The Raanana Municipality celebrated the Tu Bishvat holiday with a series of events community planting ceremonies and a colorful green fair held at the Yad Labanim Plaza, in which tree saplings were distributed to Raanana residents free of charge.  The planting of thousands of trees citywide was part of the extensive municipal activity on the subject of sustainability and environmental protection, as trees absorb carbon dioxide known to be an important means of reducing greenhouse gases.

Planting the Youth Organizations and Movements Grove:  A tree planting ceremony for the city’s  youth movements an organizations was held in the Lev Hapark neighborhood.  The ceremony was attended by Mayor Nahum Hofree and Deputy Mayor Ronit Weintraub, director of the Culture, Youth and Leisure Division.  30 saplings were planted in an open field near the AGAM School.  During the ceremony, the youth movements’ and organizations’ treaty of sustainability was signed, in which the youth undertook to assimilate values of sustainability and to implement them in their lifestyles; to take an ongoing and active part in contributing to the development of the environment in the city and in Israel as a whole, and to protect the planet’s precious national resources.
Oak trees were planted in the grove, which is designated to become a meeting place for environmental activity of the city’s youth movements and organizations, which in turn will help tend to the grove.

Holiday activities for Raanana Youth:  Tu Bishvat event for the special needs population was held at the Municipal Youth Center at the Hanesi’im Park, led by youth active in the volunteer playgroup project, which included holiday contests, arts & crafts and dancing.  Medical clown trainees held a holiday activity at the Meir Hospital and a Tu Bishvat Seder, with songs and music, was held at the municipal youth center, organized by the volunteer project “Entertainment Troupe”.

Raanana Children Plant:  Tree planting ceremonies were held at all the educational institutions.  Students at Ziv Elementary School, together with a group of special needs children, held a tree planting ceremony in the Small Forest, in which 70 saplings were planted.  Joint planting ceremonies were held for Shaked and Agam Schools, as part of Shaked’s ongoing activities with the Agam School’s special needs population.
As part of the Tu Bishvat Events, whose theme this year was "To the Environment with Love", Pa'amonim School held a fair for the sale of used products donated by the students, including games, books, accessories and bags.  All items were sold for NIS 1 per item and the proceeds collected, NIS 1,435 were donated to Keren Roi Lo Echsar Foundation.

Intergenerational Planting for Students and Seniors:  The senior clubs and the Senior Citizens’ Daycare Center, together with students from Miftan-Almog, Aviv, Yachdav and Yeshivat Bnei Akiva planted trees.  Tree planting ceremonies were attended by Mayor Nahum Hofree and city councilwoman, Bella Tzur – the mayor’s consultant on the subject of accessibility, as well as managers from the social services division.  The tree planting ceremonies were held in conjunction with "Haim Be'Derech Eretz" and “Hevra Tova” Associations.

Green Fair at the Yad Labanim Plaza:  Thousands of Raanana residents participated in a unique event held by the municipality, for the first time, in which 2,000 tree saplings were distributed free of charge to residents in cooperation with KKL.  Also on hand were information booths with professionals in the field of gardening, who handed out information sheets with instructions on planting and caring for the saplings.  There were also booths operated by nurseries and flower shops selling saplings and flowers, gardening tools and fertilizer.  Keren Roi Lo Echsar Foundation also had a booth selling cyclamen plants (Rakefet) for a nominal fee of NIS 10.  All proceeds were donated to the foundations on behalf of Raanana’s children.  There was also an organic booth with explanations and lectures on how to prepare compost and ways to conserve water.

Joint Tu Bishvat Seder for students of Shaked Elementary School and Tira’s Almajad School:  Students from Tira were hosted at Shaked Elementary School and together they held a Tu Bishvat Seder with students, parents and teachers of both schools.  The event was attended by Mayor Nahum Hofree and Tira’s Mayor, Moaman Abed Alichi, and many other dignitaries.  The event included songs, dances and the reading of a special Hagada with both Jewish and Muslim texts written by the principals of the two schools.
The Tu Bishvat Seder is celebrated each year as part of the joint activity of the two schools for the past six years, which includes meetings between the students, parents and educators in order to strengthen the ties between the younger generation of the two sectors.

Tu Bishvat Seder at Beit Hatalmud:  Over 300 participants celebrated the traditional Tu Bishvat Seder held each year at the Beit Hatalmud, operated by the Informal Education Administration’s Supplementary Education Division, in cooperation with the Binot Hesder Yeshiva.  The event was held in the Bilu Sports Auditorium and attended by Deputy Mayor Aryeh Friedman, director of the Informal Education Administration, the Rabbi of Binot Hesder Yeshiva and many families, children of new immigrants, children of the study centers and their parents.  The event included a variety of activities including tree palnitng, reading of the Tu Bishvat Hagada, a play entitled ‘The Diamond in the Mud’ by the Nekuda Tova Theater Group and a performance by Pirchei Raanana.

In the photos:  Mayor Hofree distributing saplings to residents at the Green Fair at the Yad Labanim Plaza; residents purchasing plants at the booths.  Photography by Motti Ben Aroya.