Tu B’Shvat Seder to Feature Social Justice Themes
Atlanta community Tu B’Shvat Seder will be held on Feb. 12 at The Temple.
Combining the beauty of Jewish tradition with a modern message, the Atlanta community Tu B’Shvat Seder, co-sponsored by the Jewish environmental group Adamah Atlanta and The Temple’s Rothschild Social Justice Institute, will take place at The Temple at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 12.
It will be the first in-person, community-wide Tu B’Shvat Seder since 2020, which also was celebrated at The Temple, with over 60 participants, just weeks before the COVID pandemic shutdown. The event continued virtually in the following years, but organizers are excited once again to be able to plan an in-person experiential program that celebrates the Jewish birthday of the trees, which in turn presents the perfect opportunity to raise awareness about today’s environmental concerns.

Said Adamah ATL Director Joanna Kobylivker, “It’s also not a coincidence we’re doing it at [The Temple’s] Rothschild Social Justice institute. When we think about social justice, the climate is a huge driver of environmental justice. We are going to learn how extreme weather events do impact vulnerable populations first and worst. The Temple is so committed to social justice causes, trying to be problem solvers and providing resources, so it’s a very natural alignment. [We’ll explore] what can we do around environmental injustice here in Atlanta?”
Seder participants will enjoy a vegetarian meal and an interactive experience that includes the many Tu B’Shvat seder rituals. For example, like a Passover Seder, there are four cups of wine, but in a Tu B’Shvat Seder, the cups begin with white wine denoting winter’s potential for growth, with successive cups progressively mixing with red wine, until the last cup is all red wine symbolizing summer’s full growth. The Seder plate for this holiday features the seven species of Israel: dates, olives, wheat, pomegranate, barley, figs, and grapes.
According to Ruth Menter, who heads up The Temple’s sustainability committee, the festivities will include a mix of music featuring Congregation Bet Haverim Music Director Rebekkah Goldsmith, The Temple Singers, and others. The Seder will also provide opportunities for the sharing of blessings, table discussions, and words of inspiration from Rabbi Lydia Medwin, associate rabbi at The Temple. In addition, Jewish climate scientist Mark Papier will speak about the science of climate and weather, explaining why that is significant and why we are seeing extreme weather events.
“We want people to learn, experience, and have a good time,” said Menter.
Offering a summary of the origins of the holiday, Rabbi Medwin explained that in ancient times Tu B’Shvat (the 15th of the Jewish month Shvat) was the date when, the third year after planting a tree, you would tax it at this time “by giving a portion to the ancient Temple and to the poor as a first fruits offering, an offering of gratitude.”
Later, the Mystics, who believed that everything holds a little spark of the Divine, and food, when eaten, releases that Divine spark, evolved a kind of Seder around the different fruits that come from the Holy Land. In more modern times, she continued, with the environmental movement and climate awareness, Tu B’Shvat provides Jews a reminder of our connection to nature.

“What an amazing thing we have, this tradition of Tu B’Shvat, that connects us to trees specifically. There is a lot to be said about trees in our culture as a source of wisdom. Judaism compares tree to humans in lots of ways. And so Tu B’Shvat becomes an opportunity to speak about the trees, their impact on us, and our own impact on the planet. What is our job, from a religious perspective, in terms of caring for the earth and celebrating its bounty?” She added, “We need this earth to provide us with everything to survive, so we’re allowed to till it, but also have to tend it, as we see commanded in the book of Genesis. Finding the balance between tending and tilling is part of what Tu B’Shvat helps us to remember.”
In addition to treating people to a nourishing meal, music and a seder experience, Kobylivker says another goal is to leave people with something more tangible. “We want people to feel inspired to connect to their Jewish roots and values of caring for trees and the natural world,” she said. “We also want to equip people with actions that we can actually do to honor [our natural world] on the other 364 days that aren’t officially celebrating trees.”
According to Kobylivker, Adamah, which has recently marked its first year in Atlanta, is also leading other Tu B’Shvat events, including a community tree planting on Sunday, Feb. 9, with Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., to help grow the city’s urban forest. The organization is also available to lead groups in customized holiday-related activities such as guided nature walks or children’s parties. Contact joanna.kobylivker@adamah.org for more information.
Registration for the community Tu B’Shvat Seder can be found at: https://adamah.org/event/adamah-atl-tubshvat-seder/.
Recommended cost is $36 per person. The Seder is presented in partnership with: Adamah, Ahavath Achim Synagogue, Congregation Bet Haverim, and the Rothschild Social Justice Institute (The Temple).
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