In the village of Tzukim, the JNF Australia Delegation signed the founding scroll of a project named for the Vidor family to improve the artists’ village; at the Environmental Science Education Centre, they got updated on its completion and the start of activities soon to be started there; in Paran they visited one of the four playgrounds that have been built there with their support. The delegation concluded their day at the Timna Park amphitheater and outdoor stage project, which was built thanks to a contribution from the Enten Family from Australia.
The JNF Australia delegation began its visit to the Arava region at the community of Tzukim,
where they participated in a symbolic ground breaking ceremony to mark the start of the Upgrading the Artist Colony project, supported by the Vidor Family from NSW.
Eyal Blum, the head of the Central Arava Regional Council, joined the signing of the founding scroll at the Tzukim Artists’ Village. “Every time we meet, we always feel as if we’re family,” he said. “The fruits of our partnership are evident throughout the Arava.”
Environmental Science Education Centre for children
From there, the members of the delegation continued to the Environmental Science Education Centre that was built thanks to the support of Friends of JNF Victoria and KKL-JNF. The building of the center has recently been completed, and activities for local children are scheduled to begin in just a few weeks. “The Arava leads innovation in science, technology and agriculture, and now we will be able to transmit this knowledge to our children,” said centre director Oded Keynan. “In the Arava, we have the best researchers and the best students, and the new centre will enable us to connect between them.”
Ninth-grader Ofir Buzaglo is a good example of one of the outstanding students. His expertise is 3D printers. “I love science, because it enables me to understand the world. I’m sure that it’s going to be a lot of fun to study here.”
“The vision that is being realized reminds us of birth,” said JNF Victoria President Ronit Fraid. “I am certain that the new centre will contribute to science education, promote environmental research, increase environmental awareness and provide opportunities for the younger generation in these fields.”
Next to the Environmental Science Education Centre, new and modern labs that will serve researchers from the Research and Development Station in the central Arava are currently being built. This is a joint project of JNF Australia, JNF Canada and KKL-JNF in Israel. The researchers took the Aussie guests on a walk through the labs, which are still in the course of being built, and it was impossible not to notice how excited they were about the new project.
Paran: A place for playing and bonding
Four new children’s playgrounds have been built in Paran, with the support of JNF Australia and KKL-JNF Israel, for the benefit of the children of the Arava. The members of the delegation visited one of the playgrounds in Paran, where they met local children who came to play there.
“The playground changed our lives,” said Udi Bar, a member of the village’s steering committee and a father of three. “Now the children have a place where they can play, and their parents have a place to meet, which strengthens our community.”
Timna: Concerts among the Desert Landscapes
The five-day journey came to an end at Timna Park, one of southern Israel’s outstanding nature spots. An amphitheater and stage for concerts in the park are in the last stages of construction by KKL-JNF and JNF Australia, thanks to a contribution from the estate of Lilly and Alexander Enten. Ronit Fraid noted that the Enten couple were great lovers of Israel who had a profound commitment to society and to KKL-JNF.
The amphitheater, which commands a view of the lake, will seat 3,000 people. Three regular festivals are held annually at Timna Park, along with hundreds of additional events. At the present time, the concerts are held on temporary stages while the audience sits on the ground. The new amphitheater will allow for much better conditions.
“Visitors to the park will enjoy a unique experience, which combines Arava landscapes with the best of Israeli culture,” said Dr. Hanan Ginat, head of the Hevel Eilot Regional Council. “Regional development is possible not only due to pioneering spirit of the local residents, but also thanks to the support of JNF Australia.”
Timna Park Director Hagit Gal reviewed the work on the amphitheater, and enthused that they’ve been “waiting for this moment for years, it’s really like a dream come true.”
The ceremony at the amphitheater was led by KKL-JNF Chief of Protocol Andy Michelson, who is also an Australian ex-pat.Eran Etner, Deputy Director of KKL-JNF’s Southern Region, noted that the projects supported by JNF Australia help attract new residents to the Arava: “There is no doubt that the new amphitheater will give a huge boost to Timna Park.”
The delegation’s week of visiting exciting new projects throughout Israel came to an end, and JNF Victoria Executive Director Ilana Maizels summed up the group’s visit to Israel quite succinctly: “I was excited and moved to see the fruits of our hard work. At every place that we visited, it was heartwarming to discover how the partnerships that we created have such an impact on the different communities.”
JNF Australia Delegation in Israel, October 2018