President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia in West Africa planted a tree in Jerusalem, in the Grove of Nations, at a ceremony held on June 6, 2016. The tree planting ceremony was part of her three-day visit in the Holy Land.
On Monday, May 16th, KKL-JNF organized the open classroom inauguration ceremony on behalf of KKL Chile, thanks to a posthumous donation in honor of Cornelia Grossman Z’L.
The classroom - located in the playground of the Gordon Elementary School, which is attended by some 250 children - is a space dedicated to education on caring for the environment, where pupils can experience workshops led by KKL-JNF educators and the school’s teachers.
The inauguration was attended by the principal of the Gordon School, Gali Abir Gil. She congratulated KKL Chile, and thus the donor, for the fact that she had decided on this school in which to do this project. She also emphasized the fact that the project was inspired by the love of children and in particular, of nature, that Ms. Cornelia Grossman had.
Demian Krzymuski, the Coordinator of Projects for the Latin-American Department of KKL-JNF, acknowledged the collaboration of the Grossman family and KKL Chile, and stressed the continuous support that the donor gave to the activities and projects of the organization.
The inauguration was also attended by the nephew of Ms. Grossman, Jacob Jaimovich, who was very proud and moved by the tribute that was paid to his aunt in Chile and Israel. Mr. Jaimovich said some heartfelt words recalling the memory of his aunt, who emigrated from Romania to Israel and then to Chile, where she settled in the 70s, creating very strong links in the local Jewish community of Chile by giving support to its institutions and harboring a special connection to Israel where her parents and sister had settled. He also described how she was always concerned for Israel and every time they spoke on the phone, she would always begin by sending her prayers for the family and for Israel.
"Many thanks to KKL-JNF, which Cornelia supported, but also many thanks to those who helped Cornelia, in particular, to Roberto Muñoz, the Chairman of KKL Chile, with whom I was in touch until the moment she left this world, who was my contact for news about my aunt”, he said.
The ceremony ended with the unveiling of plaques honoring Ms. Cornelia Grossman, situated in the front and interior of the classroom. After the ceremony, the guests were treated to an activity organized by the pupils, in which they taught the audience how to reuse plastic bottle caps.