Austrian President Plants an Olive Tree in The Grove of Nations

A new olive tree sapling has recently been added to the “Grove of Nations” near Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. It was planted by Dr. Heinz Fischer, the President of Austria, who joined the distinguished group of world leaders who have planted trees in this special grove.

This is not the first time that the president of Austria has planted a tree in Israel. Approximately one decade ago President Fischer, then chairman of the Austrian Parliament, visited Israel and was invited by Knesset Chairman Dan Tichon to plant a tree in Israel. “This is the second tree that I have planted in Israel and as the saying goes, ‘All good things come in threes,’ so I therefore hope to plant a third tree in Israel in the future”.

The Austrian president and his entourage were received in the grove by the KKL-JNF World Chairman Efi Stenzler, Avi Dickstein, KKL-JNF Chief Executive of the Resources and Development Division, and Ambassador Yitzhak Eldan, Foreign Ministry Chief of Protocol. The ceremony was conducted by KKL-JNF Head of Ceremonies, Andy Michelson.

The Austrian president first viewed the commemoration pillars that bear the names of all the world leaders who have planted trees in the grove. He and Efi Stenzler then removed the veil covering the engraved stone sign decorated with the Austrian flag, Shtanzler greeted the Austrian president and spoke of the unique contribution of Israel’s forests to the environment. He noted that research has shown that forests planted in desert areas trap greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere at a rate equal to forests that are planted in rainy areas. “Israel is the only country in the world in which there are more forests at the beginning of the 21st century than there were at the beginning of the 20th century. This is a source of pride for KKL-JNF as well as our recent activities, among which are research and development. We have shared the knowledge that we have accumulated with other countries that suffer from a shortage of rainfall, whether they are in Asia or Africa, but we also cooperate with countries such as Canada where there is abundant rainfall.”

The President of Austria noted that he is aware of the activities of KKL-JNF as an environmental organization and it is therefore easy for him to voice his support for KKL-JNF and its objectives. He then planted an olive tree sapling next to the trees planted by other world leaders. President Fischer gently caressed one of its tiny branches and whispered, “Grow! Grow well!”