New Year for Trees

I invited the Jewish residents and anyone else who was interested to come discuss Tu B'Shevat yesterday and it went pretty well. I learned a lot about the "New Year for Trees" celebrated this time of year because in Israel the fruit bearing trees are beginning to bloom.

For those unfamiliar with the Holiday I laid out a plate of olives and said, "You may be wondering why I'm offering olives at 10:15 this morning..." Eating fruit singled out in the Torah (including grapes, figs, dates, pomegranates, and olives) is one custom for Tu B'Shevat. Another is planting trees or collecting money to send trees in Israel.

Some residents told of their family traditions on this day (which is celebrated not a specific day each year but according to the year's Jewish calendar) and we all discussed the novel concept that we recognize many new years throughout the calendar year such as a school year, the fiscal year for taxes, our birthdays, anniversaries, etc.