This year Israel's teachers held their traditional Tu B'Shvat tree-planting ceremony at Nitzana. This longstanding and highly symbolic event brought the teachers to the Jewish Agency's Youth Aliyah Negev residential village on the Israeli-Egyptian border where they planted trees in the desert. Subsequently their were tours throughout the region led by Nitzana's staff which focused on new installations such as water reservoirs, sophisticated desalination plants and advanced agricultural plots. The teachers concluded with a Tu b'Shvat Seder, which was modeled by 16th century Kabbalists on the Pesach Seder, and is devoted to the mysticism of nature, trees, flowers and the changing seasons. Each glass of wine is devoted to a different season and a different species of fruits and nuts.

Kislev 5764 - December 2003