At the second session of the KKL-JNF European Leadership Conference, which took place on January 29, participants focused on KKL-JNF's policy changes regarding tree planting. Later on, bureau representatives were updated on work plans, goals and targets, each bureau in its particular field of activity.
Discussions opened with bidding farewell from KKL-JNF Italy President Raffaele (Rafi) Sassun, who is finishing a twelve-year candidacy of extensive work and contribution to KKL-JNF. President Sassun is being replaced by Sergio Castelbolognesi, together with his deputy, Daniel Hayun.
In his parting words to outgoing Rafi Sassun, KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar noted: “An organization’s ability to say thank-you to a person who decided to volunteer for twelve years and make an extraordinary contribution, is very important. We often tend to assign importance to projects, in your case, it’s much more.”
Atar lauded the connection that Sassun created between KKL-JNF and the Italian Forests Association, which led to an important agreement that expresses KKL-JNF’s international ties. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, we hope to continue seeing you at the frontlines of support for the state of Israel, by means of KKL-JNF,” Atar concluded.
In his parting words, Sassun shared his feelings by mentioning the biblical story of the encounter between God and Moses at the burning bush. What Moses wanted most was to know God’s name. “No matter who you are, your name represents you in good situations and difficult situations. I was always with KKL-JNF, and that will continue to be the case in the future. I’m not about to change,” Sassun promised.
Sassun added that in the Ethics of the Fathers, it says that the world stands on three pillars: Torah, work and good deeds. Out of the three, the last one is the hardest to carry out. Thanks to the sense of mutual responsibility between all members of the Jewish people, KKL-JNF has been a synonym for Israel since it was founded in 1901.
“Today, KKL-JNF is being attacked by people who have no idea what KKL-JNF has done and is doing on behalf of the state of Israel. In Italy, people love KKL-JNF. The name ‘KKL-JNF’ is not only an asset, it reflects our character.”
240 Million Trees – A Success Story and New Challenges
Moshe Perl, Acting Executive Director of the KKL-JNF Resource Development and Public Relations Department, opened the discussion on the changing reality in KKL-JNF in terms of it most outstanding field of activity over the years – planting trees. “We are at a historic turning point. Our success is also a challenge.’
Perl reviewed KKL-JNF’s work in the field of afforestation over the past 115 years. At the beginning, KKL-JNF planted forests in order to make the deserts in Israel bloom and also to provide employment for new immigrants. Since then, trees have become the symbol of KKL-JNF. Israel is now a green country where trees provide shade, protect biodiversity and enable recreation and leisure in nature. Today’s forests are open and diverse; they provide ecological services for the entire population; contribute towards carbon sequestration and prevent erosion and desertification processes.
Over the past 115 years, KKL-JNF has planted over 240 million trees – a huge success story.
“At the same time, the state of Israel is limited geographically; it has undergone extensive urban development; and the success of the afforestation program has led to very high percentages of tree survival,” Perl noted.
This success brings new challenges, and for this reason, KKL-JNF is currently working on creating sustainable policy for the coming years in the field of afforestation.
“This policy might include: plantings to increase biodiversity; land rehabilitation, firebreaks and other activities to keep the forest healthy,” Perl said. In addition, the country’s different regions will be differentiated in order to allow the strengthening or saving of a forest – which will help, for example, in combatting desertification in the southern region.
Freddy Rosenberg, Director General of JNF Holland, described how his bureau deals with the transition from fundraising for tree planting to fundraising for forest maintenance and strengthening.
Freddy noted that JNF Holland has raised funds for 250 forest groves over the past two years. Everyone who plants a tree receives a certificate. Until now, donors could choose where KKL-JNF would plant the trees they donated. Rosenberg added that since there were instances in which the situation of the forests where the trees were planted was not good, and there was a need to cut trees down, it was impossible to follow the growth of each tree, so they decided to look into new places to offer the donors, and to focus on planting, developing and maintaining the parks and forests of the Negev.
“We produced a new certificate that is suitable for every family event. We printed a booklet that explains to the donors what forest maintenance means and what our new challenges are, and we train our staff accordingly,” Freddy noted. JNF Holland’s new activity plan was very successful. The donors understood that plantings and forests also need to be maintained, and contributions for afforestation actually increased.
At the conclusion of Freddy Rosenberg’s presentation, a discussion was held with the other participants, who found that JNF Holland’s new direction was also suitable for them. They asked to use the promotional materials published by JNF Holland in order to save time and resources and to work in partnership and in a uniform manner.
KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar noted that KKL-JNF would hold a serious discussion on the subject of trees and forest together with the bureaus. “In Israel, the cost of maintaining a quarter acre of trees is very high. We live in a country that is dry and hot most of the months of the year, and maintaining hundreds of thousands of acres in this situation is extremely expensive.”
During the remainder of the session, the presidents, director generals and representatives of the KKL-JNF offices in Europe presented a general review of their activities and work plans over the past two years: Prof. Moshe Kohn presented the activities of JNF Holland; Sarah Singer presented the activities of JNF-KKL Germany; KKL Finland's activities were presented by Iakov Dondych; KKL Italy's activities were presented by Sergio Castelbolognesi; the activities of KKL Spain were presented by Silvia Spalter; Peter Gladkov from Moscow presented the activities of KKL-JNF Eurasia; Max Federmann presented the activities of KKL Sweden; the activities of KKL –JNF of the Czech Republic were presented by Zoša Vyoralová; and Shai Bazak presented the activities of JNF UK.
The Jerusalem Conference at UNESCO in Paris
After the morning session, all the conference participants went to the Jerusalem Conference event that took place at the UNESCO building in Paris. The conference, whose theme was the connection of the Jewish people to Jerusalem, took place at the initiative of KKL France, spearheaded by its president Dr. Robert Zbili, KKL-JNF emissary to France Fino Edery and KKL-JNF Board member Haim Cohen. Participating in the conference were the Israeli Minister of Transportation and Minister of Intelligence and Atomic Energy, Yisrael Katz; the Israeli Ambassador to France, HE Aliza Bin-Noun; the Israeli Ambassador to UNESCO, Carmel Shama Hacohen; KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar; Dr. Joël Mergui, President of the Israelite Central Consistory of France, as well as senators and shapers of public opinion, including high-profile journalists, writers and philosophers.
Approximately 5,000 people participated in the event, which included two panel sessions that were moderated by Jerusalem scholar Prof. Michael Ben-Zvi.
The first panel was on the eternal bond between the Jewish people and Jerusalem. Participating at this session were KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar; Israeli Minister of Transportation and Intelligence Yisrael Katz, Israeli Ambassador to UNESCO Carmel Shama Hacohen, Association France-Israël President Gilles-William Goldnadel, Ancient History scholar Claude Aziza, Political Scientist Bruno Tartara, Olivia Weron, publisher of La Provincinial and a writer; Father Leonio, Chairman of the Armenian Church; and Father Louis Marie Kudri, representative of the Committee of Bishops, who is responsible for the connection between Jews and Catholics.
The second panel was on the new face of anti-Semitism in Europe. Participating in this panel session were Dr. Joël Mergui, President of the Israelite Central Consistory of France; Benny Kashriel, the Mayor of Ma’ale Adumim; Yvonne Riofel, a journalist and editor at Le Figaro; Andre Barcoff, editor of Valeursr Actuelles; Jacque Teranro, a sociologist at the National Institute of Research; Philippe Wal, a writer, journalist and former editor of Charlie Hebdo, and manager of the France Inter station; and Elisabeth Lévy, journalist and editor of Causeur.
At the end of the discussions, the participants signed their names on the Jerusalem Covenant, which marks the bond between the Jewish people and the Holy City, Israel's capital.