Everything to know about Tu BiShvat, the original Earth Day

By Yossi Kahana 

When is the last time you wished a tree Happy New Year? The 15th day of the month of Shevat on the Hebrew calendar is a great opportunity. It's known as Tu BiShvat, the New Year for Trees. This year, we will celebrate on Monday, February 10, 2020.

Why is Tu BiShvat in the winter? Why celebrate trees when nothing is growing?

The 15th of Shevat is the midpoint between fall and spring. Once half the winter has passed, its strength is weakened, the cold is not as intense, and the budding process begins.

So, yes, it may be smack in the middle of winter, but Tu BiShvat marks a turning point, a time when under all that cold and snow the sap of the trees is rising, readying for spring. 

From a Kenyan village to Israel and back: One woman's big science plans

The author and Kenneth Kiplang'at Chepkwony leader/mentor for AICAT Kenyan students. 

In Israel's south, at AICAT: The Arava International Center for Agricultural Training, students from around the world learn advanced agricultural practices they then take back to their home countries. Here's one student's inspiring story.

By Irene Chemtai Phungoh

My story starts in a pastoralist community in Kenya's arid West Pokot County where food, water, and energy insecurity have prevailed for a long time.
 
Sometime in the year 2006, the primary school I attended benefited from a water project courtesy of UNICEF and Danish pump manufacturer Grundfos. A solar-powered borehole drilled at the school brought relief to my school and the entire village.
 
Nearby sat a water collection tank, which would then become the heart of the school. At this point, we became partially relieved of the routine daily six-mile "water-searching missions."

One day on a hot weekend afternoon, as I washed clothes at the school tank, I was startled by the sight of large amounts of water falling from above. To some people, this would be just a tank’s overflow, but I was definitely challenged to do something about the excess precious liquid that was simply wasting away.

What I learned about life pruning pomegranate trees in Israel's desert

By Arielle Levy

I had the time of my life working on a farm in southern Israel along the border of Egypt pruning pomegranate trees. I contacted HaShomer HaChadash looking to volunteer on a farm so I could have a "pioneer" experience. I can't even express how much my week of manual labor far exceeded my expectations in the best possible way.

What I saw on the ground in Israel as the Gaza border crisis rages on

Ariel and Aleta (left) at the inauguration for the delivery of the first fire wagon funded by JNF.

By Ariel Grunberg

My wife, Aleta, and I were in Israel this summer and able to experience firsthand the tragic eco-terrorism being brought upon those living on the Gaza Envelope over the past few months. As members of the Jewish National Fund Gaza Envelope Task Force, we had visited the area many times and grew to know and care for many living on the border. With trepidation, we looked forward to visiting our friends to see for ourselves what had occurred.

Yedidya Harush, our guide and amazing JNF liaison from the Halutza communities, picked us up at at the Ofakim railroad station and took us to Gama, an area that had been consumed by fire. I was so saddened to see this and then I became angry. I asked myself how people could do such a horrible thing as to destroy wildlife and their natural habitats, forests that purify the air we need to breathe, and agricultural lands that provide food for a hungry world. The sheer cost just to replace what was burned is in the millions. Farmers lost so much -- land that was ready to yield crops and trees that took years to grow were gone, destroyed.

Fast fire wagons from JNF aid Israelis under siege along Gaza's border

Credit: Israel Fire and Rescue Services

Fires from incendiary devices shot across the border from Gaza have scorched thousands of acres in Israel's south. 

The families who call the Eshkol and Sha'ar Hanegev regions of Israel home have had an extremely traumatic few months.         

Since March, over 450 flaming kites, balloons, and rockets have been launched at their communities from Gaza. These terrorist devices scorch thousands of acres of agricultural land and forests -- resources the communities rely on as their main source of economic development.  

The fiery devices also spark emotional and physical damage, stoking fear and post-traumatic stress disorder in both adults and children forced to flee to shelters.

Dispatch from the front lines of the devastating Israel floods

The Arava Search and Rescue Team on the ground.

The Jewish National Fund Arava Task Force spent the past week in Israel, and their time there happened to coincide with the devastating storms in the area. Below Task Force chair Rebecca Fischer shares her impressions of being there during this trying time. To help with rescue efforts sorely needed in the area, please visit here.  

By Rebecca Fischer, Jewish National Fund Arava Task Force chair

I just returned from Israel. This was my 17th trip to Israel and I believe my 10th time in the Arava. This trip was unparalleled. We had an incredible time in the Hevel Eilot Region Sunday through Tuesday and the Central Arava Tuesday through Thursday, where we saw the fruits of our time and money literally rising from the desert.  

We met as a Task Force to review the projects proposed to us by both regions on Wednesday afternoon at Nof Zuqim, and to decide which projects we want to recommend to Jewish National Fund for support. However, we soon found ourselves trapped in the dining hall as a result of the sand and rain storms brewing outside, the likes of which none of us had ever witnessed. 

91-year-old veteran and great-grandpa wins Israel trip for Tu BiShvat

Gordon Mellish might just have a new favorite holiday.  

The 91-year old great-grandfather and WWII veteran from Clemmens, North Carolina, won the JNF Tu BiShvat Sweepstakes in celebration of the Jewish New Year for Trees.

Mellish is a retiree of the Martin Marietta Co. who also worked as a sewage treatment supervisor in Toledo, Ohio. He bought $2,000 worth of trees during the sweepstakes and said he supports Israel through Jewish National Fund regularly because he looks at Israel as a "flowering oasis." 

Hear what KKL-JNF's forestry rep Johannes Guagnin told the UN

Guagnin with KKL-JNF's chief Israel emissary at the United Nations this week. 

Johannes Guagnin, coordinator of research and foreign relations in the forestry department of KKL-JNF, delivered the following remarks at the United Nation's Forum on Forests this week.  

At the outset, I would like to thank the chair and the members of the bureau for their leadership and for convening this session, as well as the secretariat for their invaluable work in preparation for and during this session of UNFF. 

This week, the State of Israel celebrates its 69th Independence Day. It is therefore truly fitting that as we celebrate the birth of our country, we are also here to discuss the future of forests, which give life to our planet and livelihood to so many of its inhabitants.

Saplings honoring lost life take root in Israeli soil, and sisters' hearts

A firefighter's report from the front lines battling Israel's massive blazes

Brave firefighters working to calm the blazes. 

Stories of bravery and strength have begun pouring in following the fires that devastated Israel over the past week. Here, Udi Gal, a Jerusalem firefighter, tells JNF Impact about his experience.

By Udi Gal

Fear is not something that exists in our lexicon. We have had a rough week of fighting fires while dealing with difficult weather conditions, very dry air and strong winds causing the fires to flare up and spread within minutes. I salute and am proud of our firefighters who worked days and nights almost without rest, with great professionalism and courage to minimize the damage and ensure that everyone can return home safely. They risked their lives to save residents, animals, forests, and houses.

A JNF first: The much-needed Carmel Ridge Fire Station

From left: Marni Kriss, Commissioner Shachar Ayalon, and Ron Kriss. 

By Ron Kriss

While JNF has a long history of helping Israel Fire & Rescue Services -- nearly a third of all Israeli fire trucks have been funded by JNF -- we'd never done an actual fire station until two years ago. The tragic Carmel fire in 2010 that claimed the lives of 44 Israelis revealed critical needs, and JNF came forward to help.

Rabbi brings potent religious-diversity encounter back to the Arava desert

Representatives of diverse faiths attend the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs' conference.  

By Rabbi Michael Cohen

Founding faculty member, Arava Institute for Environmental Studies

On a sunny August desert morning, I found myself invited by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs to talk about the Arava Institute's research in solar energy at a conference of "Ancient Traditions Contemporary Realities: A Meeting of Israel-Asia Faith Leaders" in Jerusalem.

There were leaders from the Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Sikh, Shinto, and Taoist religions, as well as a number of rabbis and Jewish scholars. It was a fascinating three-day encounter between Judaism and religions one does not often find itself in contact, much less dialogue, with. And that was exactly the reason the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened this gathering. 

Trees need love too: Single Israeli palm seeks girl seed for hot dates

In what was thought to be a botanically impossible feat, Dr. Elaine Solowey of JNF partner the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES) managed to sprout a date palm from a 2,000-year-old seed excavated at Masada. Now she's looking for a female seed to procreate with that miracle male tree, thereby continuing the species. We're so proud of the AIES' work, we thought we'd give this tree with ancient roots a little modern help finding its basheret. 

Me: Hi, my name is Methuselah. I'm solid, grown from a strong base with dreams of reaching the sky. My birth was a miracle of science, and I owe my life to Dr. Elaine Solowey. I don’t want to brag, but I’m kind of a big deal. I love hot summer days, cool desert breezes, and history. Especially ancient Judeo-Roman history about Masada.   

Modern-day Methuselah: Meet the Israeli tree sprouted from a 2,000-year-old seed

Photo: Anne Taillandier

Dr. Elaine Solowey and her masterpiece, the Methuselah tree. 

Remarkable research and innovation is taking place at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, or AIES, a JNF partner that promotes professional cross-border scientific cooperation in the Middle East. Just one example of an AIES advancement: the date palm that an Arava Institute scientist successfully grew from a seed thousands of years old. Never heard of it? Read on for more on this amazing, one-of-a-kind tree. 

By Megan Turner

Methuselah is considered to have been the oldest living man in the Hebrew bible, reaching the esteemed age of 969. It is only appropriate, then, that a date palm that sprouted from a 2,000-year-old seed at southern Israel's Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES) carries the same name.   

Catch and release: Bird-banding in Yerucham brings unexpected joy

A recently banded bird at the Hoopoe Center of Ornithology and Ecology, just moments before its release. 

By Bob Weiss 

During last month's $1 Billion Roadmap mission to Israel, JNF's Yerucham Task Force got to sample how much fun it can be to actually play around town. First, we had rental bikes delivered to the new Desert Iris Hotel in the southern desert town. Then, our special guest partner, Ido Eisikovits from Green Horizons, tried to keep up as the task force, properly helmeted of course, rode downhill through town and into Yerucham Lake Park.

At the bottom of the hill, we were greeted by Yoram Zvik, manager of the Hoopoe, the Yerucham Center of Ornithology and Ecology, who runs a bird-banding and education program in the park. The Yerucham Lake, located in the middle of the park, is formed by a dam to capture seasonal runoff. Although its level fluctuates quite a bit during the year, there is always open water, making it easy to spot in the Negev as tens of thousands of birds pass over on their way between Africa and Europe. Yerucham is one of the best places in Israel to easily watch the parade.

Water trip through Israel gives student hope for a dry, troubled region

Photo: Anne Taillandier

At the Arava Institute in the bone-dry Arava desert, students are studying ways to optimize water resources in the Middle East.  

By Ronni Gurwicz

When I wake up most Tuesday mornings on campus here at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, I stare out the window at the beautiful mountains, and one thought immediately crosses my mind: "Damn it's dry as a bone out there." 

Now, although I have lived in the Arava desert since last September and in Israel for the past few years, there must be some part of me that pines for the rain-soaked green surroundings of the north of England, my native country. This often puts me in a bit of a dilemma. Should I be brushing my teeth in this place of acute water shortage? Or maybe I should be drinking imported Icelandic Coca-Cola to avoid using the local non-renewable groundwater? It's a fascinating subject, and one that we have started to study and research this semester in the Water Resources in the Middle East class with Clive Lipchin.

This brings me back to Tuesdays. Last week, instead of my usual staring-through-the-window tradition, I grabbed my bag and headed to the bus to join students, interns, and staff of the institute on a three-day transboundary water management trip just before International Water Day. 

Tu BiShvat bash in Tel Aviv connects hundreds with their roots: 'I've never seen anything like it'

By Shira Nussdorf

Heavy winds and driving rain couldn't dampen spirits at the Tel Aviv Tu BiShvat wine and cheese tasting seder this past Sunday night. Hundreds of young Jews gathered at the JNFuture Israel event to learn traditional Tu BiShvat customs using the latest technology. 

"I came all the way from Jerusalem to check out this scene,” said Ahuva Moses, a sociologist from New York City. "I've never seen anything like it."

Guests included students and new olim (immigrants), JNFuture members, and a rabbi to lead the event. Rabbi Shlomo Chayen, with a glass in one hand and an iPhone in the other, challenged the crowd to participate in a Jewish-themed trivia game. Winners received a bottle of wine from a Golan winery as participants learned blessings. 

For Tu BiShvat, going back to nature as it was in biblical times

Tu BiShvat, the 15th of Shevat on the Jewish calendar, marks the new year for trees in Israel. It's a time of renewal in nature when the earliest-blooming trees awaken from their dormant winter state and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle. 

There is perhaps no better place in Israel to observe this process than at Neot Kedumim, a reserve that's host to a biblical landscape in the heart of the country. Neot Kedumim was founded in 1964 near the city of Modi'in, and was once a barren no-man's land on the border with Jordan. Its founder, the late Israel Prize winner Nogah Hareuveini, turned it into a lush re-creation of Israel's ancient landscape that today serves as both a 625-acre park and a learning center. It also encompasses the Jewish National Fund (JNF) Harvey Hertz Ceremonial Tree Planting Center.

Bird watcher's Israel adventure brings soaring sights in the sky and on the ground

Photo: David Spalter

By David Spalter

When I first read about the Jewish National Fund’s birding center in Northern Israel’s Hula Valley, I immediately began planning a visit. As an avid birder, I felt compelled to witness the migration that happens each spring and fall, when 500 million birds travel across the Upper Galilee. Still, when I spoke of my plan, many expressed puzzlement at the notion of traveling over 6,000 miles to see some birds.

Of course, this was not the sole purpose of my trip. I had a much larger agenda. It is my strong belief that anything that draws visitors to Israel is of paramount importance to the Jewish state. In addition to the direct economic impact, being "on the ground" is the only way to fully appreciate Israel's struggles, its triumphs, and its unquestionable value. This is a concept I wish to promote within my community. However, to effectively sell this concept, first I had to live it. And so, "Operation Come for the Birds, Stay for the Zionism" commenced.

Green dreams: Innovative urban farm in Negev wins environmental prize

An Earth's Promise member works with 
Ethiopian children at a Be'er Sheva urban farm. 

By June Glazer

In keeping with Jewish National Fund's Blueprint Negev initiative, which aims to revitalize Israel’s southern region, the country’s environmental ministry last week awarded its prestigious Environmental Prize of the Negev to Earth’s Promise. Earth’s Promise, a JNF partner, is an organization that promotes environmental sustainability and urban agriculture in Be'er Sheva and other Israeli cities. 

Be'er Sheva, once a sleepy, dusty desert town, today is a sprawling, bustling city that is often referred to as the "capital of the Negev." It is the seventh most populous city in Israel, and in recent years, has become home to a large influx of Ethiopian immigrants. It is for them that Earth’s Promise was started in 2007. 

"The idea behind it was to help make our city green, but to do it in a community fashion,” said Ethelea Katzenell, an Earth's Promise founding board member, who recounted how a committee was formed to work with the Kalisher Absorption Center, where many Ethiopians lived. "Since their background was mostly agrarian, we thought we could help them to literally sink new roots into their new country by starting a community garden with them," she said.