Tu B’Shevat, the 15th day of the Jewish month of Shevat, is a holiday also known as the “New Year for Trees.” This is the time of season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.
There are several customs or observances to the holiday, one being to eat a new fruit on this day (a fruit which one has not eaten the entire season), or to eat from the Seven Species (Shivat Haminim) described in the Bible as being abundant in the land of Israel.
The Shivat Haminim are:
– Wheat
– Barley
– Grapes (vines)
– Figs
– Pomegranates
– Olives
– Dates (honey)
There is also a custom to plant trees on this day. This has become more urgent this year, following the devastating fires, most caused by Arab arson, in late 2016.
Click on the video link below for a classic Israeli Tu B’Shevat song.
This Sunday, Feb. 12: Sovereignty Conference in Jerusalem
The upcoming Sovereignty Conference in Jerusalem, Sunday February 12, co-sponsored by AFSI, has taken on an air of urgency. Now that the Regulation Law has passed, there is a strong likelihood that the Israeli Supreme Court will strike it down. There is significant opposition to the law in Israel, including by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who has stated he will argue against the law in court.
European nations are throwing fits about the law, claiming that it “damages Israel’s credibility” (France), and expressing “disappointment and lost confidence” in Israel (Germany). The UN, of course, has stated that the law violates international law. Significantly, the US administration has stayed quiet so far, most likely waiting for President Trump’s meeting with Israeli PM Netanyahu on February 15.
The full title of the Conference is, The 4th Sovereignty Conference: “Sovereignty With Responsibility”; An additional step forward in awareness and practical implementation of the vision of full Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
Israel is under extreme pressure to capitulate to demands to cede land in Judea and Samaria, under the false pretense that the only way to secure “peace with security” is to withdraw from its heartland, Judea and Samaria, evict tens of thousands of its citizens, and prepare the way for a terrorist state in its stead.
This conference will put this absurd notion to rest, making the case that for Israel to be a secure nation, it must have sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
For those in Israel this Sunday, please attend this conference! There will be a series of all-star speakers from all venues of Israeli society. The world wants to shape Israel’s future, and many would like to shape a world without Israel. Israel must maintain its sovereignty, which must extend throughout the entirety of the Land of Israel. This conference will point the way.
To read “ALL ROADS LEAD TO SOVEREIGNTY” an article with additional background information click HERE
View A Powerful Video Of The AFSI Chizuk MissionsAnd Join AFSI On Our Next Chizuk Mission,May 17 – May 25, 2017
AFSI Chizuk Missions are unique. Participants in an AFSI mission return to their homes informed, educated, enlightened and invigorated, ready to advocate for Yisrael Shleyma, a “full” Israel.
Among other destinations, AFSI missions visit Judea and Samaria, from the large cities to the small hilltop communities; from the most modern factories in the industrial zones of Ariel to the ancient stones of Hebron and the communities of Ofra and Amona.
A key differentiator separating AFSI Chizuk Missions from other trips is the personal touch. For more than 20 years, AFSI has taken groups to Israel, and over the years, AFSI returns to provide chizuk. AFSI travelers build relationships and become lifetime friends with Israelis on the front lines, wherever they may be. From those protecting Jewish life in southern Tel Aviv from thousands of illegal squatters, to heroes living in eastern Jerusalem among a hostile Arab population, AFSI is there.
Get a taste of an AFSI Chizuk Mission from our video on our website. Click HERE to view it and then say to yourself, “Next time I go to Israel, I’m going with AFSI.”
Be An Advocate For Israel!
Benjamin Netanyahu: “There will be no double standards regarding construction. There will be equal enforcement of the law in Israel for both Jews and are Arabs.”
– In Arutz Sheva: ‘Time to crack down on illegal Arab construction’
Let’s see the residents of Amona who were just expelled from their homes, secured in new, permanent residences.
Let’s see the demolition order against homes in Ofra, lifted once and for all..
We’ll believe it when it starts happening.