The fates of people and trees have always been interconnected, particularly in the western Negev. Months after the deadly October 7 attack, the destroyed communities of the Gaza Envelope stand desolate, their local forests reduced to blackened husks. But for most of their history, the region’s communities and forests grew and thrived together. The first seeds of Be’eri Forest, for example, were planted by Zionist pioneers to the western Negev in 1946. Their growth seemed improbable, but their planting was an act of hope in what was to come – new life in the soil, agriculture, thriving communities. Today, too, the restoration of the Be’eri and Sderot Forests are an important step in the healing of their human guardians.This Tu Bishvat, defy destruction; support KKL-JNF rehabilitation efforts, paving the way to collective healing and growth.