A time to plant, heal, and renew

“To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.” As we mark Tu B’Shvat this year, these ancient words from Kohelet feel especially resonant. For the past two and a half years, our community has lived through profound uncertainty, fear, and trauma. The massacre of 7 October 2023; the war that followed; rising antisemitism; and the long wait for every hostage tested Jewish resilience in ways we could never have imagined. 

And yet, with the last hostage now home, we can finally allow ourselves to breathe again. Tu B’Shvat has always reminded us of continuity, growth, and the promise of renewal through our connection to Israel. This year, that message feels even more urgent. We stand at the threshold of a new season, one not defined by crisis, but by rebuilding. As Kohelet teaches, there’s “a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to sow, and a time to reap”. 

From destruction to restoration 

The work ahead is both physical and spiritual. Across Israel’s north and south, entire communities must be rebuilt – farms, forests, infrastructure, homes. KKL-JNF (the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund) has committed more than NIS750 million (R3.8 billion) to this national task. The rebuilding of Kibbutz Nir Oz, so tragically devastated on 7 October, is one of our flagship projects. The JNF-KKL Kinneret Innovation Centre is nurturing the next generation of agrotech and greentech start-ups, strengthening the regional economy, and attracting innovative young people to the north. And the replanting of the Be’eri Forest serves as a living memorial to those who fell on 7 October, transforming tragedy into growth. 

As the custodians of the land of Israel, our mission is more than planting trees, it is ensuring that the land remains viable, thriving, and sustainable for the Jewish people long into the future. Clean water, clean air, open spaces, forests, and healthy ecosystems aren’t luxuries. They are foundational pillars of the Zionist project. The early pioneers understood this instinctively: a Jewish homeland couldn’t survive without sustainable stewardship of its soil and resources. Tu B’Shvat is a natural expression of that belief, a day when planting a sapling becomes an act of faith, identity, and nation-building. 

A time to heal 

This moment calls for another kind of rebuilding: the inner kind. The past years have left deep emotional and spiritual wounds. Even those of us far from Israel felt the constant tension – refreshing news feeds; scanning for updates; bracing for the next rocket attack. It is no coincidence that Tu B’Shvat invites us back to nature. In stepping away from our screens and into parks, forests, and green spaces, we reconnect with something grounding and restorative. Trees grow slowly, patiently, steadily. They remind us that healing takes time, and that even after the harshest winter, renewal is possible. 

This idea inspired a special joint initiative with the Base community, bringing returned hostages and hostage families to South Africa for respite in the African bush. It was especially moving to welcome the Bibas family to South Africa during this Tu B’Shvat period, and to launch the Bibas Children Youth Impact Challenge, inviting Jewish high school students across the country to launch kindness projects in memory of the Bibas children. 

Looking forward 

This Tu B’Shvat, as we plant, walk through parks, or simply pause to appreciate the beauty around us, we participate in a collective act of recovery. We honour Jewish resilience, the endurance of our land, and the belief that seasons of hardship can give way to seasons of growth. With our hands and hearts, we help transform a time of sorrow into a time of rebuilding. 

As chairman of JNF South Africa, I am proud of the role our community continues to play in this vital work. Each contribution, each tree, each project is a promise: that we will continue to nurture the land of Israel, and that together, we can build a flourishing Jewish future. 

This year, Tu B’Shvat is more than a holiday. It is an invitation to rebuild, renew, and look toward the next season with hope. 

• Michael Kransdorff is chairman of JNF South Africa.