JEWISH NATIONAL FUND-USA HOSTS LARGEST EVER NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Over 1,300 Attendees Took Part in Jewish National Fund-USA’s

Annual National Conference in Washington, D.C.

September 17, 2019 – Washington, D.C. – Over 1,300 leaders, philanthropists, college and high school students from across the U.S. and Israel gathered in our nation’s capital for Jewish National Fund's (JNF-USA) annual National Conference.

This year’s line-up of speakers emphasized JNF-USA’s critical work in Israel, highlighted great accomplishments from the past year and unveiled ground-breaking plans for the near future.

Speakers included:

• Ambassador Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, who spoke about the important work being undertaken to develop infrastructure in Israel’s south, and how cities like Be’er Sheva are becoming global centers for cybersecurity.
• Elan Carr, U.S. Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combatting Anti-Semitism, who discussed his tireless efforts and the unapologetic role he plays in combatting anti-Semitism throughout the world.
• Lucy Aharish, the first Muslim Israeli-Arab news anchor, reporter, and TV host, who expressed her love for Israel and her desire to continue to be an outspoken voice for tolerance and bridgebuilding.
• Larry Hogan, Governor of the State of Maryland, reaffirmed his unwavering support for America’s Jewish community and support for the State of Israel along with his work to combat BDS and anti-Semitism.
• Matti Friedman, award-winning author and New York Times contributor, who felt it was important for journalists to provide greater scope and context with respect to their reporting on Israel.

“Never before have we seen such a passionate and diverse group of JNF-USA partners and affiliates come together to celebrate our achievements and plan for our future,” said National Conference Co-Chairs Jayne Klein and Gary Kushner. “The atmosphere at this year’s conference was absolutely electric and the sense of ru’ach (spirit), especially from our 480 students and young professional participants, was simply incredible.”

Over 350 high school and college students—the largest ever delegation—as well as 130 JNFuture members (JNF-USA's young professionals’ division) attended the conference to celebrate their connection to Israel and strategize ways to get others involved and engaged.

“More than any time in recent history, the destiny of Israel and the Jewish people is in our own hands,” said JNF-USA President Dr. Sol Lizerbram. “Thanks to JNF-USA’s bold One Billion Dollar Roadmap for the Next Decade, we are leading efforts to support greater resiliency in Israel’s north and south. This year’s National Conference was the greatest validation yet of the support our plan has and the impact we are having on the lives of everyday Israelis. People often wonder why our donors are so enthusiastic, and I tell them that when you are changing the narrative of a country and the story of an entire people for the better, what’s not to be enthusiastic about?”

Next year’s National Conference will take place in Israel, where participants will gather at iconic sites throughout the country to drive the organization’s activities and experience firsthand the impact of their critical work.

“For some time now, we have been thinking about how we can bring Israel to the JNF-USA family. How can we emulate the incomparable feeling of being in Jerusalem, the cosmopolitan buzz of Tel Aviv, or the awe-inspiring experience of being on the site of one of the fiercest battles of the Six-Day War, Ammunition Hill?” said National Conference 2020 Co-Chairs Dr. Sol Lizerbram and Jeffrey E. Levine. “Then, it dawned on us – let’s do something truly bold and audacious. Let’s bring the JNF-USA family to Israel.”

Next year’s conference will be on a scale never seen before. Rather than host the conference in one location, Jewish National Fund will be holding conference events and meetings at JNF-USA sites and locations across Israel. “We are doing something that has never been done before, and we encourage our supporters to take advantage of the discounted registration rate currently on offer,” said Lizerbram and Levine.

JNF-USA’s 2020 National Conference will take place in Israel on October 25-29, 2020. For more information and to register, please visit jnf.org/nc.

ENDS

Media Contact: Daniel Peri 212.879.9305 x227 dperi@jnf.org