KKL-JNF Tu Bishvat celebrations are already underway, even though it is only the beginning of the month of Shvat. Children, youth, senior citizens, new immigrants, families, people with special needs, IDF orphans and various communities from all over Israel will be participating in festive Tu Bishvat ceremonies, activities at KKL-JNF nurseries and tree planting events. A special central ceremony took place on February 5 at the Jerusalem Forest, where Australian and Israeli youth planted trees.
In attendance at the ceremony were Deputy Minister of Defense Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan, Deputy Jerusalem Mayor Yael Entebbe, KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar, KKL-JNF Board Member Shamai Keinan, KKL-JNF Resource Development and Public Relations Acting Executive Director Moshe Pearl, and KKL-JNF Chief of Protocol Andy Michelson. Also participating in the ceremony were 90 students who are part of the Israel By Choice (IBC) program from Australia, and fifth-grade pupils from the Ein Harim elementary school in Ein Kerem, which is located next to the Grove of Nations in Jerusalem Forest.
Before the festive ceremony began, all the participants arrived at the ceremony plaza of the Grove of Nations, and were impressed by the olive trees that have been planted here by heads of states from all over the world during their visits to Israel. Many students from the Australian delegation walked between the dedication plaques to find and identify names of presidents and prime ministers who had planted trees in the grove.
Andy Michelson welcomed the Australians with the traditional cheer “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!” to which they called out the customary response: “Oi, oi, oi!”
The fifth graders from the Ein Harim school sat in the shade of the trees and heard from their teachers about the history of KKL-JNF and its work for the benefit of people, the environment and the State of Israel.
IBC is a program for Jewish Australian youth who come to Israel for six months to a year. As part of the program, the students participate in volunteer activities MASA and the Jewish Agency. The current group includes about 90 students. Altogether, about 350 young people from Australia come every year on programs. This present group came for Tu Bishvat activities as part of a day program that was led by the Overseas Department of the KKL-JNF Education and Youth Division.
Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Yael Entebbe noted at the ceremony that “planting trees is our way; this is our answer to all the fires, to all the arson. This is our way of saying we are here, we are here to stay. This is the bond that connects the people of Israel to its country by planting trees. We’re not just thinking about ourselves, we’re also thinking about the next generation and future generations. All of us together will therefore plant for ourselves and also for future generations.”
KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar told the audience that he would like to make Tu Bishvat, a KKL-JNF holiday, into an international day that everyone would observe. “One day like this every year that the entire world would unite around. I think that on the day that we will be able to do this, KKL-JNF will have made an impact not only on the Jewish people and the land of Israel, but on the entire world.”
In his remarks, Atar lauded KKL-JNF employees and noted that “without KKL-JNF workers, Israel would not look as beautiful as it does.”
Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan said that according to the Talmudic sages, “one of the most outstanding signs of the redemption is that the moment the trees of Israel produce fruit prolifically, this is a sign that redemption is on the way. We all know that 160 years ago, the author Mark Twain visited here and said that he wasn’t able to find one tree on which to rest his head under after three days of touring the country. Now, here we are 160 years later, and thanks to KKL-JNF and other organizations, the land of Israel is blossoming.”
At the end of the speeches, everyone was ready to begin the work of planting trees. Rabbi Ben-Dahan recited the Planter’s Prayer in Hebrew, and Alexa Koblantz, a student from the Australian delegation, recited the prayer in English.
Afterwards, all the participants made their way to the many seedlings that waited for them next to the small holes that had been prepared beforehand by KKL-JNF foresters. The mass planting, a very moving experience for the participants, began, and everyone received a KKL-JNF flag as a gift and of course, took pictures of each other planting trees in Jerusalem.