Planting trees, and the seeds for Israel’s future
Celebrate Tu B’Shevat
Jewish National Fund is celebrating Tu B’Shevat at the Cooperman JCC in West Orange. Through Jan. 30, JNF is hosting three stations where people can purchase trees to be planted in Israel.
On Saturday evening, Jan. 30, JNF will hold Saturday Night Live for children in grades one-eight, with activities for preschoolers and kindergartners. The celebration, from 7 to 10 p.m., will include a dance party, a sports zone, pool games, and a crafts station celebrating the environment.
The fee for SNL is $40, $30 for members (siblings are half price). Advance registration is required; contact Rich Dinetz at 973-530-3929 or rdinetz@jccmetrowest.org.
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January 27, 2010
There is nothing quite like the feeling you get when you plant a tree in Israel for the first time. There’s something about getting down on your knees and connecting to the soil, the earthiness of it all, the tactile connection to the land of your forefathers and the feeling that you are not only linking up with the past but doing something for the future. Planting a tree in Israel is a wonderful experience no matter how many times you do it. Of course, it is best if you physically do the planting yourself, but it’s rewarding just the same if you facilitate the process from here.
Tu B’Shevat, the 15th of Shevat on the Jewish calendar — celebrated this year on Shabbat, January 30 — is the day that marks the beginning of a New Year for Trees. It is a celebration of spring’s rebirth and renewal, an appreciation of the interconnectedness of man and nature.
Originally Tu B’Shevat was the date used by farmers to calculate the year’s crop yield and determine the tithe that the Bible requires. But over the years Tu B’Shevat has become synonymous with two things: planting trees in Israel, and the organization that is known for its tree planting — Jewish National Fund.
JNF’s trees were paid for by donors around the world and planted by the early settlers to lay claim to the land. Since then, JNF has planted more than 240 million trees in Israel. They protect the land, prevent soil erosion, green the landscape, and preserve vital ecosystems. The trees maintain forest health, combat desertification, protect watersheds, and manage water flow. Additionally, they create a “green lung” to combat carbon dioxide emissions in the region. JNF’s success at planting trees in Israel has resulted in naturally expanded forests and reclaimed deserts. And it has transformed our foresters into experts who share their knowledge with others around the world.
Tree planting aside, I have had several other visceral experiences thanks to my work with JNF. It has opened up parts of Israel to me I never knew existed. Like the thanks I received from a local farmer when I visited a JNF-built reservoir, without which he would have no crops and no income. Or the relief a resident on the Lebanese border shared with me owing to the security roads we built to provide safe travel. The excitement a young couple exuded when they showed me the trailer they were living in, in a new community in the Negev, and the blueprints for their new permanent home.
There’s the feeling that just overflows at JNF’s Aleh Negev, a residential rehabilitative community for people with severe disabilities, knowing the role JNF played in ensuring that the residents will thrive.
And then there’s JNF’s work in Sderot.
Last year, on an annual mission I take with about 25 committed people — ardent Zionists and intimately involved with JNF — we attended the opening celebration of the Sderot Indoor Recreation Center built by JNF to give the community’s children a safe place to play. It was just a month or two after Operation Cast Lead, and tensions were still high. In a town that had been under rocket attack for eight long years, posttraumatic stress disorders were the norm, parents would not let their kids play outside, and life had come to a virtual standstill.
In 10 months, we had raised $5 million and retrofitted an empty warehouse in the business district of Sderot with 300 tons of steel. We built an indoor soccer field, climbing wall, video arcade, movie theater, disco, early childhood playing area, and more.
The grand opening took place over Purim, and we hosted an outdoor carnival for the residents. I felt truly blessed that day, blessed that we had played a role in bringing laughter back to these kids, relief back to their parents, and fun back in their lives. We brought a light of hope and humanity to what had been a very dark place. Today, the rec center is enjoyed by almost 400 kids daily.
JNF is well into its second century of existence but we are as relevant today as we were in 1901. We touch so many lives with our work — mine included.
Comments
Paul Beck
January 28, 2010
Here is a story received today from the Gerrard Berman Day School in Oakland, New Jersey. Now, what child do you think is more likely to plant a tree? One of these children or one in public school? We need to support Day Schools!
Reflections from a parent today.
Rabbi Bernhardt
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I wanted to share something with you…its a good thing, a great moment of many great moments that happen at GBDS.
I was at school this morning with the other 10 kids and 3 parents, waiting to hear if school would be cancelled , if we would have teachers or more students , if the busses were okay….So I waited and stood around, my children already very happily in their classrooms. At about 835 the entire student body (all 10 of them at that point) marched downstairs and had T’filah led by Jessica S and Jessica F. There was no teacher in the room. They didn’t need one, of course they knew what to do. What impressed me and made me kvell for all of them was that while the Jessicas were so beautifully leading the prayers, the other students were praying, singing, chanting in beautiful strong voices. No one was fooling around, no one seemed the least bit distracted by the snow or the “mild chaos” of question in the lobby.
It was truly beautiful to see. I love that my children love school so much that the question of a snow day never even came up for them. I love that despite the difficulties this morning Mr Smolen seemed to make it clear that it was business as usual. I love that these kids are such good kids that they did this without question or any observable issue. And I LOVE that, as typical in Judaism, despite what is happening in our worlds, we take the moments and we pray, we observe.
I know this morning was far from beautiful for many people and I know it was a stressful morning. I hope everyone is safe. And maybe its just me having one of my mushy GBDS moments but….I wanted to share anyway!