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Planting a tree in Israel is now as simple as making an $18 donation thanks to the Israel Jewish National Fund. Many choose to have a tree planted in memory of someone close to their hearts who has passed away.
More information available at http://PlantATreeInIsrael.net.
The Jewish National Fund is responsible for planting over 250 million trees in Israel in the last 100 years. The nation of Israel was not blessed with its own forest. When the pioneers of the State arrived in the early 1900’s they started with almost completely barren land. Every forest in Israel has been hand planted since then often among rocky hillsides and sandy soil.
People who contribute to planting a tree are awarded a certificate which can be personalised and sent to the recipient of their choice.
Trees are planted in Israel for a variety of reasons. The obvious reasons are for shade, erosion control, soil building, to give refuge to wildlife and flowers to provide pollen for bees. Less obvious reasons include providing shaded play areas for children and even as borders to protect from terrorist attacks on the Gaza strip.
People contribute to the planting of a tree to support all these reasons and also as a tribute to loved ones they have lost or as a gift for an engagement, wedding, an anniversary, a birth or birthday, a bar or bat mitzvah, a baptism, a bris milah, a graduation or a get well wish.
The tradition of planting a tree grows deep in Jewish culture. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, a leading rabbinical scholar of the 1st century wrote “If you are holding a sapling in hand and someone tells you, ‘Come quickly, messiah has come’, first finish planting the tree and then go to greet the messiah.”
Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai understood that the Messiah may or may not have arrived. If it’s a false alarm nothing will hasten the Messiah’s coming faster than planting another tree.
If the Messiah has arrived then the people of Israel must go on planting trees. The Messiah may bring global peace but the work of planting trees goes on.
Release ID: 83428