Dear JNF Campaign Leaders:

CAMPAIGN UPDATE

February has a full schedule of activities for our campaign with themes that connect our community with the work of Jewish National Fund. Don’t forget this Monday is Tu BiShvat, the tree holiday…JNF Day!

Do the Jewish National Fund - USA Tu BiShvat Yoga Tree Pose challenge!

Here’s how it works: You have 24 hours to post a photo of yourself doing the Yoga Tree Pose on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtags #TreesAreTrending and #poweredbyJNF and challenge 3 or more friends to take on the challenge.

Can't complete the challenge in 24 hours? Plant trees at jnf.org/tbssweepstakes (or even if you can complete the challenge, you can still plant trees). As a bonus, you'll be entered in the #JNF sweepstakes to win a free trip to Israel.

As a bonus, you'll be entered into the Catch the Tu BiShvat Spirit Sweepstakes to win a trip to Israel. Enter here for a chance to win 2 round-trip tickets to Israel courtesy of EL AL Airlines, 2 nights stay at Carlton Tel Aviv, and 2 JNF day tour tickets.

JEWISH DISABILITIES AWARENESS & INCLUSION MONTH (JDAIM)

Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month is a unified effort among Jewish organizations worldwide to raise awareness and foster inclusion of people with disabilities and those who love them. JDAIM is a call to action for all of us as we act in accordance with our Jewish values, honoring the gifts and strengths that we each possess.

JNF announces a $1,000,000 matching campaign through February 29, 2020 to benefit our work for people with disabilities in Israel. JNF believes that we can ensure that each and every Israeli enjoys a life of dignity, belonging and purpose.  Person by person, family by family, community by community, JNF is changing the lives of Israelis with disabilities. To donate, click here. 

2020 CAMPAIGN SUMMIT

SAVE THE DATE!

The annual Campaign Planning Summit will take place Sunday, August 23 and Monday, August 24 at the Ronald S. Lauder JNF House in New York City.

We will start Sunday afternoon and conclude with lunch on Monday. There is a national Board of Directors meeting from 1:00 – 3:00 pm on Monday, and all Summit participants are invited and encouraged to attend. The Campaign Planning Summit provides an opportunity for lay leaders to have a voice in the direction of our campaign initiatives for the coming year. More information, including preferred hotel, will be available soon.

2020 NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN ISRAEL

There are now 550 registered for the 2020 National Conference taking place in Israel October 25 – 29. We are well on our way of reaching our goal to bring 1,000 people to Israel for the Conference. A friendly competition is underway among local communities for who can bring the most to Israel. Program planning is happening, and we will update you as more details are released. However, you can click here to see the latest on the program:  jnf.org/nc

Shabbat Shalom 

10th Annual Heritage Sites Conference

Last week, managers from more than 180 heritage sites located all across Israel and important representatives of the government came together in Jerusalem to take part in the Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites’ 10th Annual Heritage Sites Conference. Marking a decade since this important event started, lecturers and attendees shared new ideas and initiatives but also reviewed the progress made in the past 10 years in everything to do with improving Israel´s heritage sites. Some achievements mentioned were a significant growth in heritage sites visitors, to more than 3 million annually, including soldiers (from ~40,000 to 150,000 in 10 years), a great increase in the number of National Service and civilian volunteers (~650) assisting the different sites, 150 annual projects to Adopt a Heritage Site and much more. The conference also included touring important heritage sites, in and near Jerusalem including The Gush Etzion Heritage Center, and Ammunition Hill.

Jewish National Fund’s Women for Israel is a dynamic group of women who share a passion for building a prosperous future for the land and people of Israel.

Their philanthropy, acts of service, and meaningful gifts fuel our collective power to care for the most vulnerable populations, strengthen Israel, inspire and educate the next generation and empower families and friends to change the world.

In this week's Torah portion, Parshat Beshalach, we meet the Woman Who Made a Difference and saved a nation. The prophetess Miriam, in whose merit the Jewish nation drank from a miraculous well which followed them throughout the Sinai desert and beyond. She was one of the seven great prophetesses in Jewish history. She foresaw that the Jewish people would be redeemed from Egypt, even before Moses was born.

The elder sister of Moses and Aaron, Miriam was born in Egypt, where the Jewish people were enslaved. From a very young age, Miriam helped her mother, Jochebed, to deliver Jewish babies in secret. When her brother, Moses was born, she played a pivotal role in protecting him from harm. Although she felt her people’s pain deeply, Miriam did not succumb to fear or despair. In fact, she encouraged the Jewish women to have faith that G-d would rescue them from Egypt.

So strong was her conviction that she and the women prepared tambourines and other instruments so that they could sing a song of praise to G-d in the desert. Sure enough, after the sea split and the Jewish people were saved, the women used these instruments to sing the Song of the Sea. From Miriam we learn courage and faith. Miriam’s faith (and that of all the women in her generation) was so powerful that it may have changed the course of history. The Torah tells us that the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt “in the merit of the righteous women.”

Jewish women, then and now, were a source of everyday inspiration and hope; they were leaders because they had courage and conscience. They refused to be intimidated by power or defeated by circumstance. They were the real heroes of the exodus. The story of the Exodus from Egypt repeats itself in this fashion in our days, by tens of thousands of women across America, who are making a difference through Jewish National Fund.

Shabbat Shalom. 

We are excited to have all of our wonderful groups on campus and as they are starting to get into a routine and settling down in Hod Hasharon. 

After a beautiful Shabbat in Tel Aviv, JFS explored the caves in Beit Govrin this morning and are going to be joining the Koolulam Project which is a social-musical initiative aimed at strengthening the fabric of society (https://www.koolulam.com/#koolHome). Spring semester, February session and Milken are going on their first overnight tiyul, hiking down the Gilboa, swimming in the Sachne and exploring Jerusalem as well as going to the Kotel, quite a few for the first time. 

Discover Israel’s rich history, heritage, and culture on this meaningful journey exploring the country from north to south. Perfect for first-timers and repeat visitors alike. Learn more here. 

Traveling to another city and want to see what JNF events are taking place there? Just visit jnf.org/inyourarea for a quick look at how to stay engaged while on the road.

Traveling to another city and want to see what JNF events are taking place there? Just visit jnf.org/inyourarea for a quick look at how to stay engaged while on the road.