Latest news with #TreeOfLife
BBC News
a day ago
- Science
- BBC News
African baobab tree blooms at Eden Project
A baobab tree from Africa has burst into flower at the Eden Project in flower may produce superfruit which are said to taste of a blend of melon and pineapple, according to the Eden is known as the Tree of Life as it can live for more than 3,000 years and provides food, shelter, clothing and medicine, the team seed for the 8m (26ft 3in) high tree was collected in Malawi in 1995 and thrives in dry, arid conditions. The Eden Project's chief executive Andy Jasper said: "It's incredible to see our African baobab flowering, especially here in the UK."We have five stunning baobabs in our Rainforest Biome, and this particular tree has been with us since the very beginning. "He added: "To witness it bloom as we approach our 25th birthday next year is something truly special to behold."The baobab flowers for a short time and horticulturalists at the eco charity will hand-pollinate the hope the plant will produce large velvety fruits which take between four and six months to mature, Mr Jasper said.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
10 years after Charleston church massacre, faith leaders lament that the country hasn't changed
People of faith gathered again at Mother Emanuel AME on Tuesday just like they did 10 years ago, searching for God's truth and His love in the church fellowship hall. On that horrible night in 2015, nine Black church members were gunned down by a white man who hated them just for the color of their skin. He sat with them through their Bible study, then as they closed their eyes and bowed their heads, he started firing. As survivors gathered in 2025, they invited another congregation that knows the pain of murderous hatred to join them. When a gunman killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, Mother Emanuel's pastor, the Rev. Eric Manning, flew to Pittsburgh to comfort another flock. A lament about a world unchanged It was up to Rabbi Jeff Myers to lament Tuesday that the world hasn't changed as much as was hoped by the congregation of the South's oldest African American church, which was founded by enslaved people, torn down after they rebelled and then rebuilt following the Civil War. 'Both of us were assaulted by Americans who did not want us to exist, who thought violence would solve their problems,' Myers said. Then he read the portion of the U.S. Declaration of Independence that starts with 'we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.' 'Except for the Jews and the Blacks. That's how I feel in America right now,' Myers said. A call to action and justice Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly said American society combines hate and guns in a stew that threatens the country's existence. 'We know that hate is dangerous. But hate with a gun in its hand is deadly,' said Kelly, who was joined at the Mother Emanuel pulpit by his wife, former U.S. House member Gabby Giffords, who was gravely wounded in a January 2011 mass shooting in Arizona. The Charleston church massacre did change the world in some ways. The shooter, now on death row just like the killer at Tree of Life, posted selfie photos with a Confederate flag to hammer home his racist reasons for shooting Black parishioners. For many, this act made it impossible to keep defending the rebel banner as a symbol of southern heritage. South Carolina then took the flag down from the Statehouse grounds where it was installed as a rebuttal to federal desegregation orders. A struggle with our racist past But some things are the same. Mother Emanuel's sanctuary still has the same deep red carpet. The church continues its mission of empathy, empowerment, encouragement and equipping. And the nation still struggles with the legacy of enslaving Black people for hundreds of years. South Carolina remains one of only two states in the U.S. without a hate crime law even though survivors keep pushing for it. Months before the massacre at Mother Emanuel, a white North Charleston police officer shot and killed an unarmed Black man in the back about 10 miles (16 kilometers) away. Six years later, a white officer knelt on a Black man's neck in Minnesota for nine minutes, killing him. 'On paper, the concept of the United States is a wonderful one. In reality, it is not successful right now,' Rabbi Myers said. A reminder of forgiveness Mother Emanuel member Marvin Stewart has tried to emulate the love he saw in his nine friends killed that night. 'Unfortunately, the present time is very demoralizing and very challenging with the political divide. As I sat in church today, and I keep hearing the word forgiveness, I said, 'am I in that space?' I would use the word acceptance as the space I'm in,' Stewart said after the service. One hymn was sung Tuesday. It was 'Amazing Grace' — the spiritual that Barack Obama, the nation's first Black president, began singing at the memorial service for the nine victims, held just blocks from Gadsden's Wharf, where an estimated 40% of enslaved Africans first touched U.S. soil. Rapturous applause rained down when survivors of the shooting and relatives of the people killed were asked to stand and be seen. And moments of joy Chris Singleton, whose mother Sharonda Coleman-Singleton was killed, asked everyone to 'hug somebody who looks different than you,' and for several minutes the packed sanctuary was abuzz with smiling people, arms reaching over pews and hugs spilling into aisles. Large photos of those killed were on display in the sanctuary — pillars of the community who included the church's pastor who was a state senator, a high school track coach, the church sexton, a librarian and an aspiring poet. The shooter sprayed more than 70 bullets to kill them — and told Polly Sheppard he was leaving her alive so that the world would know his motive: "You're taking over our country. And you have to go.' He failed, the Rev. Manning said: People of faith are still here, working together for good through God. 'Let the memory of the Emanuel Nine be a light that guides us not only to remembrance, but also to renewal and change,' he said.
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
10 years after Charleston church massacre, faith leaders lament that the country hasn't changed
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — People of faith gathered again at Mother Emanuel AME on Tuesday just like they did 10 years ago, searching for God's truth and His love in the church fellowship hall. On that horrible night in 2015, nine Black church members were gunned down by a white man who hated them just for the color of their skin. He sat with them through their Bible study, then as they closed their eyes and bowed their heads, he started firing. As survivors gathered in 2025, they invited another congregation that knows the pain of murderous hatred to join them. When a gunman killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, Mother Emanuel's pastor, the Rev. Eric Manning, flew to Pittsburgh to comfort another flock. A lament about a world unchanged It was up to Rabbi Jeff Myers to lament Tuesday that the world hasn't changed as much as was hoped by the congregation of the South's oldest African American church, which was founded by enslaved people, torn down after they rebelled and then rebuilt following the Civil War. 'Both of us were assaulted by Americans who did not want us to exist, who thought violence would solve their problems,' Myers said. Then he read the portion of the U.S. Declaration of Independence that starts with 'we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.' 'Except for the Jews and the Blacks. That's how I feel in America right now,' Myers said. A call to action and justice Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly said American society combines hate and guns in a stew that threatens the country's existence. 'We know that hate is dangerous. But hate with a gun in its hand is deadly,' said Kelly, who was joined at the Mother Emanuel pulpit by his wife, former U.S. House member Gabby Giffords, who was gravely wounded in a January 2011 mass shooting in Arizona. The Charleston church massacre did change the world in some ways. The shooter, now on death row just like the killer at Tree of Life, posted selfie photos with a Confederate flag to hammer home his racist reasons for shooting Black parishioners. For many, this act made it impossible to keep defending the rebel banner as a symbol of southern heritage. South Carolina then took the flag down from the Statehouse grounds where it was installed as a rebuttal to federal desegregation orders. A struggle with our racist past But some things are the same. Mother Emanuel's sanctuary still has the same deep red carpet. The church continues its mission of empathy, empowerment, encouragement and equipping. And the nation still struggles with the legacy of enslaving Black people for hundreds of years. South Carolina remains one of only two states in the U.S. without a hate crime law even though survivors keep pushing for it. Months before the massacre at Mother Emanuel, a white North Charleston police officer shot and killed an unarmed Black man in the back about 10 miles (16 kilometers) away. Six years later, a white officer knelt on a Black man's neck in Minnesota for nine minutes, killing him. 'On paper, the concept of the United States is a wonderful one. In reality, it is not successful right now,' Rabbi Myers said. A reminder of forgiveness Mother Emanuel member Marvin Stewart has tried to emulate the love he saw in his nine friends killed that night. 'Unfortunately, the present time is very demoralizing and very challenging with the political divide. As I sat in church today, and I keep hearing the word forgiveness, I said, 'am I in that space?' I would use the word acceptance as the space I'm in,' Stewart said after the service. One hymn was sung Tuesday. It was 'Amazing Grace' — the spiritual that Barack Obama, the nation's first Black president, began singing at the memorial service for the nine victims, held just blocks from Gadsden's Wharf, where an estimated 40% of enslaved Africans first touched U.S. soil. Rapturous applause rained down when survivors of the shooting and relatives of the people killed were asked to stand and be seen. And moments of joy Chris Singleton, whose mother Sharonda Coleman-Singleton was killed, asked everyone to 'hug somebody who looks different than you,' and for several minutes the packed sanctuary was abuzz with smiling people, arms reaching over pews and hugs spilling into aisles. Large photos of those killed were on display in the sanctuary — pillars of the community who included the church's pastor who was a state senator, a high school track coach, the church sexton, a librarian and an aspiring poet. The shooter sprayed more than 70 bullets to kill them — and told Polly Sheppard he was leaving her alive so that the world would know his motive: 'You're taking over our country. And you have to go.' He failed, the Rev. Manning said: People of faith are still here, working together for good through God. 'Let the memory of the Emanuel Nine be a light that guides us not only to remembrance, but also to renewal and change,' he said.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
On this day in 2024: Coat of Hopes to arrive at Bradford Cathedral
On this day in 2024, the Telegraph and Argus reported that a symbol of collective climate hopes was about to arrive in Bradford. The Coat of Hopes, a patchwork pilgrim coat, was set to arrive on the night of Friday, June 7, 2024 at Bradford Cathedral, as part of its "perpetual pilgrimage" - of which 1,500km had so far been covered at the time of reporting. The coat, made up of more than 600 blanket patches, began its journey in 2021 with a nine-week journey from the south coast to the gates of COP 26 in Glasgow. The coat's arrival at Bradford Cathedral coincided with the start of the Tree of Life concert, and the coat was set to be on display for three weeks, as well as to be taken to local schools and community groups. Barbara Keal, who instigated the coat, said: "The coat's work through this ongoing pilgrimage is to offer everyone the invitation to stop and, in wearing it, focus on the climate and ecological emergency, and our connection to all those others who face it with us. "The Coat of Hopes carries forward, in its fabric, stories of people and places encountered on its way. "It will be so good to meet, walk, sing, and sew with the people of West Yorkshire, and take them with us as we continue on our way - walking towards the end of this emergency." The coat was set to stop next at Haworth Parish Church on June 29, 2024, with members of the public invited to join in the walk from Bradford Cathedral to the next destination. The Coat of Hopes also has a song, which declares its aims, and which is sung each time a new person wears the coat.
CBS News
30-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Richard King Mellon Foundation provides Tree of Life with $2.5 million grant
The Tree of Life is getting a huge funding boost thanks to one local non-profit. It was announced on Thursday that the Richard King Mellon Foundation gifted Tree of Life a $2.5 million grant to support building a national center for education, remembrance, bridge-building, and the celebration of Jewish culture. "The Richard King Mellon Foundation's grant comes at a critical juncture for The Tree of Life and the broader Jewish community," said Carole Zawatsky, CEO of The Tree of Life. "Our mission to uproot antisemitism and hate is of the utmost importance at this moment. We are incredibly grateful for the Foundation's generosity and continued support, which is symbolic of our core belief that antisemitism is an American problem and all of us – Jewish and not – must work together to counter it." The gift from the Richard King Mellon Foundation now gives the Tree of Life a total of $3.5 million in investment. "Our community is incredibly thankful for the continued support of the Richard King Mellon Foundation," said Michael Bernstein, chair of the board at The Tree of Life. "Our bold vision to realize a future where our children live without fear of antisemitism depends on partners like this who support our work." Tree of Life breaks ground on new synagogue Last year, after months of demolition, ground was broken on a new synagogue in Squirrel Hill. It was a day more than five years in the making; one filled with emotion, resilience, and hope, as the synagogue broke ground on a new space and a new chapter in its history. Since the horrific shooting on Oct. 27, 2018, the building had remained vacant until then, as construction began on the site of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. The main sanctuary will remain for worship, but the new building, what's being called a 'reimagined' Tree of Life, will memorialize and celebrate the lives of those tragically killed. "We announce loudly and clearly to the entire world that evil did not win," Rabbi Jeffrey Myers said at the groundbreaking. Construction is expected to be completed in a couple of years.
