Please Join Chicago IJAN for a Tu B'Shvat Seder THIS Saturday 5:30 pm
Chicago IJAN
Please join Chicago IJAN for an innovative seder to celebrate Tu B’Shvat and honor trees.
*part study-session on the role of the Jewish National Fund in dispossessing Palestinians of their land
*part mystical ritual
*part life-giving celebration in the depths of winter
We will discuss how trees feed and nurture our bodies and spirits and listen to the voices of the Jewish tradition, of Palestinians, and of Israelis about the importance of trees and the way trees have been abused as a tool of oppression. We'll have singing and fruit and juice and questions, and we encourage you to bring some of all of those too, as well as a floor cushion (guess where we will be sitting….). It's a vegetarian potluck, so bring something delicious. We ask that you respect the Palestinian call to boycott Israeli goods by not bringing food from Israel.
Saturady Feburary 11, 5:30 pm
1735 West Augusta Boulevard, #2R
Please RSVP to chica...@gmail.com
Tu B'Shvat:
Known as the "New Year of Trees", it has a long history. In ancient
times, it was when farmers gave a portion of their fruits and nuts to the poor.
In the 17th century, Jewish mystics started having services, or seders, on Tu
B'Shvat, eating symbolic foods. In the 20th century, it was co-opted by the
Jewish National Fund. The JNF was created in 1901 to acquire land for a Jewish
State in Palestine. As the organization itself states:
"The loyalty of the JNF is given to the Jewish people and only to them is the JNF obligated.The JNF, as the owner of the JNF land, does not have a duty to practise equality towards all citizens of the state.”
- Response by the JNF to a petition filed with the Supreme Court of Israel (December 2004)
A modern day example of this practice can be seen in al-Arakib, a Bedouin village in the Negev/Naqab desert which has been destroyed by the JNF and rebuilt by residents over 30 times.
Please join us in reclaiming this holiday as a day to celebrate trees and struggle for justice and reconciliation.
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