Dear JNF Campaign Leaders:

SUMMER BLITZ

Our Summer Campaign is underway and is our final campaign for the 2019 fiscal year, so is very significant. Summer Blitz is designed for lay leaders to raise funds by soliciting NEW gifts and closing gifts of donors who have not yet made their donation to this year’s campaign. Lay leaders (Makor, Campaign Cabinet) have been assigned to communities for one or two days for 1:1 meetings, parlor meetings and other fundraising opportunities that are organized by our local professionals. Local lay leadership support is critical in setting up productive meetings. This is also a wonderful time to follow up with prospects who have attended JNF events and who have recently travelled to Israel. The goal is $1 million toward the Billion Dollar Roadmap and is critical in achieving our $83 million annual campaign goal. As of July 15, the National Campaign has closed $73,734 million. Help us reach our goal.  Share the JNF Magic. Make introductions to people you know in other regions and introduce to our JNF professionals those whom you might not feel comfortable soliciting.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE and CAMPAIGN PLANNING SUMMIT

Have you registered for our National Conference and Campaign Planning Summit in Washington DC taking place Friday, September 13th to Monday, September 16th (8:30 am – 3:30 pm for the campaign summit)?  As leaders of this organization, we urge you to join us for what is sure to be an incredibly significant, meaningful, important and FUN time with like-minded individuals all sharing a love of our homeland.  Also, an open meeting of the Board of Trustees will take place as part of the agenda of the Campaign Summit.  

Please register:  https://www.jnf.org/events-landing-pages/2019-national-conference

JEWISH NATIONAL FUND WEBSITE

As our distinguished leaders, we urge you to familiarize yourselves with our incredible JNF website which offers a wealth of information.  Often questions we ourselves have or are asked, are literally at our fingertips by simply clicking on www.jnf.org

From Our Vision to In Your Area…from our Speakers Bureau to Planned Giving…from the latest edition of B'YACHAD and SO much more.

BE INSCRIBED

Take a look at “Be Inscribed”, the JNF project to write Torah scrolls on Masada.   As part of JNF’s product line, everyone has the opportunity to sponsor a letter, word, verse and so on…. even the entire Torah.  Click on this link to see a great promotional video and to learn more. https://beinscribed.org/ Please share with family and friends that in addition to planting trees in Israel, they can also honor a loved one by contributing to the writing of a Torah on Masada.  

Shabbat Shalom,

Summer students are spending the week at different sites across Israel, from Yad VaShem to Atlit, where they will discover the journey Holocaust survivors took to reach Israel after the war. In fact, they will also have the opportunity to hear from a survivor and learn about his journey. They will end the week in Tel Aviv where they will immerse themselves in the question of, "what does it mean to be Israeli?" In order to wrap their heads around such a large question, students will have the opportunity to interview locals in Tel Aviv to hear their answers.

Discover the diverse cultures, communities, and religions that were born in Israel and coexist today on the Interfaith Tour.  Learn more.

Did you know that you can support Jewish National Fund while you shop? Amazon Smile will donate a portion of your purchase price to us when you shop through smile.amazon.com. It’s a win/win!

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.

Please take a moment to read the July 2019 update from Jewish National Fund affiliate Special in Uniform by clicking here.

By Yossi Kahana

Do you know about JNF's Golden Book of Marriage? it’s a perfect gift that expresses your feelings and love for the land of Israel. A personal message is printed on the certificate of your choice and combined with an inscription in the Golden Book of Marriage in Jerusalem and a tree planted in Israel, is sure to be a memorable gift.

In this week’s Torah portion, Balak, the king of Moab, summons the Jew-hating prophet, Balaam, to curse the people of Israel. Instead, he ends up extolling their virtues, among which he declares: “For from their beginning, I see them as mountain peaks, and I behold them as hills…How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!”

The tent is one of the symbols of Jewish values. For example, the holiday of Sukkot teaches us the notion of inclusion as we open the flaps to our tent, the doors to our sukkah and the community and keep them wide open in welcome.

Balaam looked at the tents of Israel and noticed that the entrances to tents are turned in different directions, away from one another. Balaam understood the meaning of this to be rooted in family, modesty and morality. If you look at what is on your neighbor's plate, you are more likely to have feelings of jealousy and envy, which could lead to negative words about your neighbor. Balaam said: “How goodly are your tents.”

While a tent represents something temporary, if it is built on a foundation of values it becomes a permanent structure because it is what is on the inside of the tent that matters. The values, traditions, love, respect, and support are what keep these tents, and the families within them, strong and connected.

The Jewish wedding ceremony is held under a tent of sorts, called a chuppah. The word chuppah means covering or protection and is intended as a roof or covering for the bride and groom at their wedding. The bridal canopy is a multifaceted symbol: it is a home, a garment, a bed covering, and a reminder of the tent of our Patriarchs. It is open on all sides to recall the tent of Abraham, who had doors on all sides of his dwelling to welcome guests.

Entrance under the chuppah is symbolic of the marriage coming under the Holy covering of God. The covering represents protection, mercy and grace. After a couple leaves the chuppah it is then that they begin to lay the groundwork for their tent and family. When building those family values, the couple creates a whole house with a strong foundation and deep roots to maintain stability.

While we might be separated by distance, time zones or oceans, JNF is our tent and we are the family it covers. It is our values, drive and support of Israel that keeps JNF strong.

Last week, Los Angeles JNFuture Board President Jordan S. Freedman was engaged to Ofer Bleiweiss. We wish the couple good fortune, health, happiness, and that they should have a tent as strong as your leadership with JNF.

Shabbat Shalom,

Yossi