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ARAVA, Israel, August 3, 2026 — Jewish National Fund-USA plays a vital role in nurturing Israel's future leaders through its support of a nationwide network of agricultural boarding high schools, simultaneously bolstering the country's agricultural workforce, enhancing food security, and empowering frontier communities.
The organization supports Adam V'Adama, an agricultural boarding school in Israel’s South, which combines rigorous academics with daily agricultural work, ag-tech education, and community service. It gives students the opportunity to make a tangible difference while preparing for leadership roles in Israeli society. During the first half of 2026, the network served 409 students from 228 communities, who contributed more than 71,000 hours of agricultural work in support of 166 farmers across 78 communities through seven active campuses nationwide.
Throughout the year, students continued to demonstrate extraordinary resilience as they answered the needs of Israel's farming communities. Even when schools temporarily shifted to remote learning, students remained in the fields, volunteering on emergency agricultural missions and ensuring critical food production continued during times of national uncertainty. In the Negev, Dimona, and Arad alone, 51 students participated in nine emergency missions supporting farmers and strengthening local communities, while students in the Upper Galilee continued serving agricultural communities despite ongoing security challenges.
"This is an opportunity to experience education with meaning and strengthen the country's borders from within,” said Amit Meir, Adam v’Adama’s CEO. “Israel's food security is no less important than border and domestic security, and being part of Adam V'Adama means being part of strengthening Israel's food security.”
Jewish National Fund-USA's support for Adam V'Adama is part of its “circles of impact” and mission to attract 800,000 new residents to Israel's North and South. By investing in agricultural education, youth leadership, and thriving rural communities, the organization is helping ensure Israel's border regions remain places where young families can live, work, and build their futures.
The first half of 2026 also marked significant growth across the Adam V'Adama network. Construction continued on the Sde Nitzan campus in the Israel Envelope on the border with Gaza, where Jewish National Fund-USA has supported the development of classrooms while additional learning facilities, staff residences, administrative offices, and a visitor center remain under construction. Meanwhile, the organization celebrated the launch of its newest campus in Kibbutz Yiron in the Upper Galilee, welcoming its first class of students in one of Israel's most heavily impacted regions.
Jewish National Fund-USA also provided scholarships for 10 students and funded two agricultural support vehicles to help students continue assisting farmers throughout Israel. Looking ahead, 400 Adam V'Adama students will spend their summer supporting 50 farmers across the Galilee and Golan, combining agricultural work, leadership development, and community engagement to strengthen Israel's farming communities and deepen their connection to the land.
For more information about Jewish National Fund-USA's support of Adam V'Adama, visit jnf.org.
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About Jewish National Fund-USA
For 125 years, Jewish National Fund-USA has helped strengthen the land and people of Israel by investing in the communities, infrastructure, and leadership that shape the country’s future. Our work is focused on making Israel’s North and South places where families can build full, vibrant lives with access to medical care, emergency response, water solutions, parks, playgrounds, jobs, and economic opportunity. Working with our donors and partners, we support underpopulated communities, help attract new residents, improve quality of life, and create the conditions for long-term growth. Our work reaches beyond projects on the ground. Through education, travel, and leadership opportunities, we connect Americans of all ages to Israel in meaningful and lasting ways. That vision continues with the World Zionist Village in Be’er Sheva, a global center that will bring people together to live, learn, lead, and strengthen the next generation of Zionist leadership. From urgent relief to long-term transformation, Jewish National Fund-USA is helping build a stronger future for Israel and creating lasting legacies for generations to come. Learn more at jnf.org.
