|
Tu B’Shvat in Israel
Tu B’Shvat, one of four new years mentioned in the Mishnah, marks the "New Year of the Trees." The name of the holiday derives from the Hebrew date, the 15th day, or Tu, of Shvat. Tu is an acronym of the Hebrew numerals tet vav, or 15. This year, we celebrate Tu B’Shvat on Shabbat, January 30.
The common symbol for the holiday is the almond tree, and in fact, this time of year is when almond trees are budding all over Israel, adding their pink and white to the Israeli winter. On Tu B’shvat, we eat nuts and dried fruits, especially figs, dates, raisins, carob, and almonds, and we plant trees. All over the country, schoolchildren plant young trees. Love, prayers, plenty of sunshine, and hope go into the process, but the one ingredient that a tree needs most—water—is lacking. Every Israeli traveling abroad can’t get enough of the sight of the many rivers and lakes in other parts of the world. We can’t believe that open drinking fountains are available for public use. I once tried to close a public tap in Italy because I was so concerned with the waste of free, flowing water! In Israel, every child is familiar with the need to save water. We are all used to minimizing our use of water when showering, washing dishes, or doing laundry.
A recent media campaign featuring beautiful Israeli women whose faces were covered with dry cracks had a significant effect on Israeli consumers. The campaign led to a decrease of 13.5 percent of water consumption, or 70 million cubic meters. But an advertising campaign is not enough. The Israeli government also decided to increase the cost of water. The extra revenue will help to finance more desalination plants. Israel plans to have six desalination plants in operation by 2012 to supply 300 million cubic meters of water, nearly half the country’s household water consumption. Israel has begun examining the possibility of importing water from Turkey, despite recent tensions between the two countries. Turkey has large water reserves flowing into the Mediterranean Sea, while Israel suffers from a serious water shortage.
The book of Deuteronomy, 20, 19 says: "For the human is like a tree in the field." Israel celebrates trees and flowers throughout all aspects of life. Many Israeli songs are about trees and what they symbolize. Popular Israeli names for boys are Erez (cedar); Alon (oak); Dekel (palm); Oren (pine); Tomer (palm); and more. Girls are named after flowers: Nurit (buttercup); Rakefet (primrose); Lilach (lilac); Kalanit (windflower); Shoshanna (rose); and many more. Most early childhood centers and kindergartens are also named after flowers, and every city has streets with the names of flowers and trees. In addition, many of Israel's major institutions chose Tu B’Shvat for their formal openings. The cornerstone-laying at the Hebrew University took place on Tu B’Shvat 1918; the Technion in Haifa, on Tu B’Shvat 1925; and the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, 1948.
Enjoy some Israeli Tu B’Shvat songs:
|
.gif)
.gif)
.gif)
