tu b’shvat
Tu B’Shvat is the Jewish New Year of Trees (a Jewish equivalent to Earth Day or Arbor Day), a celebratory holiday marked by seders of dried fruits and nuts, tree-planting, and any number of other events or activities centered on the environment. It was about a week and a half ago, and the holiday kicked off with platters of dried fruit and nuts all over the office… I clearly indulged repeatedly over the course of the day. And Orly and I welcomed in the holiday by attending 2 different events in the evening. The first was at the CIL (Center for Independent Living) in Jerusalem, where Orly often works. There, we listened to a few different talks (which Orly kindly translated for me) and ate some wonderful food. Our evening continued at an another event, to which a coworker invited us. We heard a few more talks, learned that there are CSA’s in Jerusalem (!) and ate an inordinate amount of soup and breads (there was a bread and soup competition, so lots of attendees brought their favorite homemade recipes, and after the judging we got to dig in!). Engaging in conversations and activities relating to the environment was a huge part of my life for the past 4 years, and I’ve missed it here, so it was nice to be surrounded by it again.
Then I had my very first visitor to Israel! Orly, who works at Cornell Hillel, just finished staffing a Birthright trip and stayed a few extra days. It was SO good to have a little piece of home (ie Ithaca, my 2nd home) here! Anyway, Friday morning we went into town and accidentally stumbled upon a Tu B’Shvat celebration on Ben Yehuda. There were all these people on stilts in these elaborate/amazing/crazy/beautiful costumes and bands playing all down the street. It was a blast!
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