Not rooted to the ground? Get out and have fun this week in Jerusalem

This Friday night/Saturday marks the Jewish equivalent of Earth Day, known as Tu Bishvat and is considered a birthday, or new year for trees. Instead of making a cake and placing it in front of their favorite plant, Jewish kids the world over are forced to gum down dried “treats” flown in from Israel representing the seven species. But here in Jerusalem, not only is the fruit fresh, or at least delicious, but with a ton of events surrounding the minor holiday, so is the experience. And as in every other week, there’s a lot more happening culture wise from Talpiot to downtown and everywhere in between.

Tonight Jerusalem based ensembles Terra Rossa and Alila will sing all about their favorite trees and everything else Tu Bishvat related in a special concert at the Yellow Submarine.

The tree new year may be Judaism’s closest thing to a scientific, or natural, holiday, with more emphasis on the world around us than the one upstairs. Grab the kids and explore the deeper meanings of the holiday at Bloomfield Science Museum, which will have a special exhibit Friday and Saturday on planting trees and global warming. Al Gore would approve, shouldn’t you?

The name Tu Bishvat is actually the Hebrew way of saying the 15th of the month of Shvat. The reason this does not coincide with the Gregorian calendar is a simple matter of solar and lunar calendar differences. A visit to the Bible Lands Museum on Saturday will land you in an English-language conference explaining it all. Call ahead if you plan to attend.

No joke! On Sunday night, Off the Wall Comedy Basement will present something a little different than visitors are used to, when folk trio Yuval Mensch and the Foreigners pay a visit.

It may be a new year for trees, but Monday marks a new month for us. It’s not spring yet, but we’re a little closer and what better to get you in the mood for a seasonal change than an English language production of Haim Potok’s “The Chosen” at the Merkaz, about a baseball game and how it brings two Jewish boys in 1940s Brooklyn from rival schools closer together.

What’s better than one twelve-man show? Twelve one-man shows. Find out why this series is a hit with a visit to the Gerard Bechar center for a performance of one man show Jacques.

This is one telling of Hansel and Gretel not for the kiddies. On Wednesday Beit Avi Chai will put on a showing of “Hansel and Gretel: The End of the Fairy Tale,” a monodrama that goes from innocent to dark in less time than it takes to get lost in the woods, or your mind.

If you’re planning on making like a tree and leaving the house, there’s plenty more events at our full events page.