Tu Bishvat Tree Planting for the Next Generation of Campers
- Noam Schlanger
- Jan 9
- 3 min read
There are places that hold our memories so strongly, they feel almost alive. Kfar HaHoresh Forest is one of those places. For generations of HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed (NOAL) participants and Dror Israel educators, this campsite has been a home away from home, a first taste of independence, and the beginning of friendships that last a lifetime.
Each year around Tu Bishvat, Dror Israel and NOAL return to this beloved site in northern Israel for a community tree planting day that has taken place since 2018. It is a gathering where educators, young people, families, and friends come together to celebrate the Jewish “birthday of the trees” while investing in the future of a campsite that will welcome tens of thousands of youth movement participants in the summer months.
For many, this campsite is a formative place that shaped who they became. It is the place where educators grew up as kids in the youth movement, where they spent their first night away from their parents, learned how to tie knots, and built the kinds of friendships that stay with you for life. In many ways, it holds the same kind of meaning as summer camp experiences for Jewish communities around the world, a space where confidence is built, belonging is felt, and memories are made that last a lifetime.
During the gathering, participants spend the morning digging and planting new trees around the campsite, helping strengthen and prepare the space for the thousands of young people who will come to camp here each summer. Together, we nurture trees that will one day provide much needed shade for the campers who will gather here to sing, learn, lead, and create their own memories, just as others did before them.
It is a tradition that turns values into action and ensures the campsite will continue to serve future generations. Each tree planted becomes part of the story, offering shade, shelter, and a sense of belonging to everyone who returns here.
Like any true youth movement tradition, the day is filled with spirit. This year included a special performance by Hashayara, Dror Israel’s musician educator ensemble, bringing music that turned the forest into a celebration. And of course, no camp day would be complete without classic comfort food: hot soup and hot dogs, shared together outdoors, simple, joyful, and deeply familiar.
Since 2022, this event has carried even deeper meaning. Following the tragic passing of Dror Israel educator Erez Eliyahu z”l, the tree planting day has been held in his honor.
Erez spent many summers at the Kfar HaHoresh Forest campsite, first as a camper and later as a youth counselor and educator. He trained the next generation of young leaders in what it takes to keep camp running each day, how to care for the space, build a strong community, and ensure a safe and meaningful experience for the tens of thousands of children and teens who come through each year. Even now, his dedication can still be felt throughout the campsite. His hard work and commitment live on in the daily rhythm of camp life and in the people who learned from him. Planting trees in his memory keeps his presence rooted here through living growth that will continue for years to come.
In the spirit of Tu Bishvat, Dror Israel and NOAL communities across the country are also planting, hiking, and reconnecting with the land in meaningful ways.
Tu Bishvat reminds us that growth takes time, and that the future is built through small, steady acts of care. Planting trees is one of those acts, a commitment to renewal, to community, and to the generations who will come after us.
This year especially, that message matters. May the trees planted at Kfar HaHoresh, and across the country, be a symbol of hope, shade, and new beginnings.
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