I am sure that I am not the only kid in religious school who wondered how on earth “they” could have mis-planned the timing of the spring holiday of Tu B’shvat to be in the middle of winter. Instead of being a time of year with green sprouts and flowering buds my world was covered by a blanket of white snow (and subsequently a lovely brown/grey icy slush on the roads).
Here in Israel I get it. The season and the holiday match up… This time of year the rains are in full swing (as I write this the wind is blowing and the clouds seem to promise rain soon!), the land has returned to green for at least a few months, and the country is coming together for tree plantings.
The popular Israeli children’s Tu B’shvat song describes the atmosphere of the holiday quite well…
“The almond trees are blooming, the golden sun is shining...”
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| A view looking towards Jerusalem from the Judean Hills. Take a look at the almond tree's flowers and also the black almonds on the branches. |
"Birds call out about the holiday from every roof"
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| I don't think this is what the song was talking about but it might look something like this (these are peacocks near the Haifa Zoo) |
“Tu B’shvat, the holiday of the trees has arrived…” and children all over the country are celebrating to holiday in traditional fashion… by planting of trees.
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| Tu B'shvat planting in the Talpiot neighborhood community garden, Jerusalem |
The garden seen here is part of the JDC-Israel project that works with residents of socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods to establish community gardens. These Joint supported gardens are used as a tool bring neighbors together for a unifying communal project to beautify previously neglected urban spaces and improve residents’ connection to and sense of ownership over their own local environment.
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| A birds eye view of a portion of the Talpiot neighborhood community garden |
Since my arrival to Israel I have been working on mapping out and surveying all of the JDC supported gardens throughout Israel (nearly 150 at the moment… with more each day!) and have also been in the field, volunteering with the garden seen above, in Jerusalem.
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| Me with a number of participants showing off their eggplants in the Rehovot Ethiopian Women's Garden |
Each community garden takes on its own character. Some are big some are small. Some have vegetables, others flowers, and many grow both. Some are tended to by Ethiopian Israeli elderly, some by veteran Israelis, and many more by a mixture of different populations.
At the end of the day though, these are just small details as the success of these gardens is not determined by how much is grown but rather by the blossoming of the residents' ability to take ownership over and connect to their own physical environment. It’s been amazing to see and take part in the overwhelmingly positive impact these gardens are having all over the country- looking forward to more to come!
Chag Tu B’Shvat Sameach!
Ayal אייל
