Takeaways From the JNF’s CEO Most Recent Trip to Israel

Our Build Together plan is taking root. The regional councils have shifted from talking about the damage to planning for the day after, taking a page from our book. Front and center are our signature projects such as the Regional Sports Complex, which will serve as a lure to the region, something they very much need and are proud of.

Our Emergency Response Centers, vital to the feeling of security these communities need, are not just physical manifestations of security that will house fire, rescue, civil defense, and medical services; they signal to the volunteers who will operate out of them that their destiny is in their own hands; it’s something they can control, a feeling very much needed today.

That we keep coming back to meet with them is singular. No other group or organization is doing what Jewish National Fund-USA is doing, they tell us. At a meeting at Kibbutz Re’im, someone said: “You see these representatives from JNF – they’ve been here about nine times! Everyone else makes us go to Tel Aviv to meet with them.” When we say we were there yesterday, we are there today, and we will be there tomorrow – we mean it!

In Eshkol, the big topic is the dire need for safe rooms. About 800 homes don’t have them. For people to move back, they want a house with a shelter, but at a cost of $150,000 each they are unaffordable for most. We are entering into an agreement that we will pay for one third of the cost of about 300 shelters (to start). The government will pay for one third and the residents, the remaining third with a favorable loan provided by the banks. Help us raise the money we need for the other 500 families.

Earlier this month, we convened more than 30 Israeli trauma organizations at our affiliate ADI Negev, a rehabilitation village in Ofakim and home to our rehabilitation hospital — now being used to rehabilitate wounded soldiers — to discuss how to coordinate their efforts in light of the ever-increasing need for therapy post October 7. Most of these organizations had never been in the same room before!

Key topics included the necessity for specialized training and support for caregivers, who may also require resilience-building treatments themselves. Another was the occurrence of trauma that manifests physically, often without the individual recognizing the underlying cause of their distress. It was clear that the need right now is to coordinate the resilience centers that already exist, to present them with the specific requests from the residents that need to be addressed, find the right solutions for them, and to move things forward appropriately.

I hate to say this, but northern Israel is so devoid of people it’s eerie. About a quarter of the population in the Galilee remains evacuated from their homes – and the population in northern Israel wasn’t what it should be to begin with!

We met with a group representing a new organization called 1701 – named for the UN Security Council resolution calling for a demilitarized zone in Lebanon from the border to the Litani River. People will move back once security is handled, but they also need to see successes. Despite the situation, they are so heroic, so proud, and so determined. Again, we heard that no one goes to the North, and the fact that Jewish National Fund-USA was there is huge! In fact, the only people we saw in Kiryat Shmona were the construction crews working on our medical center! Then at the Galilee Culinary Institute that is also being worked on, we met with six major foundations, all investing in the north and all in the business of hope. As we talked, I was reminded of how much Jewish National Fund-USA does and how working together can have even greater impact.

We talked about empowerment and hope. About trust and belief. About dreams and reality. We must help these people go back home and live beautiful lives. We must reimagine what the North can look like. And we will. We are.

Sometimes, even I don’t quite comprehend the return on investment our work delivers. Up north we learned that the Shamir Drill that we invested $12 million in to make water flow from an ancient aquifer is helping to generate double the projected yield for the apricot and almond trees. Even the farmers hadn’t anticipated that! What a return on investment!

And broadcaster, activist, and social media influencer Emily Austin, who will be at our Global Conference, was in Israel and posted a video of herself at Jewish National Fund-USA’s Abraham’s Well in Be’er Sheva, our $5 million world-class heritage site, that shows the history of the Jewish people going back to Israel 3,300 years ago. She told me that some of her followers wrote to her, almost angrily: “How did I not know about this place? Can I go there also?” This just goes to show that your philanthropic investments are making an even greater impact years later than we even thought. That is the power of Jewish National Fund and you.

Our Volunteer Missions

No other organization is going into the communities to help them rebuild – only we are! We haven’t had a mission for a few weeks because of Passover, and people were upset – they missed us! Our presence, our work, and our hugs really mean something. And they are accomplishing so much. I even got asked by someone about our construction company. It took me a solid minute to realize the construction company they were referring to was our volunteer missions, and my 89-year-old friend Norm Weiss, our construction manager! These missions also send the most important message to the residents: “You are not alone,” and they can’t believe we keep coming, but that’s what we do. In fact, as you read this, our largest volunteer mission to date is landing and getting ready for 4 days of work. If you haven’t yet gone on one, sign up now at jnf.org/volunteeril.

Fighting Hate On College Campuses

In our many conversations with students and parents we kept hearing that they didn’t know where to turn for help. So, together with our partners, we created a coalition of vital resources (which can be found on this page) to help support them. Among the many resources on it is our new antisemitism reporting toolkit that enables anyone to file a complaint straight to their school’s administrator. It’s terrible that it’s needed, however, I’m happy we are able to offer it. But this brings me back to how I opened this email—to Muss.

We must prepare future generations better. We must fortify the next generation of teens with the pride, strength, and tools they need to stand up for Israel and their Jewish heritage. We must make loud and proud Zionists. We are not working alone in this arena; we have wonderful, committed partners from across all denominations who are equally engaged in this to include AEPi, Yavneh on Campus, ICC, SSI, MACA, and more.

Alexander Muss High School in Israel equips our students with the knowledge, skills, emotional resilience, and pride they need to go out there in the world. They get to become a part of Israel’s story and are empowered to proudly advocate for Israel and the Jewish People. We also offer a grant to make it easier to attend. Visit DreamIsrael to learn more.

In Closing

I close with this. This Yom Hazikaron was one of the hardest ones Israel has ever experienced; Yom Ha’atzmaut, the least festive. I know we will never be the same, yet I know we will come out of this stronger, more resilience, and determined. And I know this because we choose life.