On February 26th, a festive event marking a major milestone in the Mexican Jewish community - and the Jewish world as a whole - took place at the Mount Sinai Cultural Center in Mexico City: the celebration of the 90th anniversary of KKL-JNF activity in Mexico, and the 115th anniversary of the founding of KKL-JNF.
Those taking part in the event of KKL Mexico enjoyed a day full of activities for the entire family that gave everyone an opportunity to experience and appreciate the different aspects of what KKL-JNF.
The day’s activities began with the presentation of prizes for the 14th annual art and painting competition organized by KKL Mexico's education committee. The event was accompanied by a remarkable exhibition of three hundred works selected from the 1,300 that had been submitted. A number of artists present at the ceremony, including Gina Rimuch, Kipi Turuk, Irena Zundelevitch, Monica Zuckerberg, Gisele Fanig, Esther Ginzberg and Eveline Romano, formed part of the judges’ panel.
The children who took part in the exhibition depicted their various responses to the questions “What does KKL-JNF mean to me?” and “What does the State of Israel symbolize for me?” Their artistic responses were varied, and revealed powerful motivation to create a better world.
At the ecological fair that formed part of the event, there were a variety of stalls selling environmentally friendly produce.
One of the day’s highlights was the screening of a magnificent 30-minute documentary film produced by Aharon and Esther Cohen in Mexico and screened using 360-degree wrap around technology. Over a thousand people viewed the film, which left them excited and amazed by everything they had learned about KKL-JNF’s history and the extent of its activities today, including projects currently underway in Israel, Mexico and elsewhere in the world.
In the evening those present listened to speeches delivered by Patricia Katz de Saltiel, Chairperson of KKL Mexico’s Board of Directors; Nathan Stermberg, Chairman of the KKL Mexico Council; KKL-JNF Latin American Department Director Ariel Goldgewicht; and Israel’s Ambassador to Mexico Jonathan Peled. All the speakers talked about the importance of KKL-JNF activities, which are bringing about worldwide change for the benefit of people and their environment.
Among those taking part in the day’s festivities were leaders and activists from the local Jewish community; KKL Mexico staff members and volunteers; and Friends of KKL-JNF.
KKL Mexico expresses heartfelt thanks to Lena Kabali, Deputy Chair of the Mount Sinai community, who hosted the event.
In her speech, Patricia Katz de Saltiel thanked all those involved in the activities of KKL Mexico and all participants in the day’s events. She reminded her listeners, “This year is a very important one, and we feel greatly honored to celebrate together the achievements of the 115 years that have passed since KKL-JNF was founded and the ninety years of its presence here in Mexico. This organization is close to the hearts of all members of the Mexican Jewish community, both young and old, and outside the community KKL-JNF is recognized as an example of success in everything concerning sustainability and environmentalism.”
She added: “One of KKL-JNF’s main projects at present is exercising an influence over the formal and informal education of our children and youth. In Mexico we have worked hard to instill a love for Israel, a sense of identity and a feeling of obligation towards our environment. This awareness has now been implanted in the younger generations, and the exhibition we saw this morning is proof of this.”
As an organization that regards itself as closely connected to the commandment of tikun olam (literally, “repairing the world”), KKL Mexico is committed to leaving behind a better world for the generations to come, and it acts to ensure that this will be the case.