Humanistic Tu Bi'Shevat Seder

Tu Bi’Shevat was likely a tax collection day for fruit, whereupon it was agreed that the tax year would begin and end. It was during the flourishing era of Jewish mysticism, around the 16th century, that Tu Bi’Shevat re-emerged as a more popular and meaningful festival. Mystical significance was attributed to ideas of the rebirth of the natural world in spring, and the Tu Bi’Shevat seder, a service of ingesting symbolic foods around a festive meal, was created. Tu Bi’Shevat is now associated with the birth of Israel. Most recently, as awareness of the environment has become a more pressing concern for many people, Tu Bi’Shevat has become a “Jewish Arbor Day,” a day on which we recognize our ethical obligations to care for the planet and its inhabitants. The theme of a new year for trees, a time of recognizing our connection to the earth, is a popular Tu Bi’Shevat theme today.

Saturday, January 23, starting at 2:30pm.

At the Community Unitarian Universalist Church, 468 Rosedale Avenue, White Plains, NY 10605.

Admission: $10. Light refreshments will be served. Please visit http://www.wchj.org for more information.