Songs and drumming will mark the Shabbat service in celebration of Tu B’Shevat — the “New Year for Trees” — to be held at The Village Temple, at 33 E. 12th St.
The evening will begin Fri., Feb. 6, at 6:30 p.m., with a Shabbat worship service led by Rabbi Chava Koster and cantorial soloist Daniel Leanse. The service will include a drumming circle and be especially welcoming for families and children.
A special Junior Congregation worship service for children ages 8 to 12 will be held, also at 6:30 p.m., while children ages 3 to 7 will attend Shabbat Kinder Care.
A Tu B’Shevat Seder and Shabbat dinner will follow the worship service with a lively songfest. The cost of the dinner is $25 for adults and $10 for children under 13. R.S.V.P.’s are required.
“The ecologically minded Jews of the ancient world understood the importance of crop rotation,” said Donald Kent, co-president of The Village Temple. “They created a holiday to mark the birthday of their fruit trees and keep track of their ‘age.’ Today, the holiday reminds us to respect the environment.”
The celebration is one of the temple’s series of Synaplex events. The series is designed to speak to a broad range of those who live in Downtown Manhattan, many of whom have no formal contact with the organized Jewish community at this point in their lives. All programs are open to children and adults of all ages.
Synaplex is an initiative of STAR (Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal) and is a philanthropic partnership of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life and The Samuel Bronfman Foundation.
For more information, call 212-674-2340 or visit www.villagetemple.org.
