Celebrate With Us!

Tu B'shvat, the Celebration, and the Seder

This holiday marks the "New Year of the Trees" and is considered Israel's "Earth Day".  Customs include planting trees, eating dried fruit and nuts, and holding a special Seder dinner with friends and family to celebrate the richness of the land and the miracles of growth and harvest.

Though not as well known as some of the other Jewish holidays, Tu B'shvat bears particular importance in this time of global environmental stress and human impacts.

Join us for a special

Friday night service and
      Tu B'shvat (ט״ו בשבט)
      Seder Dinner!

Friday February 10 • 5:30pm

Beth Isaiah Synagogue
47 Surrey Street West

Click the Various Tabs Above!

Celebrate our 4th annual Tu B'shvat Seder Dinner!  If you didn't make it last year, don't miss a uniquely different, fun, and fascinating evening!  Click the "Order Tickets Securely Online" tab or "Order Tickets by Mail" tab

Enjoy a variety of videos and a reflection on the meaning of the Tu B'shvat holiday and the view Judaism has on the preservation of our planet and on ecology.  Click the "Videos" tab or "Reflections" tab. 

Sponsors

Please contact Techiya at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 519.265.1591.

Volunteers Needed Thursday and Friday

We need volunteers on Thursday and Friday -- any time -- to help cook...especially bake!...and set the tables.  If you are able to help out, please contact Techiya at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 519.265.1591.

Order Tickets Securely Online

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Order Tickets by Mail

Tu B'shvat Seder -- Order Tickets by Mail

Ticket sales help us cover the costs of holding the Seder for our community.

Ticket:  $15 each

Couple:  $30

Member Family (2 adults, 1+ children):  $40 each

Student Ticket:  $10 each

Please mail in the following:

1.  A note indicating your name, the total # of tickets you're purchasing, and the number of adults/children for a Family ticket.

2.  Enclose a cheque for your total amount, payable to "Beth Isaiah Congregation".

3.  Mail to:

Techiya Fisher
57 Surrey St. W.
 Guelph, Ontario
      N1H 3R5

4.  Contact Techiya at 519.265.1591 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and let her know you're coming!

Thanks and see you at the Seder!

The Sedar

Tu B’Shevat Seder was a time to celebrate our blessings

BY HOWARD P.

Feb. 10 was a night to celebrate ecology, trees in Israel, tasty food and good company as about 45 people attended Beth Isaiah’s Tu B’Shevat Seder following the Friday evening service in the synagogue.

Adults, teens, children and even babies, from newcomers to longtime members of the congregation, enjoyed the friendly atmosphere.

True to the theme of the holiday, this being the seven species of food in Israel, plus ecology and trees in particular, the Seder centred around those foods: wheat, barley, olives, figs, dates, pomegranates and grapes. It also featured other food from around the world.

“Everyone could taste about 15 fruits on the table,” said Techiya Fisher. “We had papaya, fresh figs, dates, pomegranates, different kinds of nuts and dried fruit,” she said enthusiastically.

People took turns reading from the Hagaddah edited by Techiya, telling the history of the holiday through Jewish thought and biblical quotations. 

Children asked four questions, much like at the Passover Seder, and adults drank four cups of wine or grape juice at four appropriate occasions.

Avraham M. brought many rare and exotic fruits for the Seder. We thank him. They were arranged beautifully as centerpieces made into works of culinary art.

Thanks also to Teressa, Howard, Natali Baird, Lena and Danielle, Sherri and Emillia for cooking, setting the tables and arranging the centre pieces for each table. Not to be forgotten are Rabbi Avraham Fisher, who also put in kitchen duty, and Techiya, the organizer, cook and general cheerleader for the preparations. There were smiles all around from this crew, who enjoyed one another’s company on the Thursday and Friday, whether setting tables or peeling potatoes.

The end result was a great success. It was evident that the Seder-goers wanted the evening of tasty food, good company and learning to continue, as seen by so many lingering in the hallway afterwards.

Don’t just take my word for it. Come to the next community event, supper or Seder and experience it yourself. More information will be sent as we get closer to Purim next month and to Passover, when a Seder will be held at Beth Isaiah on Friday, April 6, the first night of the holiday.