JEWISH NATIONAL FUND (JNF) YEAR IN REVIEW

JNF 2011 Year in Review
Jewish National Fund
(JNF) Year in Review
2011 Highlights and Accomplishments
Blueprint Negev
Over the past year, much progress has been made in JNF’s Blueprint Negev campaign, a far-reaching and
visionary plan to transform the Negev Desert—which represents 60% of Israel’s land mass but houses only 8%
of its population—into an attractive place for a new generation of Israelis to call home. New communities
are offering an alternative to Israel’s crowded and expensive center, while existing Negev cities that have
suffered for decades from high unemployment and stagnant population growth are being revitalized.
New Negev Communities
• The new communities of the Halutza region, founded in 2005 by Gush Katif evacuees, are developing at
an incredible pace with JNF’s assistance. Located in a remote corner of the northwest Negev, Halutza was
nothing but barren sand dunes just a short time ago. Today, more than 200 families live in Halutza’s first
two towns, Naveh and Bnei Netzarim, and a third town, Shlomit, will soon be established. In 2011:
• A new beit midrash (house of study) and kindergarten were
built in Naveh, funded by JNF through the generosity of
Sheldon and Freda Robinson and Sheryl and Ernest Elias,
respectively. The kindergarten will soon welcome 50 children
and the beit midrash will provide a space for learning in
the community.
The new beit midrash in Naveh
• A central park was completed in Naveh, donated by Sol Siegal
and the Cleveland community.
• Plans were formulated for a park and playground in Bnei Netzarim, adopted by donors from Boston
and Albany.
• The new community of Carmit in the northern Negev is developing
rapidly. Groundwork is underway on the first 260 housing sites,
and construction on a synagogue funded by Robert and Shirley
Levitt is nearing completion. Carmit has been designed to attract
a diverse population—new immigrants and native Israelis, religious
and secular—to strengthen the economic and social fabric of the
Negev and create a progressive community. After its final phase of
development, Carmit will be home to 2,500 families.
An aerial view of Carmit under construction
• The JNF-funded section of Wingate Park, a 15-acre park in the
center of the Givot Bar, was completed.
•G
round was broken on the Merchav Am community center, funded by Andy and Jayne Klein, the Ben and
Esther Rosenbloom Foundation, the Harry and Harriet Grandis Family Foundation, and the estates of Frank
and Zelda B. Silverman.
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JNF 2011 Year in Review
• A new kindergarten opened its doors in Zuqim, funded by
JNF’s Sapphire Society.
Development Towns
Artist’s rendering of skate park in Arad
• Construction began
on a professional
skate park in Arad,
Children outside of Zuqim’s new kindergarten
where there are
few recreational
activities available for young people. Skateboarding has enjoyed a surge in popularity among Israeli youth over the last
decade, and after repeated appeals by local teens, Arad’s
leadership decided to establish a skate park similar to those
recently built in nearby Dimona and Eilat. The park, which will
be completed soon, is still available for naming.
Central Arava
• JNF donated funds to purchase a new 4x4 rescue vehicle and command cart for the Arava Rescue Unit,
a civilian volunteer group that provides emergency response in the Central Arava. Volunteers previously
relied on a 12-year-old pickup truck to access emergency sites deep within the desert; the new vehicle is
specially designed to traverse unmarked roads and obstructed terrain.
Ezra Ravins, mayor of the Central
Arava Regional Council, at the site
of the new medical center
• JNF began the detailed planning phase for the Central Arava Medical
Center, a state-of-the-art facility that will bring the medical services
of this peripheral region (whose closest hospital is 90 minutes away)
up to par with those of Israel’s population centers. The medical
center is being supported by a lead gift from the estate of Danielle
A. Grossman and Irving J. Grossman as well as through the vision and
generosity of Barbara Sommer and Alan Fisher. JNF has established
a task force, comprised of lay leaders from around the country, to
explore the various needs of the Central Arava and determine the
most effective ways to provide assistance.
Collaboration with the Bedouin community of the Negev
• After four years of intensive planning, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in December for Project Wadi
Attir, an initiative of a Bedouin community in the Negev to establish a sustainable desert farming operation
integrating social, environmental, technological and economic considerations. It is designed to leverage
traditional Bedouin values, aspirations, and experience with sustainability principles, modern-day science
and cutting-edge technologies. The project showcases a breakthrough model of sustainability practices in
an arid environment, replicable locally as well as in other regions. JNF’s support of Project Wadi Attir—a joint
initiative of the Bedouin municipality of Hura and the Sustainability Laboratory—is part of the Blueprint
Negev campaign to improve quality of life for all of the Negev’s residents and transform the region into a
strong, prosperous part of Israel. JNF has set a $3 million fundraising goal for Project Wadi Attir, and we has
received a commitment for a $500,000 matching grant.
Tourism and Recreation
Harvey Hertz and JNF CEO Russell F.
Robinson dedicate the new ceremonial
tree planting center at Neot Kedumim
• Thanks to a generous donation from Harvey Hertz of St. Pete
Beach, FL, JNF inaugurated the Harvey Hertz Ceremonial Tree
Planting Center at Neot Kedumim, the world’s only biblical
landscape reserve. Located just 10 minutes from Ben-Gurion
Airport and 20 minutes from Jerusalem, the center offers
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JNF 2011 Year in Review
visitors to Israel the opportunity to plant saplings that will later be transferred to sites throughout the
country. Planters receive a special tree planter’s prayer and a commemorative certificate mailed to
their homes.
Paradiso Arava under construction
Timna Park
• Paradiso Arava moved from the drawing board to the
construction phase in 2011 and is now nearing completion.
The five-acre tourist complex at the entrance to Kibbutz
Yahel—made possible by a lead gift from Jack Freeman of
Orlando, FL—will include restaurants, shops, a farmer’s market
with local produce, and a park with a small lake. The complex,
located just off of the main highway, will attract travelers
driving to and from Eilat. It will create jobs for kibbutz
members and local residents and have a major impact on the
Arava’s economy.
• Detailed planning began for the Chudnow Visitor Center at
the entrance to Timna Park. The new center will enhance
the visitor experience and increase attendance at this scenic
red rock valley in the Arava Desert, home to ancient copper
mines and stunning geological formations. With the support
of the Chudnow family, JNF has played a significant role in
transforming Timna into a major tourist attraction, with a manmade lake, interactive museum, and a variety of educational
and recreational activities. The visitor center is the next step
in this process.
• JNF unveiled 11 bicycle trails around the southern Arava.
Operation Carmel Renewal
When tragedy struck the Carmel region in December 2010,
JNF donors responded immediately and generously. In the year
following the devastating Carmel forest fire, the worst natural
disaster in Israeli history, JNF’s Operation Carmel Renewal (OCR)
raised more than $7.5 million to rehabilitate the burnt landscape
of the Carmel, purchase new firefighting equipment and trucks,
and re-green affected communities.
Wildflowers emerge from the
Carmel’s burnt soil
• Foresters have spent the past year clearing burnt vegetation,
rehabilitating surviving trees, and working to prevent soil
erosion in the Carmel forest. New foliage and wildflowers
have begun to emerge against the backdrop of burnt trees, but even with these early signs of life, true
restoration of the Carmel will take many years. As the ecosystem gradually rehabilitates itself, foresters
are closely monitoring and managing the natural regeneration process, intervening when necessary
to promote biodiversity and forest health. In addition to thinning areas of dense regrowth, they will
eventually plant native trees in recreation spots and where natural regeneration fails to occur.
• As the U.S. fundraising arm of Friends of Israel Firefighters,
JNF provides Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services with new safety
equipment, firefighting supplies, and trucks. Since the Carmel
fire, JNF donors have purchased 25 new fire trucks and $1.5
million worth of firefighting gear. Contributions to OCR are
also being used to support the firefighting activities of JNF
foresters, purchase special forest fire trucks, and install early
detection systems and fire hydrants in the Carmel forest.
A JNF-donated fire truck
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JNF 2011 Year in Review
• JNF is creating buffer zones between the Carmel forest and surrounding residential communities to help
slow the spread of future fires, as well as improving forest access roads that allow fire trucks to reach the
forest and are used to evacuate residents in emergencies. In addition, plans are being developed for parks
and green spaces in communities that were affected by the fire, including the Yemin Orde Youth Village,
the Druze village of Ussifiya, and the Ein Hod artist’s colony.
• Plans are being developed to create hiking trails, scenic roads, picnic areas, and recreation sites to
replace those destroyed by the fire. In addition, a lodging complex in the forest for hikers and volunteers is
on the drawing board.
Israel Advocacy and Education
• Three hundred twenty 18-30-year-olds volunteered in Israel
on JNF’s Alternative Winter and Spring Break trips. To be
eligible, participants must raise at least $1,100 in support of
either Blueprint Negev or Operation Carmel Renewal using an
online fundraising tool to reach out to family and friends. The
trip is then subsidized by JNF donors. In total, participants
raised $400,000.
Alternative Break participants
volunteer at a soup kitchen
• Four hundred twenty-nine students funded their trips to Israel
through JNF’s Plant Your Way to Israel program. Participants
raise money for JNF’s forestry projects, and half of each
donation (minimum of $36) goes to JNF while the other half is placed in a special account. After raising a
minimum of $360, participants can redeem their money for any trip to Israel. This year the program brought
in $210,000.
Support for People with Special Needs
• JNF continued its support of Lotem Integrated Nature Studies, which brings people with special needs
closer to nature.
• JNF continued to fund scholarships to the Red Mountain
Therapeutic Riding Center at Kibbutz Grofit.
• The central family garden was dedicated at Aleh Negev, a
state-of-the-art rehabilitative village that offers unparalleled
medical care and vocational training to people with severe
disabilities. The garden, a tranquil and inviting place for
residents to spend time with visiting family members, includes
Therapeutic horseback riding at Kibbutz Grofit
water and musical elements and a variety of plants and flowers
to optimize sensory stimulation. JNF continued to sponsor
innovative programs and treatments at Aleh Negev to help
residents realize their potential for communication and development.
JNF.org • 888-JNF-0099
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