply connected when I’m working in my herbalism studio”, Simcha shares.
Following Israel’s annual olive harvest just several weeks ago, the Glucks invested in multiple 18 liter jugs of organic olive oil from farmers in the forest outside of Beit Shemesh, to make salves throughout the coming year. The purchase coincided with the beginning of the Jewish month of Kislev, the month in which the Hanukkah holiday takes place.
In the spirit of the upcoming Hanukkah holiday, the Glucks are offering a special 12% discount for JNS readers, with coupon code: HOLIDAYMIRACLES
In the romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Greek patriarch Michael Constantine suggests a spray of Windex for any and all cures and ailments, “from psoriasis to poison ivy” and pimples to inflammation. Hearing the litany of medicinal properties of Rachel and Simcha Glucks’ Salves of Jerusalem is reminiscent of the Windex solve-all.
Yet with benefits touted by pharmacological studies and Jerusalem’s top athletes alike, perhaps it would behoove Mr. Constantine to drop the spray bottle and pick up a Salve of Jerusalem instead.
Any health claims, implicit or otherwise are the responsibility of Salves of Jerusalem. Publication does not constitute specific endorsement by JNS.
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