KINGSTON, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The Jewish community is celebrating a holiday Sunday night commonly called The Birthday of the Trees.
Tu b’shevat is being observed in the Wyoming Valley and all over the world.
The holiday began thousands of years ago by rabbis trying to standardize how you can count the years of a tree’s life.
In the history of Judaism, a prohibition prevented Jews from eating fruit from a tree until it reached 5 years.
Tu b’shevat has evolved into an environmental holiday to respect what grows from the earth and take care of it.
“We only get one earth, and we have to cherish it and we have to nurture it because this is the home we have and we have to leave it better than the way we found it,” said Rabbi Eric Mollo of the Temple B’nai B’rith.
Tu b’shevat can be celebrated in several different ways such as planting, studying the life cycle of plants, or even donating to Jewish organizations that focus on the environment.
