Thousands of people from all sectors of Israel’s populace went out on Tu Bishvat to plant trees throughout the country. This year’s KKL-JNF Tu Bishvat events took place under the banner “Planting for Unity”, focusing on strengthening unity in Israeli society. The central ceremony took place in Lahav Forest in the Northern Negev with the participation of students, soldiers, the heads of KKL-JNF and the heads of local regional authorities. 70 new trees were planted in the forest, marking 70 years since Israel was founded.
“It’s not simple to grow trees in Israel, because every tree has its own different characteristics and needs,” said KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar at the beginning of the event. “The people in our country are just like the trees – they belong to different religions and have different opinions. But without all these trees and people, it would not be the same land of Israel and it would not be the same Israeli society.”
Atar noted that KKL-JNF took responsibility for many tasks related to developing the country and leading it towards the future, but the organization has never stopped planting trees. “We believe that wherever there are trees, there is also life,” he remarked. “From the time of our return to Israel and the founding of the state, KKL-JNF has worked to helped shape Israel’s image. We are celebrating Israel’s seventieth anniversary, and there is no doubt that KKL-JNF’s work will continue for many more years. We will continue to plant and to build for the benefit of the state of Israel.”
Lahav Forest was first planted in the 1960s, and today the forest spreads out over an area of about 9,000 acres, including approximately a million trees. Over the years, KKL-JNF foresters developed unique techniques for planting in arid and semi-arid areas. Trees are planted in limans – shallow water harvesting pools, and in shikhim – earth embankments that help prevent erosion. The expertise of KKL-JNF’s foresters has earned the organization international acclaim in the field of combatting desertification.
The Tu Bishvat plantings took place in ridges that were prepared in advance by KKL-JNF personnel. The muddy ground, which was the result of a week of welcome rains, did not deter the young planters from the Netaim-Meitarim School, who took over the area and began planting.
“We learned how important trees are for the environment, and also for people,” said 11 year-old Lior Istaharov from Beersheva. “Thanks to these plantings, the desert will be greener.’
“It’s a lot of fun to go out to nature and to plant a tree,” added Ronel Kuperstein, Lior’s classmate. “I hope that in a few years, we’ll come back here and see how the trees grew.”
Lior and Ronel both learn at the Netaim-Meitarim school in Beersheva, which believes in inclusive Jewish education for students from orthodox, traditional and secular backgrounds. The school is a living example of strengthening unity between all the nation’s different sectors.
The children planted various local trees, including terebinths, tamarisks, acacia, sycamores and jujube trees. The variety of species adds to the forest’s beauty and contributes to its health. What is right for trees is also right for people, since human diversity enriches society and strengthens it.
Jews and Bedouins living together in the Negev are an outstanding example of the connection between different segments of the populace.
“I wish us all a happy KKL-JNF holiday,” said Salaam Abu Ayish, the mayor of Lakia, a nearby Bedouin town. “We all work together and cooperate on behalf of all the inhabitants of the Negev, and we all want to see a green Negev.”
His colleague Sigal Moran, the head of the Bnei Shimon Regional Council, expressed her love for the region:
“There are people whom, when you say Negev to them, all they can think of is desert, sand and dust. We see the Negev as home, renewal and an opportunity.” She expressed her deep appreciation of KKL-JNF’s efforts to develop the Negev: “You planted forests, you built recreation areas, you constructed water reservoirs, you prepared land, you developed hiking trails and you made the Negev into a place that’s wonderful to live in.”
Pini Badash, the mayor of Omer, who planted a tree together with Salaam Abu Ayish, said: “We all should understand that trees in the Negev and the environment don’t differentiate between Jews and Arabs, they contribute to everyone. These plantings are a common interest that does good for everyone regardless of their origin, and that’s why we must keep the Negev green.”
The ceremony was moderated by Tamir Steinman, a reporter for the Hadashot 2 TV station in the south. Children from the ‘Sounds of Ofakim’ ensemble sang songs of the land of Israel. IDF representative Sharon Vaknin read the Planter’s Prayer and gave the sign to begin the ceremonial plantings.
Seven pairs of planters, marking Israel’s seventieth anniversary, took part in the festive plantings. The pairs represented different sectors and faces of Israeli society: Jews and Arabs, Reform and Conservative Jews, religious and secular Jews, right and left. Especially moving was the joint tree planting of Danny Atar together with 11 year-old Adi Goldsmith from Moshav Maslul, who, in spite of the fact that he suffers from muscular atrophy, proved that nothing stands in the way of a strong will when he planted the tree with his own hands.
“KKL-JNF mends the rending among our people and plants the roots of Zionism throughout the country,” Atar concluded. “This is the bridge on which the entire Israeli society can march together."
VIDEO: Tu Bishvat in Israel from 1923 until Today