The park is surrounded by both old and new neighborhoods. Now all the residents can take part in the development of the forest, become forest trustees, and attend roundtable meetings in order to push the park's development forward.
Ofakim joins KKL-JNF's other community forests and receives the title of Ofakim Community Forest.
KKL-JNF leads 23 community forests throughout the country, and the Ofakim Community Forest is the sixth in the southern region. It exists for the benefit of all the residents, in order to create a green lung in the middle of the city.
KKL-JNF turned the Ofakim Park into a recreational sports park which includes sport facilities, walking and cycling trails, and today it shares a partnership with the Ofakim Municipality in managing and developing the park, with the goal of turning the site into a community forest with the involvement of the community.
KKL-JNF Southern Region Manager Yaniv Maimon: "In partnership with the municipalities in the southern region, we have established five community forests in the southern region, with Ofakim being the sixth. I'm very proud of the collaboration with Ofakim that led to the signing of the treaty and the establishment of a community forest that will contribute to the connection between the forest and community and to a green environment. At KKL-JNF, we see great importance in maintaining the forests and connecting them to the public, and I hope that soon enough the residents of Ofakim will enjoy their new community forest."
"We are glad to continue our strategic, long-term collaboration with KKL-JNF," said the Mayor of Ofakim Itzik Danino. "KKL-JNF plays an important role in Israel, in the past, present and future, and its goals certainly match our own. The most important thing as far as we're concerned is to connect the community forest with the entire city population, and make it a place that will bring all residents together. The forest's location is amazing and we keep planning more significant projects in the area with the collaboration of KKL-JNF."
Photograph: KKL-JNF Spokesmanship