By Deena Levenstein
While in certain parts of the world this season is known for bare trees and grey skies, Israel is quite the opposite. There are many blue-sky days and the rainy days make many parts of the country seem like they are covered in a lush carpet of green. The trees blossom and surprise wild flowers pop out of the ground for a few weeks (more on that here soon!).
It makes sense that it is this time of year that we celebrate Tu B’Shvat, the holiday known as the new year of the trees. This year it falls on February 4, 2015 (beginning on the eve before). It is the day on which people plant trees and generally become one with nature through fruit-eating and out-door frolicking.
The thing is that this year is Shmita, the sabbatical year in Israel during which the ground is allowed to rest. This means no planting, pruning, harvesting and other farming activity. Shmita is the seventh year in a seven year cycle (which, in turn, is part of a 50 year cycle) and it is observed by the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund.
So this year the holiday is a celebration of nature, as always, but sans tree planting.
There are events and Tu B’Shvat seders throughout Israel. Here is a list of things to do in Jerusalem for Tu B’Shvat this year. Full disclaimer: I wrote half of the list. 🙂
So go have yourself a happy Tu B’Shvat and a great hug with a tree.
- ‘Tis the season of blooming almond trees (photo source)
Subscribe to our newsletter
you may also like
-
Planning A Bar Or Bat Mitzvah At Masada? Think again
By Joe Yudin, CEO of Touring Israel Almost every week someone asks me if I can plan their son’s or daughter’s…
March 7, 2016 -
Passover In Israel
By Joe Yudin, CEO of Touring Israel Passover in Israel is indeed a unique experience. School is out not for one…
April 20, 2016 -
A Walk Through An Old-New Land Pt. III
By Joe Yudin I used to wander around Neve Tzedek in the early 1990’s. The buildings were falling apart, the roads…
December 2, 2014 -
Boutique Wine in Biblical Country
The Gvaot Boutique Winery in central Binyamin sits atop a hill, amongst its vineyards. The tastings were lovely, meeting the owner was wonderful and being out there was beautiful.
March 3, 2015 -
Outside The Box – Touring Israel featured in OutThere Magazine
We invite you to read this fantastic article (below) written by journalist Uwern Jong and featured in the current issue of…
January 10, 2018 -
It’s all about the hotels in Israel, where luxe meets historic
For a small country, Israel has a lot of hotels. There are luxury hotels and simple kibbutz accommodations, spacious resorts and…
January 4, 2018 -
4 Traditions That Define Shavuot in Israel
Harvesting wheat in Israel Shavuot, one of the three pilgrimage holidays to Jerusalem in the Jewish calendar, is one of the…
May 22, 2015 -
Israel the Enigma
Israel is an inspiring enigma which you’ll begin to understand, and definitely begin to fall in love with, once you start experiencing it for yourself.
November 7, 2015 -
Joe Yudin & Touring Israel Featured in Bloomberg
Touring Israel has once again been featured in a new article about luxury touring experiences in Israel, this time in Bloomberg.com….
January 24, 2018