We’re all keen to be green
THE Jewish National Fund’s (JNF) Green Sunday Appeal has been hailed a a success, with hundreds of volunteers, young and old, taking to the phones across Australia to raise money for trees to be planted in Israel.
THE Jewish National Fund’s (JNF) Green Sunday Appeal has been hailed a a success, with hundreds of volunteers, young and old, taking to the phones across Australia to raise money for trees to be planted in Israel.
JNF NSW president Alex Abulafia said the 20th anniversary of the event in Sydney was extremely exciting.
“We had a communal breakfast, and it was inspiring to see the commitment throughout the community and the support that we received from across the community,” he said.
“It was further inspiring to see so many young kids from a cross-section of schools and youth movements attending.”
In Melbourne, more than 200 volunteers turned out to man the phones at Beth Weizmann, where they took pledges for this year’s campaign.
“Based on the number of volunteers, and the buzz around the building, it was a very successful day,” said David Beder, general manager for JNF Victoria.
Director of education for JNF Victoria, Erez Feinberg, echoed Beder’s sentiments.
“There were so many people engaged, and you could see the love for Israel,” he told The AJN.
In a new initiative, teenagers on the youth movements’ Shnat programs were planting trees as the funds were coming through.
Meanwhile, several protesters handed out pamphlets outside Beth Weizmann condemning the JNF for allegedly displacing Bedouin Israelis from their homes and planting trees on their land.
JNF Australia president Michael Naphtali said their protest was misguided.
“I am distressed that people would attack an organisation based on the misrepresentation of the facts, rather than engage in positive discussion if they have issues,” Naphtali said.
JOSHUA LEVI AND PHOEBE ROTH
JNF Sydney participants gear up for Green Sunday.
comments