For Tu Bishvat, Isaac Herzog and injured lone soldier's mother plant tree

Planting a tree is a symbol for solidarity between communities around the world and Israel.

Isaac Herzog with Hagit Hemo, mother of Ori, the lone soldier from San Diego injured in the ramming attack in Jerusalem, plant a tree with students at the San Diego Jewish Academy where Ori attended before making Aliyah and where his mother teaches Hebrew.  (photo credit: MARK GARCIA)
Isaac Herzog with Hagit Hemo, mother of Ori, the lone soldier from San Diego injured in the ramming attack in Jerusalem, plant a tree with students at the San Diego Jewish Academy where Ori attended before making Aliyah and where his mother teaches Hebrew.
(photo credit: MARK GARCIA)
On Friday, Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog joined the mother of a lone soldier who was injured in a car-ramming attack last week to plant a tree in honor of the Tu Bishvat holiday during a visit to the San Diego Jewish Academy.
Twelve Israeli soldiers were wounded in the car ramming attack near the First Station in Jerusalem on Thursday early in the morning.
“Ori, a lone solider from San Diego, was just injured in a horrific attack in Israel. His mother Hagit and I planted a tree at the San Diego Jewish Academy, where she works as a teacher,” said Herzog.
Ori grew up in San Diego and studied at the San Diego Jewish Academy before making Aliyah and joining the IDF in November 2019.
Herzog reaffirmed that planting the tree was "a symbol of the unbreakable bond between Israel and world Jewry," a symbol of solidarity.
In fact, planting trees, most particularly in Israel, for Tu Bishvat has become a tradition for many around the world, one reason being to reaffirm their root connection with the land of Israel.
"The solidarity among the Jewish people is also what motivated Ori to join the IDF,” Herzog added.