PARTNER WITH US IN THE DIGITAL CONTENT INITIATIVE
Dear educators,
In anticipation of your arrival, The Overseas Education Department, Community & Education Division are pleased to invite you to partner with us in an initiative enabling educators to teach and share content about the heritage and history of the Jewish people using 21st century tools.
The digital initiative reflects the values of KKL-JNF, which has been engaged in innovation, progress, entrepreneurship, environmental development, and the education of the next generation since its founding in 1901.
So how can you partner with us in this initiative, and maybe even win a meal for two in the center of Jerusalem?
Over the course of the seminar, we will embark on a digital journey that tells the story of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel and around the world.
- Get the content: Join the trip WhatsApp content group by clicking here (open the link on your mobile device directly through WhatsApp).
- Each day, we will send you digital content that is relevant to the places we will visit and the topics we will discuss that day.
- Quiz for prizes: Follow the link to content about Jerusalem, Israel’s capital city, for a quiz that can earn you prizes. Participants will be entered into a raffle for multiple chances to win a meal for two at a restaurant in the Machane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem. The raffle will take place on Thurs., Jan. 2, 2020 at 8:00pm.
- We appreciate your feedback and would love to hear from you throughout the seminar regarding other content you’d like to see on this platform.
A Sneak Peek at the Topics You’ll Cover on Your Educational Journey in Israel
On this page, we’ll highlight the values that underlie KKL-JNF’s many projects and activities all over Israel. Familiarity with KKL-JNF’s activities will deepen your understanding of the sites you’ll visit on your trip.
Since its founding, KKL-JNF has been working to strengthen the connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. KKL-JNF’s unwavering commitment has led to the development of countless projects and activities, many of which you’ll learn about throughout the seminar.
Preserving Israel’s History and Learning about its Heritage
KKL-JNF works tirelessly to impart the heritage of Israel’s past and invest in its present for the sake of a better future for the people and state of Israel. To this end, we offer educational programs in Israel and abroad in addition to developing the local environment and preserving Israel’s historical sites.
Shuni – The first stop on our journey is an excellent example of preserving a historical site and making it both modern and accessible. The many incarnations this site has seen – from its initial settlement by the biblical tribes of Israel up to the establishment of the modern and dynamic State of Israel we know today – tell a broader tale of the Land of Israel itself.
The original village of Shumi was part of the inheritance of the biblical tribe of Menashe. During the Roman Empire, aqueducts were built to transport water to Caesarea, the city of King Herod. In addition, Shuni became a site of entertainment for Roman nobles with water games and theatrical performances. The Crusaders turned the site into a small fortress for their activities in the area and, during the Ottoman Empire, a fortress was built which still stands today. In 1912, Baron Rothschild purchased the entire territory from a Lebanese merchant in order to renew Jewish settlement there.
During the British Mandate, the British army invaded and imprisoned members of the Irgun (Jewish underground organization) who lived and trained in Shuni. Shuni also served as the base for the Acre Prison Break – an operation to free imprisoned members of the underground. Since 1986, KKL-JNF has transformed Shuni into a thriving park, built an educational field center there, assisted in the reconstruction and preservation of its heritage sites and structures, created hiking trails in the area, and revitalized the amphitheater which today is a bustling venue, hosting performances by artists from all over the world.
Later in the day, we will visit Safed (Tzfat), one of Judaism’s four holy cities – hub of Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism situated amid the breathtaking views of the Galilean hills – where KKL-JNF has developed parks and forests to enrich the region.
And of course, we will visit Jerusalem, Israel’s capital city, meeting place of ancient and modern for over 3000 years. There will be a special section on Jerusalem in the content link you’ll receive, along with the survey to become eligible for the prize raffle.
On the final leg of our journey, we will reach southern Israel where we will visit Be’er Sheva’s Anzac Museum, among other sites. The Anzac Memorial Center was established in memory of the Australian soldiers who fought alongside the British during World War I and helped conquer Be’er Sheva. With the help of KKL-JNF Australia, KKL-JNF created the Anzac Route which is 100 km long and traces the Anzac horsemen’s route from the Gaza Strip to Be’er Sheva. It is a walking path with signs at various points along the way describing battle stories that occurred there.
Community Engagement and Fostering Mutual Responsibility
KKL-JNF is committed to social justice and communal responsibility, working extensively to create equal opportunities for all sectors of Israeli society. With the help of KKL-JNF Australia, KKL-JNF established the fully accessible Blue Valley Park in Safed, as well as the Jordan River Village – a first of its kind holiday village in Israel for children with special needs and serious illnesses. Signs throughout the park are in Hebrew and Arabic and written both in embossed letters and braille.
One especially notable project established by KKL-JNF thanks to the generosity of KKL-JNF Australia is the fully protected Sha’ar HaNegev High School. The region’s children have lived under continuous threat of rocket fire for about 15 years, and are still strong and spirited. The rocket-safe structure allows children to feel secure in times of red alert warnings and attacks. In addition, KKL-JNF is creating the Park of Courage in Sderot, a city that has been suffering from missile attacks for 20 years and, in spite of this, continues to grow. With its greenery and serene atmosphere, the park, funded by donations from Australian Friends of KKL-JNF, offers residents much-needed respite from chaos. It is planned to include a large artificial lake, children’s playgrounds, and sports facilities.
KKL-JNF reduces opportunity gaps in Israeli society through its houses for excellence in Israel’s periphery and through initiatives to empower Israel’s many underprivileged demographic groups (e.g. Bedouins). With the assistance of Australian Friends of KKL-JNF, KKL-JNF supports the Switch Center (The Triguboff Holistic Centre for Vocational Training and Entrepreneurship) which trains members of Israel’s Bedouin society in various job fields and accompanies them on their employment journey, preparing them for interviews and connecting them with potential employers.
Environmental Education for Sustainability and Technological Entrepreneurship
KKL-JNF works hard to instill environmental awareness through education. Five field centers established throughout Israel provide visitors with educational experiences that combine environmental values with heritage, Zionism, and love of the land. During our tour, we will visit two field centers established in collaboration with Australian Friends of KKL-JNF: the Shuni Center in the north and the Nes Harim Center in the coastal plains of the Judean region.
With the support of its international friends, KKL-JNF runs educational programs and establishes ecological centers and beautiful, healing gardens in communities, kindergartens, and schools throughout the country.
KKL-JNF also supports educational centers that expose the public to the challenges faced by Israel’s modern-day agricultural pioneers and to the technological innovations they’ve developed as solutions. At the Vidor Visitors Center in the Arava, established by KKL-JNF with the help of KKL-JNF Australia, the innovative technologies used to sustain a thriving agricultural economy in the desert are made accessible to the public.
In addition, the KKL-JNF supports AICAT (the Arava International Centre for Agricultural Training) where more than 1,000 students a year come from around the world to learn about the unique Israeli technologies used to combat desertification, a growing worldwide concern.
DEVELOPING ISRAEL’S ECOLOGY & FOSTERING A CONNECTION WITH THE LAND
Planting forests throughout Israel contributes to the ecological development of the land and, at the same time, provides an opportunity for everyone to plant their own tree in Israel. On your first day in Israel, you will have a chance to plant your own tree in the Shuni forest.
KKL-JNF partners in several large-scale, innovative ecological projects throughout Israel that contribute to the development of the environment, flora, and fauna of the land.
For example, KKL-JNF began the development of the Hula Lake Park in northern Israel as early as the 1950s. KKL-JNF led the first national engineering project of the young State of Israel, drying up the swampy Hula Valley and converting it into 15,000 acres of usable farmland. Years later, when the region re-flooded, KKL-JNF carried out a second swamp-drying project, creating the internationally-acclaimed Hula Lake that attracts more than 500 million migratory birds twice a year.
The Sha’ar Hanegev Water Reclamation Facility, established in collaboration with KKL-JNF Australia, is an impressive ecological feat. Purifying wastewater and rendering it fit for agricultural use is a lifeline for residents of the three nearby kibbutzim – Nahal Oz, Kfar Aza, and Meflasim – who can now conserve their scarce and costly fresh water supply. This has enabled the population of the Negev to expand and the existing communities to thrive, providing them with a higher quality of life and additional sources of revenue.
The Rehab for the Yarkon River in central Israel — KKL-JNF, with the help of KKL-JNF Australia, have transformed Israel’s Yarkon River from an ecological disaster to a beautiful center for recreation and nature. Years of hard work and partnered efforts from the KKL-JNF, the Yarkon River Authority, and the Israeli government have resulted in one of the most impressive environmental overhauls Israel has seen to date.