Members of the 65th annual delegation of the Japanese Makuya pilgrims filled KKL-JNF’s head offices in Jerusalem with their hope and joie de vivre. The delegation, on a special visit to the Hall of the Books of Honor, was warmly welcomed by senior KKL-JNF officials.
In Japan, the cherry blossoms that appear at the end of winter symbolize renewal and hope. The Makuya members’ annual visit to Israel, which takes place at exactly the same time, is a symbol of joie de vivre and brotherhood. It is impossible not to fall in love with these warmhearted and smiling people who have linked their destiny with the spirit of the Bible and with the fate of the nation that has returned to the land of the Bible.
Makuya, which means “tabernacle,” is a Japanese religious movement founded in 1948 by Professor Abraham Ikoro Teshima. Its members maintain close relations with the KKL-JNF, and there is a long-standing tradition of welcoming the pilgrims in KKL-JNF’s head office. And indeed, on Sunday, March 6th, 2016, the seventy or so members of the 65th annual delegation filled the plaza in front of Israel’s national institutions complex in Jerusalem.
Efrat Benvenisti, who is in charge of maintaining KKL-JNF’s links with the Makuya, welcomed them with smiles and flowers. The women dressed in colorful traditional costume and the men in blue vests adorned with the Star of David broke into song: Hevenu Shalom Aleichem, David Melech Israel andOd Avinu Hai.
After the reception, the delegation members gathered around the large conference table. “Your visit to us is a cause for celebration,” declared Efrat Benvenisti with emotion. “All the staff here in Jerusalem are so glad that you’ve come. It’s always a memorable experience, and we’re all excited.”
KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar welcomed the visitors warmly, while Asher Kimura, Director of the Makuya in Israel and a fluent Hebrew speaker, translated his speech into Japanese: “I’m glad that everyone in the building can hear your hearty singing. I’m well acquainted with the Makuya’s welcome activities: you bring a lot of joy into our hearts. We all embrace you lovingly, and I hope that our joint activities will continue for many years to come,” said the World Chairman.
Danny Atar introduced members of the Board of Directors who had likewise come to pay their respects to the visiting pilgrims: Vice Presidents Zeev Noyman and Shlomo Deri; and Avi Dickstein, Director of KKL-JNF’s Resources, Development and Public Relations Division.
The group’s guide, Noah Abe, thanked Danny Atar and all those present before declaring: “We should like to plant more and more trees throughout Israel. We have adopted the custom of planting a tree in Israel in honor of every boy and girl in our community when they reach the age of twelve, and also in memory of those who are no longer with us. We wish the Land of Israel beauty and fruitfulness. That is our dream. Let us plant more trees together,” he concluded, to the applause of his audience.
Noah Abe and Yoda Shuko – head of the pilgrims’ delegation, now on his seventh visit to Israel – presented the KKL-JNF World Chairman with a token gift: a traditional Japanese fan.
Avi Dickstein thanked Efrat Benvenisti for her work to strengthen ties with the Makuya, and, of course, he also thanked all those present for their generous contributions to KKL-JNF. “I have been following the activities of the Makuya for many years and I am familiar with your wonderful projects in Heftziba, the afforestation of Mount Turan in memory of Ikoro Teshima, the donation to the reservoirs in the Negev and your enlistment in the rehabilitation of the northern forests after Peace for Galilee war. We all greatly appreciate your command of the Hebrew language, your interest and your extensive knowledge of the Bible and Israel,” he said.
After the speeches of welcome, the pilgrims sampled the local fruit and listened to Efrat Benvenisti’s explanations regarding the KKL-JNF Golden Books. Each one of these giant volumes is simultaneously both a work of art and a historical document of inestimable importance: they record the names of donors who wish to pay tribute to their loved ones and participate in KKL-JNF’s national effort to develop the country. The first volume contains 10,000 tributes of this kind. The first tribute was dedicated by KKL-JNF’s first Chairman Yona Kremenetzky to Hermann Schapira, who first came up with the idea of a national fund, but died before he could see his dream come to fruition.
The volume that records the tribute to the memory of Professor Ikoro Teshima aroused special excitement. It reads: “An intellectual and a humanist, the founder and head of the Zionist Makuya Movement in Japan, and a true friend of the Jewish People and the State of Israel.”
On this visit, the delegation has already managed to plant 103 trees at Golani Junction. KKL-JNF staff wish the members of the Makuya delegation a pleasant continuation of their visit and hope to see them again soon in Israel.