11645 Ladue Road, St. Louis, MO 63141 | Phone: 314-569-0010 | Member Login 
11645 Ladue Road, St. Louis, MO 63141 | Phone: 314-569-0010 | Member Login
Sunday, February 9, 2020
2 – 4 p.m.
Shaare Emeth Simcha Center 
Tu B’Shevat (literally the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat) is the New Year of the Trees. In recent years, Tu B’Shevat has also come to be associated with Judaism’s concern for our environment. Our tradition teaches that humans and the earth are interconnected and have drastic and lasting effects on one another. In honor of this sacred holiday, Shaare Emeth is excited to offer a variety of ways to celebrate Tu B’Shevat!
Each program will be accompanied by a brief teaching about the holiday, which we are calling “Tu B’Sh-Torah!”
Choose one of the events below and RSVP using the corresponding link. Questions? Contact Debbie Bram at [email protected]
Tu B’Sh-Bird Feeders
2-4 p.m.
Simcha Center at Shaare Emeth
Learn to make a unique bird feeder that will keep your feathery backyard friends happy year-round. Open to ages 7 and above. Cost is $5.
Tu B’Sh-Pies
2-4 p.m.
Shaare Emeth Simcha Center Kitchen
Make pies to donate to the Harvey Kornblum Food Pantry. Open to ages 7 and above. Cost is $5
Below, check out photos from our 2019 Interfaith Tu B’Shevat Seder with Parkway United Church of Christ and Turkish American Society of Missouri…
February 9-10, 2020
Tu B’Shevat, the “New Year of the Trees” or “Birthday of Trees,” is the Jewish Arbor Day. The holiday is observed on the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shevat. Tu B’Shevat is a spring festival, perhaps marking planting. In the 17th century, Kabbalists created a seder of fruits for Tu B’Shevat similar to the Passover seder. Israelis and Jews worldwide plant trees, and Reform Jews have turned the holiday into one of environmental awareness.
“When God created Adam, God took him and showed him all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him ‘See My works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are. And everything that I created, I created it for you. Be careful not to spoil or destroy My world – for if you do, there will be nobody after you to repair it.” Midrash Kohelet Raba
Learn more about Tu B’Shevat at reformjudaism.org, including a history, recipes, crafts, and customs and rituals including the types of fruits required for a Tu B’Shevat seder. Visit www.reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/tu-bishvat.
The Jewish Environmental Initiative of St. Louis, part of the St. Louis Jewish Community Relations Council, created a Haggadah for anyone who wants to host a Tu B’Shevat seder. These seders traditionally include four glasses of wine – white, white with a little red, white that’s mostly red, and red – and three types of fruits – those edible inside and out, those with inedible pits, and those with an inedible exterior. Download the JEI Tu B’Shevat Haggadah