Watch Now: Interfaith Tu B'Shevat Seder

“There are so many things that can divide us; this is one thing that can bring us together.”

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Community Relations Committee (CRC) held its third annual Tu B’Shevat Seder celebrating a shared Earth and the new year of the trees. It brought together more than 100 community members from many faiths and religions.

“It's such a special opportunity to hear different voices read the Tu B'Shevat Haggadah,” said Rabbi Rosie Haim of The Temple-Tifereth Israel, who led the Seder. “A variety of cultures are able to spend time and get to know each other through something as simple as connecting to the land, to the environment, and to the value of conservation.”

The The Tu B'Shevat Seder combined reading from the Haggadah and a meal incorporating fruits and nuts grown from trees. “This Seder makes me realize the importance of a lot of things in nature that you take for granted,” said Father Joseph T. Hilinski of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. “It’s a gift from the Jewish tradition, and as a Christian I can appreciate that gift in my own way and increase my own appreciation of nature and the world around us.”

“It means a lot for a group of people to come together, regardless of their faith, to talk about things that affect us and affect our environment,” said Imam Abdusemih of Cleveland’s Uqbah Mosque Foundation.

This was one of Federation and CRC’s key interfaith opportunities to talk about something that’s important to all of us – the care and protection of the environment. “There are so many things that can divide us,” said Past CRC Chair, Cheryl Davis. “This is one thing that can bring us together.”

To find out more information on the Community Relations Committee, contact Jessica Cohen at jcohen@jcfcleve.org or 216-593-2782.

Thank you to all of our partners who joined us to celebrate:

• Arava Institute
• Holden Forests & Gardens
• Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
• Cuyahoga ReLeaf
• Diocesan Social Action Office – Catholic Charities-Diocese of Cleveland
• Environmental Health Watch
• Ohio Interfaith Power and Light
• Jewish National Fund
• Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
• The Nature Conservancy
• The Temple-Tifereth Israel
• Turkish American Society of Cleveland
• Western Reserve Land Conservancy

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