Streaming with closed captions
Jason Sherman recalls receiving many gifts for his bar mitzvah, but 40 years later, one particular present has held his fascination. A tree was planted in Israel, in his name. Keen to better understand its origins and hopefully find out what's become of his seedling, he begins a quest from Toronto to Tel Aviv. Along the way he learns a lot about the Jewish National Fund, their afforestation projects and little blue boxes. Throughout the 1970s, the Canadian Jewish diaspora helped raise millions of dollars to develop Canada Park, a 700-hectare Israeli national park. Today, a dense canopy covers the remains of Palestinian villages that were razed in order to make "barren" land green. These forests were part of a national project driven by propaganda and good intentions. Sherman's travels introduce him to many who don't shy away from uncomfortable conversations in his attempt to get to the root of a complicated history. Alexander Rogalski
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