Doc's Talk: JNF, For Ever Revitalizing Israel

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

JNF, For Ever Revitalizing Israel

Nurit Greenger

A few weeks ago 1200 people rolled out of their beds early in the morning to attend a breakfast event at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel. Why? Because the organizer, JNF-KKL has that kind of power and magnitude. (http://www.jnf.org/)

The guests

The breakfast event featured Ron Prosor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Prosor), the keynote speaker, who is currently serving as Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations. With his great sense of humor, blended into speaking about the most serious issues, Ambassador Prosor had much to explain to us about the UN, an organization that stands for nothing and does nothing, which so many wish its doors be shut forever. To say that Mr. Prosor is doing a terrific job on behalf of the State of Israel is an understatement. He does not cave to the atmospheric pressure of this dysfunctional family of nations, under which he works. He claims that under the radar there is huge respect for Israel in this anti-Israel body.
Many times the Arab nations will be voting against a proposition brought forth and from which they can benefit just because Israel is involved in the proposal and its process. The Ambassador's representation of Israel in such a difficult environment could be summed up with what he so often states: "when I walk the corridors of the UN building I walk tall knowing who I represent and what the country I represent stands for." Israel can greatly benefit if every person who represents Israel and those who are in her corner would religiously say the same.

That brought me to think about the connection JNF-KKL has with Mr. Prosor's attitude.

Reestablishing the [third] Jewish commonwealth began in 1901 with a dream, on the fourth day of the Fifth Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland. The delegates had spent the day debating a proposal for the establishment of a national fund to purchase land in Ottoman Empire-controlled Palestine, as had been suggested at the first Congress four years earlier by mathematics professor Zvi Hermann Schapira. Till then Theodor Herzl's dream to reinstate the Jewish homeland remained just that - a dream. But Herzl was unwavering, determined that before the 5^th Congress came to an end, a national fund would be established. The motion passed and the congress called for the establishment of the fund to be called Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemet Le'Israel) (JNF-KKL), and that "the fund shall be the property of the Jewish people as a whole." And so the dream became reality and the reality grew ideas and endeavors pursued all in order to accomplish the goal, a Jewish State.
One of the most ubiquitous endeavors was the collection box, the pushke. Haim Kleinman, a small-town Galician bank clerk, suggested to Yona Krementzky, the first head of JNF-KKL, that a collection box be placed in every Jewish home so that contributions could be made to JNF at every opportunity. In the period between the two World Wars, about one million Blue Boxes were found in Jewish homes throughout the world.
In its over a century of activities in Israel, JNF-KKL has been a leading force in the development and problem solving of Israel's forestry and ecology, water, community development, security, education, research and development and tourism and recreation.
That got me thinking: if JNF-KKL's initial work has been successfully accomplished and Israel is now a blooming and flourishing country, what does the future hold for it?
What is on the JNF-KKL plate for the next 100 years? What are the challenges it has set to meet, where is it going from here?
To get answers to my pondering I spoke with JNF present and JNFuture leadership.
Whereby, at the time of the Fifth Zionist Congress, Jews began to understand that they have to have a homeland, and now, when the homeland has been established, Jews must understand that this homeland must be defended and preserved. That can be done by building a future generation that will keep the torch of Zionism burning hot.
Speaking with Lisa Elkan, a 32 year old, owner of Lisa PR, a Marketing and Public Relations firm, it is clear that JNF-KKL is building such a future generation. Lisa, whose father was born on Israel's Independence Day – 14th May 1948 – was hardly involved with Israel until, in 2007, she partook in the Birthright Program, because a friend convinced her to go. "To me, that was a life altering experience," Lisa told me. "I saw the country, I made friends and the follow-up happened soon after I returned to the USA." One of the people she befriended on the trip called Lisa and asked her to help establish the JNFuture Group in Los Angeles. Lisa became the chapter's Marketing Chair and got involved on the National Board and Young Leadership. In 2011 Lisa took a trip to Israel to see, firsthand, what the money that she helps raise in the USA achieves in Israel and how it is used. She loves her involvement and the people who are involved with her, many of whom she met on her Birthright trip. Their collective goal is to bring awareness of the group and have others join them. JNFuture is following the footsteps and vision of Herzl and the Zionist Congress delegates.
I then spoke with Douglas Williams, Los Angeles, Chairman of the JNF Annual Executive Briefing Breakfast.

For Douglas, and for that matter for every Jew, JNF gives all generations of Jews a unique voice in building a prosperous future for the land of Israel and its people. "Israel is our equity. Once Jews come to visit Israel they realize they have equity in the Jewish Land." JNF is all about building Israel and the future generations of Jews who will continue supporting Israel, Douglas told me. "We are constantly working to disable the anti-Israel discourse."

From L-Breakfast Chair Douglas Williams, Lisa Elkan, Co-Chairs Barak Lurie

One major project JNF recently took upon itself is the "Blueprint Negev Initiative." This ambitious project will turn the Negev into a green land just like the Galilee, just like Scottsdale, Arizona, says Douglas.

JNF recognized that the development and expansion of the town Be’er Sheva is the key to making the Negev an attractive place for a new generation of Israelis to call home. The centerpiece of JNF’s efforts in Be’er Sheva is the development of the 1,300-acre Be’er Sheva River Park, a world-class, innovative urban renewal project, modeled on the famous San Antonio River Walk and similar environmental reclamation projects. The river park is becoming an anchor for tourism and commerce and is transforming Be’er Sheva into a green, vibrant, modern city. JNF is about to transform Be’er Sheva into the true capital of the Negev. (Article from the Summer of 2011 describing the vision - http://issuu.com/jewishnationalfund/docs/byachad_summer2011, page 19 “Be’er Sheva is Booming”)
JNF also runs Alternative Spring Break in Israel, a FREE trip for Jewish college students and young adults (ages 18-30) to volunteer in Israel, as a follow-up to their Birthright trip. It is an exciting week-long trip allowing its participants to make a personal impact in Israel. Participants are responsible for raising a minimum of $1,500, which supports the project on which they will be working on as volunteers during their trip. (http://support.jnf.org/site/)
The knowledge of what Israel and Zionism is all about is a key component of preserving Jewish culture, claims Douglas. "If we cannot get them at school, if we cannot get their attention in the Synagogue then we give them that precious opportunity to become acquainted with the Jewish Homeland. After they return from Israel we continue inviting them to programs that aim to reduce the assassination of Israel by explaining what it means to be Jewish, what is the meaning of the state of Israel." This will create many Lisa Elkans'.
JNF-KKL's call to duty is to ensure that Israel remains vital and prosperous and OURS! What it means is cultivating Zionism and cultivating the land where Zionists live.JBF spreads its wings to every aspect of Israel.
Here I go back to Ambassador Ron Prosor who is walking the corridors of the UN tall. "We have to respect ourselves so others will respect us," he says. JNF helps us to walk the corridors of Planet Earth tall for being Jews and having a magnificent homeland, Israel! And that is just the beginning; our hands are strong and our arms outstretching.
With JNF, it is fearless Zionism.

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The IDF’s Minorities in Numbers and Pictures

In honor of IDF Diversity Week, we present diversity through numbers and pictures. Each year, more and more Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bedouin and immigrants from around the world take on the responsibility of defending Israel.

MUSLIMS:

Muslim Arab Israelis are not required to draft in the IDF, but there are many who volunteer. In 2013, there were over 200 Muslims serving in the IDF and over 300 in the reserves.

Bedouins:

Bedouins are nomadic Muslims who were in Israel when modern borders were set in place and are now considered Israeli citizens. They are not required to draft but a growing number choose to enlist. In 2012, there were over 1,400 Bedouin Muslim soldiers doing regular IDF service and almost 1,500 in the reserves.

Read more:http://www.idfblog.com/2014/02/27/truth-idf-numbers-pictures/#more-34027

Are you aware that in 2013, Middle class taxes go up-significantly?

In January of next year, the federal income tax rate for middle-class taxpayers is scheduled to rise from 25 percent to 28 percent, and the payroll tax is scheduled to rise from 13.3 percent to 15.3 percent… This drives the marginal tax rate based on the aforementioned three taxes to 48.12 percent. Add in state and local property, corporate, excise, and other state and local taxes, and the percentage of each additional dollar that is taxed hovers around 50 percent… When half of each additional dollar earned is taxed away, taxpayers experience a disincentive to start businesses or expand existing ones. This leads to fewer jobs being created.

Why is HAMAS Inside Tampa Schools?

Clare Lopez

Kelly Miliziano, who teaches history classes at Steinbrenner High School in the Tampa, Florida area apparently thinks it’s perfectly OK to invite a senior official of a HAMAS-affiliated organization into her classroom to discuss Islam with her students. According to local media reports, not only has this been going on for years, but in spite of the civil and criminal proceedings that could result from such reckless negligence, the Hillsborough County school superintendent, Mary Ellen Elia, and the chairman of the school board, Candy Olson, also expressed approval for students under their responsibility to be exposed repeatedly to guest speaker, Hassan Shibly, who is the Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the Tampa area.
More...

Did You Know... Ignoring the Call to Islam will Bring Jihad

‘Conquest through Da’wa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da’wa.’
-- Yousef al-Qaradawi , Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader The Arabic word ‘Da’wa’ means the “call to Islam.” But do not think that Da’wa is the same thing as an invitation to an optional holiday event. The classical Islamic doctrine of jihad mandates that enemies must be given the opportunity to convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax before it is permissible to attack them.
Clare M. Lopez

Who is being discriminated-facts tell the truth

Religious bias

Hate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for 1,409 offenses reported by law enforcement. A breakdown of the bias motivation of religious-bias offenses showed:

65.4 percent were anti-Jewish.
13.2 percent were anti-Islamic.
9.5 percent were anti-other religion, i.e., those not specified.
4.3 percent were anti-Catholic.
3.8 percent were anti-multiple religions, group.
3.3 percent were anti-Protestant.
0.5 percent were anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2010/narratives/hate-crime-2010-incidents-and-offenses.

On March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview

with PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

In March 1977, Zahir Muhsein, a PLO executive, said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism."

"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

The Arab Apartheid

Ben-Dror Yemini
In 1948, the Arab countries refused to accept the UN partition proposal and they launched a war of annihilation against the State of Israel which had barely been established. All precedents in this matter showed that the party that starts the war - and with a declaration of annihilation, yet - pays a price for it. Between 550,000 and 710,000 Arabs fled because of the war and a larger number of 850,000 Jews were expelled or fled from Arab countries (the "Jewish nakba").
Population exchanges and expulsions were the norm at that time, occurring in dozens of other conflict points and affecting about 52 million people. In all the population exchange precedents that occurred during or at the end of an armed conflict, there was no return of refugees to the previous region, which had turned into a new national state.
Only the Arab states acted completely differently from the rest of the world. Instead of assimilating the refugees, they crushed them despite the fact that they were their coreligionists and members of the Arab nation - instituting a regime of apartheid. So the "nakba" was not caused by the actual dispossession, which had also been experienced by tens of millions of others. The "nakba" is the story of the apartheid, oppression, abuse and denial of rights suffered by the Arab refugees at the hands of the Arab countries. (Maariv)

International Law and Military Operations in Practice - Col. Richard Kemp

"Islamist fighting groups study the international laws of armed conflict carefully and they understand it well. They know that a British or Israeli commander and his men are bound by international law and the rules of engagement that flow from it. They then do their utmost to exploit what they view as one of their enemy's main weaknesses. Their very modus operandi is built on the correct assumption that Western armies will normally abide by the rules, while these insurgents employ a deliberate policy of operating consistently outside international law. "

Lost Historical Moments

What Rabin’s last Knesset speech really said:repudiation of a Palestinian state

Rabin ruled out a fully sovereign Palestinian state :

“We view the permanent solution in the framework of State of Israel which will include most of the area of the Land of Israel as it was under the rule of the British Mandate, and alongside it a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We would like this to be an entity which is less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority.”

Rabin ruled out a total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and thus a return to the pre-June 1967 borders :

“The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 lines.”

Rabin ruled out withdrawing form the Jordan Valley:

“The security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term.”

Rabin ruled out uprooting settlement blocs, like the Gush Katif bloc in Gaza (which was subsequently uprooted by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon):

“The establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif.

AND

Rabin ruled out removing any settlement before coming to a full peace agreement with the Palestinians:

“I want to remind you: we committed ourselves, that is, we came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.”

Rabin insisted on Israel retaining full security control of the borders with Egypt and Jordan, contrary to Israel’s relinquishment of the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt:

“The responsibility for external security along the borders with Egypt and Jordan, as well as control over the airspace above all of the territories and Gaza Strip maritime zone, remains in our hands.”

Correcting Oslo Myths-Part 2

3) Kuttab laments that the post-1993 Oslo process resulted in a Palestinian Authority "whose ministers and legislators are not guaranteed passage between Gaza and the West Bank ...."

Before free passage or other perquisites, PA leaders were obligated, among other things, to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, end anti-Israeli, antisemitic incitement in schools, mosques, and communications media, and resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful negotiations. They met none of these commitments, sometimes bolstering terrorism and greatly increasing incitement.

4) Kuttab complains that under Oslo the PA got "lightly armed police ---- but no real sovereignty over the land or contiguity between our communities in Gaza and the West Bank."

Oslo agreements repeatedly were revised, regardless of Palestinian non-compliance, until the authorized number of police grew from 8,000 to 40,000. Though they were to be the only armed forces in the territories, Israeli estimates early in the second intifada put the number of gunmen - police, "security services," terrorists, and armed gangs - at 85,000. Their armament reportedly included not only heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, but also anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

Sovereignty was to be negotiated in the envisioned 1998 "final status" talks - after a five-year period of confidence-building. Palestinian leadership chronically undermined the process. Palestinian terrorism made the 1993 - 1998 Oslo period more deadly for Israelis than the 15 years preceding it.

The United States doesn't have contiguity between the lower 48 states and Alaska and Hawaii; territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza Strip - that is, through the 20 miles of Israeli territory between them - was never promised and would destroy Israeli contiguity.

5) "Palestinians have been made to endure hundreds of checkpoints in the West Bank, an eight-foot wall deep in our territories, and tight Israeli control over borders."

The security barrier is not "deep in Palestinian territories," but rather encompasses less than 8 percent of Judea and Samaria, and is mostly a fence, rarely a wall; the land in question is not "our [Palestinian] territories" but disputed territory to which, according to the authors of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, Jews as well as Arabs have claims; and there are no international borders, only the 1949 armistice lines with Jordan. Under 242, borders remain to be negotiated. As for checkpoints - like the security barrier and "tight Israeli control" - Palestinian Arabs precipitated these measures themselves. No terrorism and there would be no fence or tight Israeli control and few checkpoints - like before the first intifada.

Correcting Some Oslo Myths

1) In Oslo "Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders promised that ... Palestinian sovereignty would be solidified."

No, they didn't. The 1993 Declaration of Principles and subsequent Oslo agreements outlined a process by which final status negotiations about the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be reached. The process required an end to anti-Israel terrorism and incitement and a commitment to peaceful negotiations. The PA, Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other terrorist groups, sabotaged the process from the start.

2) "The reality is that, in defiance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which states that it is inadmissible to occupy land by force, Palestinian territories are still under foreign military occupation."
Wrong again. Resolution 242 (1967) does note "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war." It also affirms the right of every state in the area "to live in peace with secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." There were no "Palestinian territories." Jordan occupied the West Bank, Egypt controlled Gaza. Israel did not have "secure and recognized boundaries," so retention of some of those territories was possible under 242. Israel is not a "foreign" military occupier in the West Bank but, pending final negotiations, the lawful military administrator as a result of a successful war of self-defense.

Doc's Talk