By D.A. WILKINSON

By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- A community celebration of a Jewish holiday connects planting and spirituality.
Tu B'Shevat, which is also called the New Year for the Trees, will be the focus of a program by Akiva Academy pupils at 7 p.m. Thursday at Jewish Community Center.
The holiday highlights the respect for nature that is a fundamental part of Judaism, said Susan Schonberger, the executive director of the Commission for Jewish Education that oversees the academy.
Each Hebrew letter has a numerical value. Tu B'Shevat means 15 Shevat, the date and month of the celebration on the Jewish calendar. It falls Feb. 7 this year.
The holiday's origins come from the Deuteronomy 14:72 in the Torah, where Jews were told to tithe from their fruit harvest for the needy. That required the determination of a date to differentiate between the growing seasons.
Tu B'Shevat has traditionally been celebrated by planting trees.
Activities
Akiva Academy's pupils in kindergarten through sixth grade will take part in a number of activities, said Schonberger. They include:
USending money to have a tree planted in Israel in honor or memory of a loved one.
UPlanting blue spruce pine seeds in pots that can be replanted outdoors here in warm weather. Pots and seeds will be available for others who attend.
UMaking a tree from paper, which will be the collection point for donated hats, mittens and scarves that will go to the needy.
UStarting a program to recycle paper that will help pupils learn about the importance of trees and the environment.
USinging songs and making drawings.
UEating fruits from Israel, a reminder of, "a land flowing with milk and honey," said Schonberger.
Tu B'Shevat is not a celebration of spring. While it is springtime in Israel, she said, the celebration is more of a spiritual starting point: that in the cold and snow, there is a beginning.
Other events
The program will also include songs from a postponed event last year that are not connected to Tu B'Shevat but still reflect on it.
The songs are about Miriam, who sang and danced after Moses led the Jews across the Red Sea, and Deborah, a prophetess. Both were strong women and leaders.
Schonberger said the songs touch on God, earth, trees and water.
"The essence of life is water. We see that in the Bible. We see that in science," Schonberger said.
Beyond Earth
She noted there are two rovers searching for signs of water -- and thus life -- on Mars.
Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon was killed with the rest of the crew when the Columbia space shuttle broke up during re-entry Feb. 1, 2003.
One of his interests was planting trees in Israel, said Schonberger, adding that his first name means "oak." From space, he urged all Jews to plant a tree in Israel.
The songs are also designed to add diversity to the celebration by not making it purely a celebration of one Jewish holiday.
Not all of Akiva's 53 pupils are Jewish, and in some cases, the Jewish or Christian parents are not religious. So the school focuses on values rather than religious teachings, said Schonberger.
"It's a nice mix of different backgrounds," she said.
But the children are also a part of the holiday.
"In the Jewish tradition, we look at children as our own fruit and trees," said Schonberger. "We want to nurture them as plants and trees."
wilkinson@vindy.com