January 14, 2022
By CNAAN LIPHSHIZ
HAIFA, Israel (JTA) — Each year on Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish holiday celebrating trees and plants, Lior Weitz and his wife take their two daughters to plant saplings of pine — the tree that more than any other symbolizes Israel’s historic forestation project.
They join thousands of families at one of the annual planting ceremonies organized by the Jewish National Fund, a Zionist organization established in 1901...
January 14, 2022
(JNS.org via Israel Hayom) – Under heavy security, the Jewish National Fund’s Keren Kayemet LeYisrael (JNF-KKL) resumed planting trees in the Negev on Wednesday morning after they were halted the day before by an eruption of Bedouin violence.
At least 18 people were arrested following the rioting, that broke out in protest against JNF-KKL tree-planting ceremonies ahead of Tu B’Shevat, which begins on Sunday night, January 16.
Rioters placed...
January 29, 2021
By RABBI JOSEPH H. PROUSER
We welcome Tu B’Shevat – “The New Year of the Trees”– with words of song: “Ha-Shkeidiyah Porachat — The almond tree is blossoming, the golden sun is shining, and from every rooftop, songbirds herald the coming of the holiday.”
The almond is not a nut… but a “drupe” – a fleshy fruit with thin skin and a central stone containing the seed, a botanical designation...
February 09, 2020
By DAVID KRAEMER
NEW YORK (JTA) — Though deep in the winter of North America, we American Jews allow our hearts to warm slightly as we mark Tu B’Shevat — the “New Year of Trees,” when the earliest fruits in the Land of Israel begin to form on the trees.
Tu B’Shevat, the 15th of the month of Shevat, began as a technical date on the rabbinic calendar, the day that...
February 09, 2020
By RABBI JOSEPH H. PROUSER
Methuselah, the grandfather of Noah, is remembered as the Biblical character with the longest lifespan: 969 years (Genesis 5:27). Apparently owing to the prodigious dimensions of his age, Methuselah’s name is also used to designate over-sized wine bottles: those containing six litres (203 ounces) and standing 22 inches high.
Also aptly named after Methuselah is a bristlecone pine tree in the White Mountains of California....
January 26, 2018
The New Orleans Jewish Community Day School has announced plans to celebrate Tu B’Shevat on Sunday, January 28 with the Living Green Family Festival. The event will take place on Bart Field at the Goldring-Woldenberg Jewish Community Campus from 12 noon to 2:00 p.m.
Patrons will enjoy planting parsley, taking part in food cycle activities and even having an opportunity to have fun at a petting zoo.
To make sure RSVPs...
February 10, 2017
By ALINA DAIN SHARON
(JNS.org) — The Midrash in Kohelet Rabbah teaches that God told man He created everything for him. “Be careful not to spoil or destroy my world—for if you do, there will be nobody after you to repair it,” God said.
For more than a century, Keren Kayemet LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), which calls itself “Israel’s largest environmental organization,” has followed that tenet by protecting and preserving...
February 10, 2017
By MICHAEL BROWN
(JTA) — Trees have stories, and Israel’s trees have lots of stories. Scattered throughout the country, scores of ancient and historic trees help shed light on fascinating aspects of Israeli history, from the biblical to the modern, that are often overlooked by the average tourist.
As we approach Tu B’Shevat — the new year for the trees on the Jewish calendar falls on Feb....
February 10, 2017
The National Jewish Committee on Scouting is holding its annual Scout Shabbat weekend beginning tonight, which coincides with the observance of the Tu B’Shevat holiday. Known at “the New Year of the Trees,” the holiday celebrates nature and respect for the outdoors.
This celebration of nature is especially profound within the framework of Scouting, which encourages camping, hiking and appreciation for the divine in the outdoors.
A special Tu B’Shevat...
January 24, 2016
By SHAUL GOLDSTEIN
JERUSALEM (JTA) – The rabbinic tract Midrash Kohelet Raba tells us that when God created Adam, He took him to see each and every tree and plant, telling him to “make sure you do not degrade and spoil my planet – for if you do, there will be none to come after you and restore it.”
From the biblical injunction to protect natural woodland, even while laying...
