On March 29, members of the Jewish community joined volunteers gathered at Evendale Commons along the banks of Mill Creek. They came with shovels and a purpose: to plant trees that had been tended to for months.

It started during Tu B’Shvat. Inspired by his love of nature and working on his family farm, our Chaver Uri had set up a popup display at the Mayerson JCC where friends and neighbors stopped by, planted seeds in small containers, and took them home to grow. For weeks, people watered them, watched them, waited.

Alongside leaders with the Mill Creek Alliance and Shomrei Olam, volunteers planted and caged 60 native-species trees—red buds, white dogwoods, witch hazel, and white oaks—in an area that had been overrun by invasive honeysuckle. Real roots. Real soil. Real trees becoming part of the city’s landscape.

The day didn’t happen by accident. Many months of planning preceded it: clearing the land of undergrowth, plotting out spots to place the saplings, potting the seedlings, watering them, and coordinating several organizations. When volunteers arrived that Sunday, Shomrei Olam and the Mill Creek Alliance made it look seamless. Four hours and a lot of sweat later, 60 new trees were in the ground.

This is what people-power actually looks like. Not a single dramatic moment, but months of small acts: a watering can, a supply run, a morning in the mud.

There is something quietly Jewish about planting before the shade is necessary. About tending something you won’t immediately benefit from. Tu B’Shvat gave us the moment to start. Sixty trees are in the ground now. The honeysuckle is gone. The watershed is a little more whole.