The KKL-JNF unveiled this week photos of celebrations of the Shavuot festival in pre-state Israel under the British Mandate.

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During the Mandate era, Shavuot was celebrated with vibrant costumes, parades, and dancing in the streets of major cities such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa. Starting in the 1920s, KKL-JNF, through the teachers' movement for KKL-JNF, imbued Shavuot with a new significance, symbolizing the return to the homeland and the deepening connection to the land of Israel.

The so-called "bikkurim" Shavuot ceremonies "were revived in cities and villages across the country. In Jerusalem, the bikkurim were brought to the KKL-JNF building, while Tel Aviv featured grand stages, and Haifa celebrated with vibrant parades and street performances," director of the archives, Efrat Sinai, said. "The KKL-JNF photo archive serves as a captivating testament to the Jewish people's presence in the Land of Israel in the early 20th century. As a tribute to Shavuot, we are delighted to unveil nostalgic photographs capturing the bikkurim celebrations in the major cities during the British Mandate."

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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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To help communities and residents living on the front lines in southern Israel and the Gaza Strip periphery region, which are constantly exposed to rocket and mortar fire, the Jewish National Fund, in coordination with the Defense Ministry, will be placing portable bomb shelters in strategic locations and cities to better protect residents.

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The development will be made possible with the help of communities from around the world, who are already showing their support as Israel fights to defend itself from terror attacks and constant rocket barrages from Gaza.

JNF will acquire around 100 portable and modern bomb shelters, each capable of protecting dozens of citizens, in the hope of saving as many lives as possible.

Avraham Duvdevani, JNF global chairman, said it was "of paramount importance to help, assist, and protect residents during these sorts of emergencies, as it is important during calmer days as well. Through this acquisition, it is taking part in the national effort, supporting farmers, agriculture workers, and civilians, so that they are able to maintain their livelihood and stay safe."

With tens of thousands of Israeli families under attack by rocket fire from Hamas in Gaza and required to stay near the safety of the protected rooms within their homes, Colel Chabad, Israel's oldest continuously operating charitable organization, has increased home deliveries to support the elderly in need.

While seniors usually get meals at one of 22 soup kitchens around the country, the constant threat of attacks has forced Colel Chabad to temporarily shut these facilities and deliver to homes in some of the hardest-hit areas, including Ashdod, Lod, Dimona, and Jerusalem.

The organization sent 25,000 meals to over 5,000 people over the Shavuot weekend.

At the same time, the Youth Department at Congregation Bnei Yeshurun in Teaneck, NJ, decided to do something to help kids forced to spend hours in protected spaces.

"We called upon the community to help raise money to send toys, educational books, and comfort food to bomb shelters across southern Israel," said Rivka Szafranski, who together with her husband, Yehoshua, runs the youth department. "We decided to team up with Colel Chabad, which already has the infrastructure and volunteer system to package and distribute gifts to these children who are suffering during these traumatic times."

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"We've now raised more than $38,000 with 30-plus other communities involved in donating gift packages for Israeli children in the hardest-hit areas," said Doron Katz from Teaneck.

In the initial round of distribution, packages were delivered for the Shavuot holiday to young children in Yavne, Ashdod, and Sderot – cities that have been under attack in the latest round of violence in Israel.

The packages were prepared under the guidance of professional staff to support the emotional well-being of children. The age-appropriate gifts included books about emotions and challenges designed to help kids throughout a scary, confusing time. "It warms our heart to feel your love and caring," said Miriam Blau, an educational counselor at the Maonot Chaya Childcare Centers in Israel. "It means so much to these children to know that there are sisters and brothers on the other side of the world that think of them and care for them."

"Thousands of families are living in very tense and scary times, having to drop everything and run to the nearest shelter, sometimes multiple times a day," said Itzik Marton of Colel Chabad. "The tremendous response from Jewish youth in the United States to this initiative really shows how Kol Yisrael Ereivim Ze Ba'Zeh—'we are all connected.'"

The gifts were assembled at the Pantry Packers Volunteer Center in Jerusalem under the direction of Rabbi Menachem Traxler. They included handwritten notes from day-school students from Yeshivat Noam in New Jersey, as well as other participating Jewish communities in the United States.

"To see this project grow so quickly and continue to attract the involvement among the Jewish children of the Diaspora is inspiring," said the director of Colel Chabad, Rabbi Shalom Duchman. "The children of Israel are never alone."

Another organization stepping up amid the fighting is Yad Sarah, Israel's largest national volunteer organization, which has been providing supplies like home hospital equipment, wheelchairs, crutches, and respiratory aids by the hundreds.

Along with increasing its lending services in the south, volunteers are directly delivering medical equipment to those in need.

Adele Goldberg, Friends of Yad Sarah executive director, said: "Our dedicated volunteers are coming in, business as usual, determined to keep all services running."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org

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Generations of Jews have dropped spare change into the iconic blue boxes of the Jewish National Fund, a 120-year-old Zionist organization that acquires land, plants trees and carries out development projects in the Holy Land.

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But the Israeli group, known by its Hebrew acronym KKL, is now considering formally expanding its activities into Jude and Samaria (the West Bank). That has sparked fierce opposition from left-leaning Jewish groups in the United States, deepening a rift with the right-wing Israeli government.

The debate has drawn attention to the fact that the KKL, which owns more than a tenth of all the land in Israel, has been quietly operating in Judea and Samaria for decades, building and expanding Jewish communities that much of the international community considers a violation of international law.

A separate New York-based organization, also known as the Jewish National Fund, does not take a position on the settlements and mostly operates within the Green Line.

The controversy erupted earlier this month when the Axios news website reported that KKL was considering a proposal to openly fund land purchases from Palestinians in Judea and Samaria. The move could potentially channel hundreds of millions of dollars into the expansion of settlements, some of them deep inside the disputed territory.

Israel views Judea and Samaria as the biblical heartland of the Jewish people and says any partition with the Palestinians should be negotiated in peace talks, which have been largely moribund for more than a decade.

The proposal would need to be approved by the KKL's board of directors, which includes representatives from several Jewish organizations and is not expected to decide before the country holds nationwide elections on March 23.

"Throughout the years and till this very day, KKL-JNF has been operating in all parts of the Land of Israel, including Judea and Samaria," it said. "At this stage, there is no intention of opening up a new area in Judea and Samaria."

It added that all projects are confirmed with donors in advance, suggesting that funds intended for projects inside Israel would not be diverted to the disputed territory.

But Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog, says KKL has been quietly operating in Judea and Samaria for decades, acquiring at least 65,000 dunams (16,000 acres) of land for Jewish communities, mainly through a subsidiary.

"This has happened before and so this isn't a sea change," Peace Now spokesman Brian Reeves said. "But this would be the first time that they are officially endorsing this in the open, the idea of purchasing land in the West Bank, and essentially saying 'we don't agree with international law, or that there's occupation, or that the two-state solution matters.'"

Palestinians view the sale of land to Jews as a betrayal of their national cause, so such transactions are usually carried out in secret or through middlemen, opening them up to allegations of fraud. In some cases, they result in the eviction of Palestinian families who say they never sold their property.

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the head of the Union for Reform Judaism, the largest Jewish movement in North America, said KKL's shift stems from recent elections at the World Zionist Congress that brought to power right-wing leaders more closely aligned with the Israeli government.

His group and others that are opposed to settlements denounced KKL's proposal and have vowed to oppose it when the board meets, but it's unclear whether they have enough votes. Jacobs is concerned the move could tar KKL for many in the West or spark tensions with the new US administration, which is also opposed to settlement expansion.

Jacobs acknowledged that KKL has operated in Judea and Samaria in the past, but said its activities dramatically dropped off over the last two decades before resuming and accelerating in secret in recent years, prompting opposition from the URJ and other groups.

"We basically blew the whistle and said wait a minute, there's a whole lot of land purchasing going on under the table, under the radar without oversight, and frankly, without even the formal permission to do so," he said.

"Here in North America, the majority of Jews are opposed to the proliferation of the settlement enterprise," he added. "That's something that American Jews feel very strongly about."

The US-based JNF is a separate entity with its own board and its own offices in New York and Jerusalem. CEO Russell Robinson said it doesn't involve itself in politics and focuses on projects in the Negev and Galilee regions of Israel.

"Politics is not where the majority of people want to be involved in," he said. "They want to be involved in making the world a better place, and we give them that opportunity."

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The US JNF contracts out forestry and reservoir-building to KKL, in what Robinson refers to as a "vendor service." It has also funded some small projects in Judea and Samaria, including a heritage museum in the Gush Etzion bloc.

Robinson dismissed the infighting within the major Zionist organizations and says it's had no impact on his group's fundraising. But Jacobs said Israelis should be concerned about the fraying relations between their right-wing government and their allies abroad.

"American Jews are very involved in the political life of the United States," he said. "We are working overtime to bridge the differences and to establish more commonality, but we're not going to forsake our core commitments to do so."

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The US arm of the Jewish National Fund has opened a design competition for the campus of its World Zionist Village project to be built in Beersheba.

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The World Zionist Village is a 20-acre, $350 million investment that will serve as the second home for the Alexander Muss High School in Israel; offer an Innovation Center for post-graduates interning at Beersheba-based hi-tech companies; and include an adult education center dedicated to Zionism.

According to the JNF, the project seeks to "change the narrative about Zionism, education, innovation, technology, and Jewish destiny."

The competition, titled Envision Tomorrow's Israel, opened on Feb. 4 and is slated to run until April 15, seeking design concepts for elements of the campus, including classrooms, dormitories, conference centers, houses of worship, and cafés. Architects, students, designers, and landscapers who enter the competition are encouraged to integrate the landscape of Beersheba and draw inspiration from Zionism, Judaism, the desert and environment, and sustainability and ideas to mitigate climate impact.

"This is a competition for an idea, but not just any idea," said Jeffrey E. Levin, chairman of JNF-USA's Board and co-chair of the Beersheba Construction and Building and Subcommittee.

"Our goal is to create interest in and brand what we are creating in Beersheba. London has Big Ben and Hollywood its famed sign. Will a monument make Beersheba and the village internationally recognizable icons? Will the design take advantage of the sun and be all solar? Will rooftop gardens adorn every structure? This international competition will draw ideas for a campus of the future and bestow Beersheba the attention it deserves," Levin explained.

Entrants can win up to $8,600. Finalists are scheduled to be announced on May 13, and the final winner will be announced on June 18.

More information on the project and the design competition is available here.

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"He'll be taking charge of overseeing our national expansion with the development and organization of regional chapters, recruiting new members and volunteers, board development, and forging ties with institutional partners from across the faith spectrum," the statement read. "Bryan brings unique and relevant experience to his new role," it continued.

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"I am honored and very excited to be joining the team as national director at Americans Against Anti-Semitism, an organization that has quickly become indispensable during these challenging times," Leib said. "There is so much work to be done, so many great people to work with, and yet so little time to act and make a difference. The time for talking has ended, it's time to act and I'm proud to have a stake in the fight for the very future and security of American Jewry."

Founder of Americans Against Anti-Semitism Dov Hikind said: "I am excited to tap Bryan to lead our national expansion plans. His passion and dedication for Jewish advocacy is a perfect fit for AAA. Bryan has spent his entire life fighting on the front lines for the Jewish people so I can think of no one better to help take AAA nationwide!"

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Israel Hayom learned this week that the parochet has been found at a warehouse in the Jewish National Fund building in Tel Aviv.

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The parochet disappeared in 1949, after Herzl's re-burial.

Two weeks ago, the JNF directorate decides that the historic JNF headquarters in Tel Aviv would be turned into a boutique hotel that would include a museum honoring the history of Zionism. This week, as the building's warehouse was being organized, Dr. Arie Ben, a historian who has managed the JNF museum for 30 years, a piece of gray cloth that was lying folded underneath a closet. Only after it was unfolded did it become apparent that this was Herzl's lost parochet.

JNF chairman Danny Atar, who has decided that the item will go on permanent display at the JNF headquarters, told Israel Hayom that "We have the great privilege of finding this important historical item that links us to the father of Zionism, and reminds us of the fact that without Zionism, there would be no JNF, and without the JNF there would be no Zionism."

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The exhibit, by Afghani-American photographer Fazal Sheikh, who lives in Switzerland, includes 12 images that, according to the explanatory material included in the exhibit, focus on the "violent and devastating effects of Israel's settlement and cultivation policy in the Negev [Desert] towards the local Bedouin population."

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The images, according to the museum, "tell of the forced evacuations of 'unrecognized' Bedouin villages, narrating the intricate policies and actions which have been employed to displace the local communities for whom the desert has been both a home and a source of livelihood for generations."

The exhibit goes on to claim that the Jewish National Fund "flattened Bedouin villages, uprooted trees and gardens, [and] leveled the terrain."

According to the exhibit, "the alteration of the land through militarization, industrialization, settlement, and afforestation demonstrates just how unnatural a 'natural' border can be."

The exhibit has generated outraged responses from Jewish groups in Munich. However, the museum has allowed the Israeli curator of the exhibit – artist and left-wing activist Boaz Levin – full discretion. The exhibit catalog notes that Levin is a native of "Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine."

The JNF has categorically denied the allegations made against it in the exhibit.

"The museum is becoming part of a system that has made it a goal to cause damage to the oldest Israeli environmental organization," the JNF told Israel Hayom.

"The exhibit presents claims that border on libel. The JNF never destroyed communities or carried out any actions like that. The accusation that the JNF assists in the militarization of Israel is a pure insult. We take care of water sources, forestation, and the development of an ecological approach to nature," the JNF said.

Jaffa Flohr, president of JNF-Germany, called it "insufferable" for a German museum to support baseless accusations against the JNF through an art exhibit, and when we are talking about a well-regarded Jewish museum, it's even more painful. We demand that the museum put out an immediate clarification of these false claims. It would be regrettable if the museum unintentionally became a tool for unilateral incitement against the JNF and the State of Israel."

Non-Jewish museum employees agreed that the exhibit included anti-Israeli incitement.

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Israel Hayom spoke with JNF Chairman Daniel Atar ahead of the Israel Hayom Forum for US-Israel Relations on June 27.

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"The status and importance of US Jewry for Israel over the years cannot be overstated. The Jewish lobby and its influence on Congress and the Senate are also vital to Israel. Therefore, the relations between JNF-Israel and its partners in the US have been deep and warm for many years," Atar says. (US donations to the JNF exceed $150 million per year, compared to donations from everywhere else, which amount to about two-thirds of that sum.)

Q: When talking about Israel and the US, the term "special relationship" is mentioned. Does that apply to the relationship between JNF-Israel and the US, too?

"Naturally, we have many envoys spread across the US, and we support the activity of Jewish communities throughout America. We are also part of the fight against BDS. Five years ago, JNF International signed an agreement with JNF-USA that sets down rules for their relationship.

"We are working in complete harmony and cooperating well with JNF-USA in the vast majority of cases. This means that there is almost no field in which they don't support us or there is not cooperation between us, whether it's in academia, schools, youth movements, industry, handling the water crisis in Beersheba or the Arava, aid to farmers, and more. At this stage, we're trying to direct all our supporters to the Galilee and the Negev, with the goal of strengthening them and thereby strengthening Israel."

In addition to ongoing cooperation, the JNF has also decided to sue Hamas in a US court for the environmental damage that the terrorist group is causing in the western Negev. The lawsuit is currently in its final stages before being filed.

Looking for the next leaders

Atar says that the JNF is emphasizing what he defines as "our major struggle, which has existed for decades and more now than ever, against one of the phenomena that concerns us most – assimilation. In the US, it is increasing to over 70%, so the issue must be addressed and we must find the proper way of dealing with it."

Q: What does that mean?

"The main thing we're doing about it is informal education at JNF branches throughout the world. The goal is twofold: to strengthen Jewish identity and to strengthen ties to Israel. We are using a variety of methods: delegations, lectures, films, and youth movement programs, from the third grade until they reach adulthood, over the course of [many] years. Our goal is for at least some of them to become leaders in their own communities. It's obvious to us that those who become part of a world of Jewish 'content' through youth movement activity don't lose their Jewish identity and bond with Israel. Sometimes it is successful and sometimes, unfortunately, the objective numbers cause us to fail. Ultimately, US Jewry has enthusiastic Zionist supporters across the political spectrum and in this matter, the plurality of opinions is actually a source of great strength."

The land is still being redeemed

Sitting in the JNF building stirs up historic memories. It played an important role when Israel declared its independence. On Nov. 29, 1947, the United Nations declared an end to the British Mandate and that the land would be partitioned between a Jewish and an Arab state, and the leaders of the Yishuv gathered in the JNF building to confer on whether they would accept the resolution and declare an independent Jewish state. In 1988, a decision was made to turn most of the building into a museum devoted to JNF activity and its contributions to the State of Israel. The question of how relevant the JNF was came up even before the idea was floated.

"The JNF is more relevant today than ever," Atar says.

"Apart from the urgent issue of strengthening Jewish identity and links to Israel, the basic matter has not changed – we are still carrying out the commandment on which the JNF was founded: redeeming land. I discovered that a lot of people don't often know that, there are battles against strong forces who bring in money from abroad, the United Arab Emirates for example, that was raised to try and take control of land in our homeland.

"In the past year and a half, the JNF has invested about 500 million shekels ($150 million) in acquiring land, mostly for farmers who are on the verge of bankruptcy. We bought it and immediately leased it to them so they could keep working it. It won't go to waste, and we will keep producing food in Israel. That is how we defend the state's borders, our hold on the land, and the supreme value of Zionism. To that, add our support for youth movements worldwide, putting together work plans and training counselors … and ingraining Zionism, mostly through the delegations of teachers who teach at Jewish schools that we bring to Israel and expose to all the JNF's various activities."

Relocation to Dimona

The main tenet of the JNF's vision for the coming decades is its Israel 2040 plan. The plan is taken into account in all JNF activities and carries extra weight.

"The idea began to take form only a few months ago. The main goal is to bring half a million new residents to the Galilee and a million new residents to the Negev. I'm already waiting to talk with the finance minister in the next government about a budget and getting it started right away."

The plan's official and catchy name is "Relocation Israel – JNF is building the land of tomorrow." Atar is completely committed to it.

"The game-changer that we believe makes it possible to implement the plan is Israeli technology, which does wondrous things and is in demand worldwide. We intend to turn the Galilee into a world powerhouse of food-tech, agro-tech, and biotech. The Negev – in conjunction with the IDF's technology units, which are moving their bases to the South – will make it into a capital of cybertech, security and defense industry, and artificial intelligence."

Q: What are the main emphases of the plan?

"The important goal is to create a demographic change by bringing in a new, strong population that can depend on itself economically, unlike what is happening now. The stress will be on high-tech villages, science campuses, and high-end R and D centers. Alongside them, we'll set up smart cities that are capable of taking in a young, strong, and lively population, and supply everything they need. By doing so, we hope to attract investors and developers, engineers and programmers, young families and students from Israel and all over the world.

"Instead of relocating to Silicon Valley in California, they'll want to relocate to Beersheba and Kiryat Shmona, Nazareth Illit and Dimona. That's a real revolution, and it all stems from the understanding that the strategic strength of the State of Israel depends on there being a healthy and balanced Israeli population, not only in central Israel, which is what we have currently."

Atar is not forgetting the role Diaspora Jews will play in bringing the plan to fruition.

"I believe that Diaspora Jews can and should play a major role in achieving this goal. First of all by making aliyah and moving to those areas. That's not supposed to happen in a vacuum, but rather as part of a complete plan we'll be spearheading in the next few years. I am appealing to them directly: you can be part of meeting Zionism's biggest challenge in the next few decades, and join the many Jews who have already come to Israel in the years the state has existed."

Atar says that "on the most basic level, there's nothing like seeing for yourself to understand the importance of the JNF. It's not by chance that there are thousands of kilometers of bike trails and thousands of acres of trees that have made Israel the only country in the world in which the number of trees grows from year to year. We are present in every aspect of what Israel is: information education, youth activity, pre-army preparatory academies, and now, of course, the cherry on the cake – bringing people to live in the Galilee and the Negev.

"It gives me great satisfaction on a personal level, too. The vitality of the JNF increases every day, and as long as I'm in this role, we will do everything to reach that goal."

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As part of the Jewish National Fund-USA's "Be Inscribed" campaign, a scribe is currently writing new Torah scrolls in the very same synagogue that once housed the Torahs of Masada. In 2004, the synagogue was rebuilt and a Torah was placed there. Four years later, in 2008, a room was reconditioned to comfortably house a scribe behind a glass wall, affording visitors the opportunity to watch him at work.

The act of creating a new Torah is strenuous, requiring 304,805 letters be written in Hebrew with a quill on calfskin or parchment by a trained scribe.

Upon each scroll's completion, JNF-USA donates the Torah to a community in either in the southern Negev Desert or the Upper Galilee.

"We're building a safe and vibrant land of Israel by scribing Torah scrolls on top of Masada that once symbolized our destruction but now symbolizes our life," said Ron Werner of Denver, JNF-USA's national assistant secretary and president of the board of directors at Alexander Muss High School in Israel, whose campus, just outside of Tel Aviv, received the first such Torah last July.

"Torah is the soul of the Jewish people and our moral compass," affirmed Werner. "By connecting people to Torah, we elevate the whole equation and will build better bonds between Jewry and Israel."

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