Two days ago, February 7th, was the celebration of Tu B'Shevat in Israel. We were in Israel this time last year. Bill went to run an errand at the back and came back to the apartment to tell me about the excitement outside.
Ben Yehuda Street was a mass of people and sights. Tu B'Shevat is Jewish Arbor Day. Although it is not biblical in origin, the holiday began as a means of gauging the age of trees for the purpose of tithing.
I doubt that most of the people on Ben Yehuda Street were thinking of the religious implications of Tu B'Shevat. God did not seem to have a prominent place in this holiday. The crowd was a blend of crunchy-chewy, earth-loving young people, moms with their kids, and young and old friends just checking out the sights.
It was a festive but not out-of-control (i.e., no alcohol and partyers) environment. Flowers and plants were for sale and trees on stilts walked among the crowd. Probably my most interesting memory of that day is Alexey Kochetkov, an amazing Russian Jewish violinist.
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