The Jerusalem Municipality, in cooperation with Reishit Yerushalayim, recently dedicated Eretz Yisroel’s first Shmittah park.

Jerusalem Mayor Rabbi Uri Lupoliansky has been working to advance the project and allocated funding to set up a facility designed to teach students experientially.

Rabbi Itamar Bar Ezer, director of the Department for Chareidi Education, says during their visit to the park students learn about halachos related to Shmittah, covering ground, hothouses with detached growing surfaces, permitted work, etc. Rabbonim and public figures worked hard on the unique learning program, aimed at children from kindergarten through fourth grade, including presentations, exhibits, a train ride and a walking tour.

Rabbi Uri Maklev, deputy mayor and chareidi education commissioner, spearheaded a project to bring a Shmittah study program presented by educator Rabbi Moshe Yarkoni to every primary school in the city.

The construction of the school was another building block in Mayor Lupoliansky’s efforts to foster broad public awareness of halachos related to the seventh year. During the course of this year the Jerusalem Municipality, in cooperation with the Beis Medrash LeHalacha BeHisyashvus HaChakla’is, headed by HaRav Yosef Efrati, has been promoting a Shmittah project at local authorities around the country. These activities have enabled many cities to keep Shmittah for the first time in public areas under their jurisdiction.

(By Yechiel Sever for Dei’ah veDibur)