JNF UK’s Negev Mission offered an immersive experience into Israel’s history, culture, and the impactful projects that we support.
The first day began with a moving visit to Kibbutz Yad Mordechai. This community is renowned for its heroic stand in 1948 against the Egyptian invasion, and again, during the murderous Hamas onslaught on 7th October 2023, when the kibbutz’s guard patrol squad together with reinforcements, managed to prevent terrorists from entering the kibbutz and held out until IDF Special Forces arrived, preventing casualties on the kibbutz.
The trip participants continued to Sderot, located less than a mile from the Gaza border, where they met with Rabbi Avichai, head of ZAKA, an organisation dedicated to disaster response and recovery. They heard about their traumatic experiences as first responders on 7th October and their work in the following days and months. The group also visited the Chesed Centre, which serves as a soup kitchen (known locally as The Restaurant) and food bank, aiding vulnerable residents and fostering a culture of compassion and solidarity.
At the site of the Nova festival the group heard from Maya, a survivor of the festival massacre. She had been a steward at the event and managed to escape by running 20km to safety, making life or death decisions as she ran.
After an emotional beginning to the week, participants made their way to Arad for a more uplifting visit to some of the JNF projects. First stop, Kibbutz Ruchama where JNF UK has helped fund temporary accommodation for the displaced residents of nearby Kibbutz Kfar Aza. 150 ‘caravillas’ have been constructed to provide housing for families who will live there until their Kibbutz has been rebuilt in 2 years’ time. Again, they met people with enormous resilience in the face of unspeakable devastation.
JNF UK is supporting two meaningful projects in the town of Arad. The first is Derech Eretz, a leadership programme for school leavers, which aims to give older teenagers the tools to make important decisions regarding their careers and nurture them to become socially responsible adults. There are volunteering opportunities and character building activities. The second project is the Neradim SOS Children’s Village, a residential facility for children from the age of a few months old to 18 who are at risk and have been removed from their homes. Children are taken in, often as an emergency and cared for by ‘house mothers’, attend school and receive the relevant therapy. It is part of an international organisation and Israel has one village in the South and one in the North. The warmth and love the children receive gives them a sense of purpose and the village becomes their home.
Next stop Kiryat Malachi a town located in the northern part of the Negev which is part of JNF UK’s mission to make a holistic difference to communities in need of help. Those on the mission visited a bright, newly renovated Centre providing services for those embarking on their careers. This was followed by the House of Excellence, a hub offering after school enrichment programmes, focusing on computer science and maths. Three of the hub users spoke to everyone about how the programme had boosted their confidence and improved their grades at school.
There were opportunities for the group to visit ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, The National Library in Jerusalem and the Kahn Memorial of the convoy of vehicles attacked whilst making their way up to the holy city during siege of Jerusalem in the 1948 Independence War.
As can be expected of JNF the week ended with a tree planting ceremony in the Ben Shemen forest near Modiin where each person planted their own sapling whilst recited the planters prayer.
During the mission, participants gained a comprehensive understanding of JNF UK’s efforts in environmental sustainability, community development, and educational initiatives.
