Tu b’Shvat . . . in Israel

Tu b’Shvat (or the 15^th day of the Israeli month of Shvat) is the holiday for numbering years of trees and their fruit.  According to original Israeli law, tree fruit was not always allowed to be eaten, . . . especially if it was too “young”. 

When a new tree is planted, there are a variety of reasons not to eat the first few “harvests”.  According to original Israeli law about fruit however, only in the fifth year harvest and onward was it to be eaten.

A year ago at Tu b’Shvat, a project for Holocaust Survivors was brought to the attention of Israel Relief Aid at the Lod Senior Center in which the Alzheimers members would have a place outdoors with stand-height gardening boxes that they could work on daily, and especially each Tu b’Shvat.

However, the project was delayed  for lack of an area cover, as the outdoor space was too hot and/or too bright for six to nine months of the year.  At that time we set out to have a large area cover installed so that the outdoor space could be used all throughout the year, and also at Tu b’Shvat.

This year, the center has been preparing for the fulfillment of the Alzheimers Garden Project with a dedication on Tu b’Shvat.  They have already put together the gardening boxes that they can work on while they stand (most elders are not able to work crouched on the ground, and need standing height).  They are going to fill the garden boxes with potting soil, get the plants and start the project.

It wouldn’t have been possible without the area cover which shields the area from heat and glaring light and other weather conditions, which our donors so generously made it possible for Israel Relief Aid to provide. 

Now the project is a gardening reality for this large group of Alzheimers sufferers and Holocaust Survivors. Thank you, partners, for helping to make this special garden a reality!