Tu BiSh’vat is the Jewish "New Year for Trees.” This holiday celebrates nature's beauty, calls us to our responsibility to care for the earth, and opens the journey into our own spiritual growth.

6:00 to 6:30: Seder led by Cantor Rhodes
During the seder, we eat symbolic fruits and nuts, each representing aspects of the natural and spiritual world: fruits with inedible peels (protection and physicality), fruits with edible peels (balance of inner and outer worlds), nuts (spiritual potential), and dried fruits (wisdom and life’s cycles). We offer blessings of gratitude for the earth's abundance, reflecting on our connection to creation and our duty to nurture it. As we share this meal, we renew our appreciation for nature's gifts and commit to planting seeds of kindness, growth, and environmental stewardship.

6:30 to 7:00: Potluck dinner
Attendees are asked to bring a vegetarian side dish or dessert, according to the first letter of the attendee’s last name. (A-P bring side dish; Q-Z bring dessert). Temple Sinai will provide a vegetarian main dish. 

7:00 to 7:30: Guest speaker, Joelle Novey, Director of Interfaith Power and Light, DMV
Joelle will lead us in action to protect the DC Healthy Homes Act and the MD Better Buildings Act by ensuring that funding remains for these important issues. To illustrate the ease of cooking without gas stoves, we will enjoy chocolate fondue on an induction cooktop.