Schools are getting ready for Tu Bishvat with class excursions to KKL-JNF nurseries to see how a seed becomes a sapling ready for planting. Meanwhile, public institutions all around Israel are sending representatives to pick up truckloads of plants for their schoolchildren, communities and IDF soldiers to plant on the day.
The festive spirit at KKL-JNF nurseries around the country is now in full swing with the Tu Bishvat festival just a week and a half away. Busloads of schoolchildren have been coming to the KKL- JNF nursery in Eshtaol in central Israel for morning activities, including a look-and-learn tour to see the stages of growth of a tree. The afternoons at Eshatol are devoted to families that have pre-registered for their visit. In the midst of all this activity, a continuous succession of cars and trucks are being loaded with saplings and herbs destined for local councils, army bases and other public institutions, for planting on the day. Similar events have been taking place at the KKL-JNF Nursery near the Golani Junction in the Galilee, and at the KKL-JNF Nursery in Gilat in the Negev.
KKL-JNF Nursery Guide Yalon Gurman said that the schoolchildren love the tour, especially the part where they get to rub their hands in the earth to feel the different types of soil. “My mandate”, he said, “is to explain to the visitors the various stages of growing a tree while leading them through the nursery, from collecting the seeds to sprouting the seeds in greenhouses, until the planting of the saplings in containers.” Gurman said that he makes sure to adapt his explanations to the age and receptiveness of the audience.
Tu Bishvat is the Jewish festival marking the New Year for trees. It is also called the Tree Festival. In Israel, the holiday is widely observed by planting trees. On the day of Tu Bishvat, tens of thousands of young saplings are planted in Israel’s woodlands and forests and in residential areas around the country. Tu Bishvat is thus the festival most associated with KKL-JNF.
KKL-JNF Golani Nursery Director Hirui Amare said that by Tu Bishvat time, his nursery alone will have distributed over 60 thousand tree saplings and 25 thousand herb baskets. “The tree saplings, including pines, cypresses, cedars, redbuds, olives, pistacia, jujubes and figs, are intended for public entities, educational institutions, and IDF bases, while the herb baskets, containing a mixture of different types of plants, are for planting in the country’s schools. This is a service provided by KKL-JNF free of charge. Next year we hope to have an even greater amount and a greater assortment of plants to distribute. We are currently expanding the nursery to include a unique and ecological growth surface that will allow the proper drainage of water and its reuse for continued irrigation purposes.” Amare said that the nursery is expanding its instructional activities and is seeking financing to construct a large educational complex that will provide space for workshops and educational sessions.
Tomer Elnatan, a teacher at the Beit El Boys School in Beit El, accompanied a class of some 30 fifth graders to the Eshtaol Nursery. “We have been sending classes to the nursery all week,” he said, “This is a very beneficial visit for the children because they see up close how trees and plants grow from stage to stage. They learn about settlement in Israel and the important part played by KKL-JNF in the development of our country. It connects us to the land and that is very important.”
Teacher Sagit Levi of the Efrati School in Bnei Ayish said that she was thrilled to watch the interest shown by her students on their tour around the facility. “They came prepared,” she said, “They were looking forward to this day very much and they had read a lot in advance on what to expect. They asked me ‘What is KKL-JNF?’ and I told them where to look for information. The guidance here is simply excellent.”
Yishai Eizen from Karnei Shomron arrived with a large trailer to bring back plants to schools in his area for the Tu Bishvat celebration. “I come here every year before Tu Bishvat to collect saplings. It has become a tradition for me. We plant the trees on Tu Bishvat in the presence of schoolchildren, families from the community, and IDF soldiers. It is a great annual happening and it would not be the same without the help of KKL-JNF.”
Eizen parked his truck behind the van of Lev Hasharon Regional Council’s Ravi Dafni, who was holding a very long list of different plants and herbs. She checked off each species as they were loaded into her vehicle. “This looks like a lot,” she said, “but it’s for several institutions in the Lev Hasharon Regional Council including schools, a few kindergartens and other public institutions. KKL-JNF helps us to both celebrate Tu Bishvat and keep the area green. However, it is not a completely free ride. We have to prepare the earth and supply irrigation and the means to protect the saplings for at least 5 years. Our contribution is substantial but we participate happily.”
Sitting under a large greenery-covered canopy with a class of young schoolchildren, KKL-JNF Guide Nati Ayish quoted to them a phrase from Deuteronomy 26: “And it shall be, when you shall enter the land”. He led a discussion with the youngsters about the meaning of that line, emphasizing the Israelites’ entry into the Land of Israel as a divine decree. Later Ayish explained the importance he places on delving into the sources when talking about tree planting and working the land. “One cannot talk about settling the land of Israel and afforestation in the land of Israel without mentioning why we are doing it at all. Everything is connected. At the end of the day, if the Land of Israel has importance, that importance stems from Jewish history and tradition.”