Chabad of Tallahassee and its community members  honored of Tu B’Shvat, the “Jewish Arbor Day” earlier this week. Working with the local Department of Parks and Recreation, Chabad led families and children in planting sapling cherry trees in Lafayette  Park.

While the national Arbor Day, founded in April 1872, is still quite a ways off, this year, February 8 is  Tu B’Shvat, another tree-centric holiday that has been promoting arboreal appreciation for centuries.

The “New Year for the Trees”, as it is commonly known, is celebrated as a time to plant, nurture and appreciate trees and the plant world. 

Many Jewish communities in the United States use this holiday as a springboard to launch various environmental efforts, but because it falls out in the winter, efforts are often limited to the indoors.

But with Florida’s year-round sunshine, Jewish families in Tallahassee enjoyed the outdoors, hands-on effort, as children joined their parents in learning about the significance of the day.

“It will be an exciting experience for the children to return to the park and see the growth of the trees they planted,” noted Esti Loeub, Chabad Program Director. “We hope to continue this tradition and make it an annual event.”

"Tu B’shvat tells us to stop and think about our connection to the environment as a whole," says Rabbi Chalom Loueb. But, he adds, “it’s important that we don't let our environmental thoughts end when Tu B’Shvat ends.”