Director of the IYIM – Judaic Heritage program for the Deaf and hearing impaired, Rav Chanoch Yeres conducted a Tu B’Shvat seder for the pensioner aged Deaf in Netanya. Following the “traditional seder” Rav Chanoch regaled the participants with stories of Eretz Yisrael and divrei Torah about the role agriculture plays in Judaism.

Simultaneously, Deaf youth throughout Israel together with their families participated in joint IYIM/Shema Tu B’shvat activities in various cities. The focus this year was on “planting for the future”- how when one plants a seed their is no immediate satisfaction just hard work “הזורעים בדימה ברינה יקצורו”, but later on the seeds bare fruits. This in turn was related to the earlier pioneers of the State of Israel who planted the seeds for the country 70 years ago.