In modern-day Israel Tu B’shvat is all about nature, ecology awareness and family activities that are focused on celebrating the environment. Families are spending their day planting trees and plants, whether it is with JNF or with their hometown communities.

As a young kid, I remember that every Tu B’shvat we would receive plants at school to later plant and tend for them at home. I loved visitng my grandparents to celebrate the holiday with the Tu B’shvat Seder, and celebrating my Hebrew birthday (I was excited to share my birthday with trees!)
Nowadays, when we see ecological changes in our world, Israelis celebrate Tu B’shvat as an ecology awareness day. Planting trees, cleaning forests and doing anything they can to give back to Mother Nature.

In the last two weeks of the Torah portions, we have read about the 10 plagues that god brought upon Egypt when they refused to let his people go. We read about it in the Torah portion as well as the Hagadah on Passover. I thought we could use the opportunity of Tu B’shvat and the ecological meaning that Israelis gave it and mention the “10 human plagues” on our environment.

You can read all about it here:
http://blogs.rj.org/rac/2014/04/07/the-10-human-plagues-on-our-environment/

If you want to know what Israel is doing to help solve some of the ecological problems, you can go to the Jewish National Fund’s (JNF) website and read about their work.

You can also help plant a tree in Israel!
http://www.jnf.org/

Have more questions? Email me at or.hmdetroit@gmail.com.
Until next time…
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