Tu Bishvat/Tu B'Shevat in the United States

Tu B’Shevat (Tu Bishvat) is the 15th day of the Jewish months of Shevat. This festival is also known as the “New Year for Trees” and is observed in Jewish communities in countries such as the United States.

Is Tu Bishvat/Tu B'Shevat a Public Holiday?

Although Tu Bishvat/Tu B'Shevat is not a public holiday, businesses and schools may be closed because it falls on the same date as Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2019.

What Do People Do?

Many Jewish communities in the United States observe the festival by eating fruit on this day. The Torah praises seven “fruits”, in particular grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. Many Jewish people also try to eat a new fruit, which can be any seasonal fruit. Some Jewish communities plant trees on Tu B’Shevat.

Public Life

Tu B’Shevat is not a public holiday in the United States. However, some Jewish organizations may be closed or offer a limited service to allow for festivities to occur on this day.

Background

Tu B’Shevat is first referred to in the late Second Temple period (515 BCE to 20 CE) when it was the cut-off date for levying the tithe on the produce of fruit trees. When Jewish colonists returned to Palestine during the 1930s, they reclaimed the barren land by planting trees where they could. It became customary to plant a tree for every newborn child – a cedar for a boy and a cypress or pine for a girl.

About Tu Bishvat/Tu B'Shevat in other countries

Note: Jewish holidays begin at sundown the day before the date specified for the holiday.