The Jacob sheep breed originated in the Middle East and is recognized as one of the oldest and most unique breeds. Its most distinctive feature is its four horns: two vertical central horns and two lateral horns that curl along the sides of the head. Their wool, spotted with black and white, is a precious raw material for the textile industry. Over the past 40 years, Jacob sheep have been widely recognized as one of the most complete breeds in the sheep industry, greatly admired by many.
The earliest records concerning Jacob sheep can be found in the Old Testament Book of Genesis. Jacob was repeatedly deceived by his father-in-law Laban, enduring his hardship for twenty years. He was also troubled by his two wives’ rivalry, suffering from scorching heat by day and freezing cold by night, unable to sleep, experiencing the full bitterness of living under another’s roof. He asked his father-in-law for his wages. Laban changed his wages ten times. When Jacob could no longer bear it, he finally decided to leave his father-in-law, but before leaving, he couldn’t depart empty-handed, for how would he support his large family of children? Jacob made an agreement with his father-in-law: Jacob would separate out all the speckled, spotted, and black sheep from the flock, and all the spotted and speckled goats. These would be his wages. If Laban later came to inspect, any goat in Jacob’s possession that was not spotted or speckled, or any sheep that was not black, would be considered stolen by him; this would prove his honesty. Laban said, “Good! I am willing to do as you say.” That day, Laban removed the streaked and spotted male goats, the speckled and spotted and white-streaked female goats, and the black sheep, and put them in the care of his sons. He then kept three days’ journey between himself and Jacob. Jacob then tended the rest of Laban’s flock.
Jacob must have known the timing of sheep mating, as ewes typically enter estrus in September, with a cycle every seventeen days. During this period, the ewes become particularly restless, welcoming rams to “assault” and then mate. Outside of estrus, ewes ignore rams. At this time, Jacob took fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled strips of bark from them, exposing the white wood. These strips were long and patterned brown. Jacob placed the peeled branches in the watering troughs and channels where the flocks drank. As the flocks came to drink, the female and male sheep conceived. While drinking, their eyes would see the striped branches, and Jacob believed that the conceived offspring would then be spotted, speckled, and streaked. After the sheep conceived, Jacob separated out all the speckled, spotted, and black sheep, as these were all to be his wages. The white sheep, however, belonged to Laban. Among the goats, the spotted and speckled ones also belonged to Jacob, while the solid-colored ones belonged entirely to Laban. He separated these two types, colored and uncolored, allowing his own sheep to continue breeding. Each time, he used the aforementioned method, resulting in more spotted and speckled sheep, while Laban’s solid-colored sheep were bred during their non-estrus periods, without using the branch method. As a result, Jacob’s flock greatly increased, while Laban’s sheep likely had a zero growth rate. Later, the angel of God called to Jacob in a dream, making him realize that the increase in his flock was entirely due to God’s grace.
According to genetic analysis, the Jacob sheep originated in ancient Syria, near Haran, Laban’s hometown. This type of sheep was likely brought by Jacob from Haran to Canaan, then taken with Jacob to Egypt and North Africa, then from North Africa to Spain, then to the United Kingdom, and subsequently to Canada. Today, Jacob sheep have become a mainstream breed in British sheep farming, with a population reaching 8,000, and up to 3,000 new Jacob lambs registered annually.
For thousands of years, this sheep breed had never been found in Israel. In 2014, Gil and Jenna Lewinsky and a farmer from “Canadian Jacob Project Consultants” happened to meet and learned that Jacob sheep had long been extinct in Israel. They felt divinely inspired to take on the mission as Jews, so they learned sheep farming, hoping one day to bring Jacob sheep back to Israel. After frequent contact between Canadian diplomatic agencies and Israeli authorities, the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture specifically set import standards for these sheep. Finally, in 2016, the Jacob sheep were brought back to Israel.
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