New Bicycle Path Dedicated in Nahal Gerar-Sharsheret Park
A new
bicycle path was dedicated in
Nahal Gerar-Sharsheret Park, which is located near the southern city of Ofakim, on May 11, 2018. Daniel Gigi, KKL-JNF Southern Region Director; Shai Hajaj, director of the Merhavim Regional Council; and Tamir Idan, head of the Sdot Negev Regional Council, gave the starting signal for the dozens of cyclists attending the event. KKL-JNF trail volunteer trustees, together with cycling groups from southern Israel, guided the ride along the new cycling route, which is approximately 15 kilometers long.
Since the cycling path’s level of difficulty is low to medium, it is also suitable for people new to cycling, children, and families. Galit Buzaglo, KKL-JNF’s community and forest coordinator for the Western Negev region, said, “For me, this is an exciting event that combines KKL-JNF’s values with the local cycling community in the south.”
The Unity March
Approximately 500 marchers - Jews, Arabs, religiously observant people and secular people - marched together in the Unity March that took place in late April in the Kochav Yair Forest, located in central Israel. The march, a collaboration between KKL-JNF and the Education Ministry’s Society and Youth Administration, was the idea of Bat-Galim Shaer, Iris Yifrah, and Rachel Fraenkel, the mothers of the three teenagers from Gush Etzion who were murdered in June 2014 — Gilad Shaer, Eyal Yifrah, and Naftali Fraenkel — and the parents of the 16 year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir, who was murdered in Jerusalem in July of that year.
KKL-JNF chose to hold the march in the Kochav Yair Forest, a
community forest, because of its geographical proximity to both Jewish and Arab communities. At its concluding ceremony, Ayala Fraenkel, Naftali’s sister, spoke about the last time she saw her brother. “My brother Naftali was my best friend,” she said. “The moment my mother told me that Naftali had left the yeshiva and had not come back is one I will remember all my life. During the search for Naftali, Gilad, and Eyal, we discovered the wonderful people of Israel, who did not give up for a moment, and searched as if they were searching for their own brothers.”
An Educational Activity for Ultra-Orthodox Teens
KKL-JNF’s
Education Division held an activity for ultra-Orthodox teenagers from Kiryat Gat in the
Yatir Field and Forest Center in the
Negev. The teens engaged in experiential study about the Land of Israel, Judaism, and the link between them.
The participants enjoyed a variety of activities and workshops whose purpose was to teach about the land, ancient Hebrew script, the flora, and the communities in the south. “Even though the cooperation has only begun, we can already say that it has been highly successful,” said Hagit Ohana, KKL-JNF Southern Region Education Director. “We believe that cooperation between ultra-Orthodox teens in Israel and KKL-JNF will continue over the long term and include day-long activities, overnight lodging in the field centers located throughout Israel, environmental conservation activities, and an introduction to KKL-JNF’s work and values. Although working with the ultra-Orthodox community is challenging for us, it is an important value for both sides, and one that they are very interested in. For this reason, we will continue to promote this cooperation, and hope that we will host more and more tours of the ultra-Orthodox community in the forests next year.”
Celebrating Shavuot with New Immigrants
Approximately 1,200 new immigrants attended an activity in honor of Shavuot, the harvest, and agriculture in the south on May 21 at the Yatir Field and Forest Center. The activity took place as part of the KKL-JNF Education Division’s Atzil Program, which focuses on ecology and Zionism for new immigrants. The participants enjoyed the event, which was experiential and suitable for families, with educational activities that introduced them to KKL-JNF and Israel’s agricultural values and others such as water activities, cherry-picking, challenging sports, and arts and crafts.
“Since the Yatir Forest is the largest planted forest in the Middle East, we felt it was important to bring the new immigrants there,” said Nissim Magnaji, coordinator of KKL-JNF’s Atzil program. “Most of those who attended do not know Hebrew, but that does not keep them from having a good time and learning a lot about the customs of Shavuot, and about Jewish heritage, from KKL-JNF guides who led the activities in
Russian. Many families who live in Eilat and the Eilot region came to the area of the Yatir Forest for the first time, and some of them even spent the night in KKL-JNF’s field center. We were happy to host the families, and we hope to hold more days of educational, value-driven activities in the future.”
A Bar/Bat Mitzvah Celebration in Jerusalem with KKL-JNF
Approximately 1,200 teens celebrated their bar or bat mitzvah in Jerusalem at a celebration held by KKL-JNF in their honor. The young people, from ten schools in Lod, came with their families to Jerusalem, where they toured ten sites in the Old City, including Beit Plugat ha-Kotel, the museum honoring the members of the platoon who liberated the Western Wall in 1967. The museum had been opened recently with the assistance of KKL-JNF, the Hurva Synagogue, and Jewish heritage sites. The day began with a guided walking tour of the Old City’s Jewish Quarter, with actors playing the parts of prominent figures in Jewish history. The participants later visited the Western Wall. The day concluded with a ceremony in the Davidson Center at the foot of the Western Wall’s southern portion.
Simon Elbaz, director of the KKL-JNF Education Division, said that the bar/bat mitzvah event was the high point of KKL-JNF’s collaborative activities this year. The activity, which began with International Clean-Up Day, continued on Tu Bishvat, reaching its peak with the bar/bat mitzvah celebration. He added that the walking tour was part of KKL-JNF’s
Maof Program, which KKL-JNF runs in approximately 35 local authorities on Israel’s geographic and social periphery. The purpose of the program is to introduce the teens to the values of environmental conservation, sustainability, and an in-depth acquaintance with the heritage of the land and people of Israel.