On February 1st 2026, we marked Tu BiShvat, the New Year for the Trees, an event in the Jewish Calander dedicated to Nature, renewal and responsibility over he land. Reimagined by early Zionist pioneers as a National Day of Action, Tu BiShvat became a symbol of our historical bond to the land of Israel and of our commitment to take care of it. Today, it serves as a powerful Jewish Earth Day. It is in this spirit that Taglit Birthright Israel’s Greening Initiative was launched three years ago.
Taglit Birthright Israel was long synonymous with the ten-day educational bus tour. But three years ago, a historic 5-year “Greening Strategy” was set in motion, supported by the Bronfman family. This initiative began as an effort to include sustainability education in every trip and reduce our carbon footprint. Following the harrowing events of October 7th, it took on a new dimension. Thousands of volunteers mobilized to support Israel’s farmers and help in efforts of rehabilitation. The message is clear: we are not just visitors; we are partners in the physical stewardship of the state.
Since the conflict began, over 22,300 young Jewish adults have answered the call to aid Israel in its time of need. They arrived driven by solidarity, but their impact became ecological. In 2025, they built 60 therapeutic gardens, planted 3,000 trees, and established 5 new climate forests. Yet the “Greening” strategy extends beyond volunteer cohorts. We have implemented green education across all our programs, ensuring every participant engages with the land’s needs. Finally, we are tackling the environmental cost of global connection with hard targets. We aim to reduce our carbon footprint by 30% by 2030, and the results are already visible: in 2025, we achieved a 9% reduction. As we strengthen the bond between the Diaspora and Israel, we are taking measurable accountability for the planet we share.
Our work with the community of Kibbutz Be’eri captures the essence of Taglit’s Greening initiative. Following the devastation of October 7th, families were relocated to temporary housing. In partnership with the Venatata association, our participants built 300 private gardens, one for every displaced family. We planted thousands of herbs, flowers, and shade trees, transforming the dust into green sanctuaries. These gardens restore a sense of dignity and ownership to a community that has lost everything. With this blueprint in hand, we are now looking to the communities of the northern border. Our next phase of greening focuses on the border town of Shlomi and the Druze village of Majdal Shams. In Shlomi, Taglit is building therapeutic and educational gardens in every school and kindergarten in the city. From creating “outdoor classrooms” to planting fruit orchards and vegetable patches, we are preparing a green, healing embrace to support the daily recovery of children now back in their classrooms. In Majdal Shams, Taglit is partnering with the Druze community to replant orchards and green spaces damaged by the war. This work is a statement of the special bond existing between Israel and its Druze community: we share this land and the responsibility to heal it.
Our initiative was designed to carry three times its weight in impact. It operates on three distinct levels. The first is personal: empowering young Jews to remedy their environmental anxiety by finding agency and meaning through physical service. The second is communal: strengthening the resilience of border towns by creating spaces for healing and connection. And the third, perhaps the most profound: the land itself. We are moving beyond the concept of the land as merely a backdrop for our history; we are treating it as a living value that demands our active attention. By protecting its soil and greening its scars, we are upgrading the definition of Zionism for the 21st century. We are reclaiming our birthright by transforming it into a sacred trust.
