Jewish National Fund Ignites Passions, Douses Fires

JNF Director of Communications • 212-879-9305 ext. 221 • jbodner@jnf.org / contact: Diane Scar•JNF Mid-Atlantic Zone Director• 410-486-3317 • dscar@jnf.org

January 18, 2006 Baltimore, MD -- When can rising temperatures signal doused fires? When the thermometer measures the monies raised to buy a fire truck that will put out forest fires in Israel.

With Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish festival for Trees and the rebirth of spring, falling on February 13, Jewish National Fund in Baltimore is seeking to complete its goal to raise $375,000 to purchase a fire truck that will be used to protect 30,000 acres of forests in the Carmel region near Haifa.

James G. Robinson, CEO of Morgan Creek Productions, Morgan Creek International and the Morgan Creek Music Group, hosted the Maryland Region Installation Ceremony in November and presented the Mid-Atlantic zone with a challenge grant, pledging $125,000 if the zone could raise the remaining $250,000.

With four weeks before Tu B’Shevat and $75,000 to go, a fire truck stationed at 1514 Reisterstown Rd.across from Staples, with a nearby thermometer, captures the spirit of the campaign’s energy in this last lap.

“Israel has expressed a dire need, in confronting anticipated wildfires during its hot summer months, to add another fire truck to its fire fighting network,” said Steven Cohen, Maryland Regional President. “Jewish National Fund -- Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel’s answer in fighting these fires is the 4X4 Fire Truck, with its excellent ability to traverse all terrain, equipped with the latest, state-of-the-art fire-fighting equipment.”

One of JNF’s most important functions in nature is preventing and extinguishing wildfires which in Israel usually result from arson or negligence. While the most important action against forest fires is prevention achieved by constructing forest roads and fire breaks, removing cuttings, organizing educational campaigns and fire spotting, unfortunately fires do break out. When that happens, state-of-the-art fire-fighting equipment is an absolute necessity, otherwise fires, like the great one along the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway in 1995, can destroy thousands of acres of planted and natural woods that have taken generations to grow.

To contribute to this campaign or to find out more about JNF, please call the local JNF office at (410) 486-3317 or go to http://support.jnf.org/

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Jewish National Fund (JNF) began in 1901 collecting coins in blue boxes to purchase land and return the Jewish people to their homeland. In over 109 years, JNF has evolved into a global environmental leader and become the central address for partnering with the land and people of Israel. JNF has planted 250 million trees; built over 1,000 parks and recreational areas; constructed security roads; educated students around the world about Israel; created new communities so that Jews from around the world would have a place to call home; discovered new means of growing plants under arid conditions, bringing green to the desert; and built over 200 reservoirs and water recycling centers, increasing Israel’s water supply by 10%. Today, JNF is supporting Israel’s newest generation of pioneers by bringing life to the Negev Desert, Israel’s last frontier. 

A United Nations NGO, JNF sponsors international conferences on desertification, shares afforestation techniques, and funds research on arid land management. JNF is a registered 501(c)(3) organization and continuously earns top ratings from charity overseers. For more information on JNF, call 888-JNF-0099 or visit www.jnf.org.