Some of you may remember our longtime members Jerry and Rochelle Slivka, of blessed memory. As survivors of the Shoah, their life stories were both tragic and blessed, painful yet life affirming. Jerry and Rochelle and their friends are and were some of the most amazing and inspiring people you could meet. The Slivka Holocaust Memorial on our property was conceived of and supported by their family and friends. The Slivkas cared deeply about the Jewish community and its continued existence.

I think of Jerry and Rochelle often, but this year I’m thinking of them in relation to Tu BiShevat, the new year for trees. According to Torah, fruit-bearing trees must be four years old before their fruit can be eaten. When it was later determined that the trees’ year would begin on the 15th of the month of Shevat, it became on fourth Tu BiShvat (the 15th day of Shevat) that one could begin eating the fruit.

In Israel, the trees are just beginning to bloom at this time. In particular, the almond trees are in bloom. As I look out my window here at 400 Deering, I see snow and darkness. There’s nothing blooming out there right now, and if I were a pessimistic person, I’d never believe that anything will ever bloom! Sometimes it’s hard to see a better future when you’re in the midst of darkness.

For Jerry—though not necessarily for Rochelle who was a bit more skeptical than Jerry—gardening and flowers took on a special, spiritual meaning. Jerry spoke about his love of gardening at his Second Bar Mitzvah which took place to a full sanctuary on his 83rd birthday. The growing season in Maine is short, he reflected, so you want to make the most of it. There is a tradition (and Jerry was aware of so many old traditions) to celebrate a second Bar Mitzvah at 83 because according to the Psalms a full life span is 70 years, so if we live to 83, it’s a B Mitzvah year! Just as a second Bar Mitzvah was a miracle in his life, so too the appearance of flowers and the growth of trees was miraculous and life affirming to Jerry. He was both surprised and delighted by the flowers’ and trees’ appearance each year. Just as on Chanukah, when we celebrate by “publicizing” the miracle of the lights by putting the menorah in the window, he wanted to be sure that people who drove past his house had something beautiful to see from spring until winter. And, because children were so important, he made space for his children and grandchildren to play; the flowers were protected, but the kids could have their fun. I read in his oral history, kept at the US Holocaust Museum, that he brought an oak seedling from his yard in Portland and planted it in front of his ‘home’ in Poversk, Ukraine, hoping that it would survive as other Jews had. Jerry lived and gardened for 97 years, passing in 2013. Rochelle died in 2005 at the age of 82. At the time of his death, Jerry was survived by two daughters, six grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. 

The New Year for Trees, 15 Shevat 5784, Portland Maine. The flowers will eventually bloom, and the trees will blossom. We will survive. Thank you for the reminder, Jerry and Rochelle.