Tu B’Shvat
besieged
is man
a tree of the field
entreating for a future
mehudar heart
an esrog graced with life’s ridges and troughs
on this full moon
new year
Tu B’Shvat marks the New Year of the Trees. It is one of the four New Years mentioned in the Mishnah (Rosh HaShana 1:1). In Hasidic tradition, Tu B’Shvat is considered a propitious time to pray that one will find a beautiful etrog to use on the coming Sukkot. This year it falls on January 22.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
