During his visit to Israel in 1898, Theodor Herzl planted a cypress tree to symbolize his dream for a Jewish homeland in Eretz Yisrael.
Since its establishment in 1901, KKL-JNF has been mission-driven to create a greener Israel. Thanks to a massive tree-planting campaign begun by the organization in the 1960s, KKL-JNF today manages some 300,000 acres of planted and natural forest and woodland around Israel. Trees clean our air, filter the water we drink, and provide a habitat to countless wildlife species. Crucially, KKL-JNF forests capture some 1.2 million tons of CO2 each year, making them Israel's most efficient carbon sink in the face of the escalating climate crisis.
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Trees have always held great import and reverence in Jewish tradition, and thanks to KKL-JNF, who popularized the concept of planting a tree in Eretz Yisrael, it is today a Zionist tradition as well. Marking a special occasion with tree-planting in Israel has become a widespread practice for families, synagogues, and other communal frameworks in the Diaspora. KKL-JNF operates a special planting center dedicated exclusively to visitors in Israel, so that they too can experience with their own hands the planting of a tree in the holy soil.
Photograph: Shutterstock
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic put a sudden stop to all that, but KKL-JNF came up with a meaningful and creative solution: Tree-planting ceremonies over Zoom! KKL-JNF foresters plant the donated tree in Tzora Forest on live-cam, while the donor/s and their loved ones watch and participate in the ceremony in a virtual meeting space. Family members and friends from around the world can all join the Zoom event, allowing for a larger, more diverse audience than would be possible at physical tree plantings.
At the conclusion of the online ceremony, a certificate attesting to the planting is sent to the person who ordered the tree, together with a video of the recorded event.
Now that life is gradually returning to normal, KKL-JNF has reopened its planting center for tourists, but the Zoom option is here to stay! To plant a tree online, register at plantatree.kkl.org.il, and choose a date and a time that work for you. You will receive a link to the ceremony, where you can watch the tree planting. You can also interact with the person planting on your behalf as s/he conducts the planting ceremony, just like an in-person participant would.
Planting trees in Israel is significant and creates a profound connection between a person and the land. We believe that everyone should be able to partake of this experience, no matter where they are in the world.
KKL-JNF is proud to help make it happen.