Tiiiiiimber!

The symbolism was striking.

Today was Yom HaShoah, the day we commemorate the destruction of European Jewry. The day we remember the vibrant, flourishing Jewish communities which were violently uprooted.

And due to a quirk in the tree man’s schedule, today was also the day we chopped down the tallest tree in our yard.

You see, we recently discovered that the roots had spread wide rather than deep and that the tree was inherently unstable. In other words, if we didn’t cut down the tree, it would likely be felled by a strong gust of wind – probably right through our relatively new roof.

So, we called the tree man, and he and his crew arrived today.

Here’s the tree in all its glory. If you look closely, you can see the tree man at the very top:

Here are two movies showing the tree being cut down:

And:

Here’s the stump:

May the next tree we plant grow deep and stable roots, and may it serve as a symbol of Am Yisrael’s deep and unbreakable bond with Eretz Yisrael.

___________

P.S. And, yes, in case you were wondering, the vultures neighborhood kids descended as soon as the tree was down, asking if they could take wood for Lag BaOmer. (YZG cautioned them that the wood probably wouldn’t dry in time, but they didn’t seem to be overly concerned…)