The establishment of a new Ukrainian branch of the Jewish National Fund was announced during a meeting between President Isaac Herzog and members of the Ukrainian Jewish community Wednesday.
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Among those in attendance were Israel's Ukraine envoy Michael Brodsky, Housing and Construction Minister Ze'ev Elkin, Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center Chairman Natan Sharansky, World Zionist Organization Chairman Yaakov Hagoel, JNF Vice-Chairman Hernan Felman, as well as Shas MKs Moshe Arbel and Michael Malchieli and Yisrael Beytenu MK Evgeny Sova.
JNF has years of experience in planning forests, with the objective of ensuring the wooded areas are able to last for many years and allow for a variety of ecological services. Following an executive order from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to significantly increase the forested areas of the country by 2030 and plant a billion trees by 2024, Ukraine's Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Minister Roman Abramovsky contacted JNF Chairman Avraham Duvdevani to promote cooperation between the Ukrainian government and JNF in the fields of forestation.
Speaking at the event, Herzog said the establishment of JNF's Ukrainian branch was the sign of a process that had come full circle. "After all, the [charitable, pre-Zionist] Odessa Committee began to purchase lands in Israel and establish communities long before JNF's establishment. In Odessa, JNF's seeds, the seeds of Zionism, were sown. The wellbeing of the Jewish community, any Jewish community, is tied to that of the State of Israel," he said.
Hagoel said: "The opening of a Jewish National Fund branch on Ukrainian territory opens a window of opportunity for countless initiatives for the continued construction of the bridge between … the people of Israel.
"We will continue to work together with all the officials to assist, to deepen the relationship, to build the bridge, and realize the continuation of the Zionist vision for generations to come. In Basel, [Zionist visionary Theodor] Herzl said, 'I established the Jewish state.'"
Felman said: "The establishment of JNF Ukraine will empower the community here and help further bolster the warm relations between the countries. JNF recently responded to the Ukrainian government's request for cooperation, the transfer of knowledge and technology, and the significant increase of forested areas in the state by 2030 as part of its handling of the climate crisis."
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