The Jewish National Fund (JNF) was founded back in 1901 and has operated for over 100 years. It has grown tremendously from its small beginnings into an environmental leader with a global reputation that has managed to plant more than 200 million trees. The JNF has also built over 230 dams and reservoirs, developed more than 200,000 acres of land, and it has created over 1,500 parks. Another goal of the JNF is to ensure that children and young adults of Israeli descent continue to have strong ties with Israel’s rich and extensive heritage.
The JNF was founded by one-time Viennese journalist Theodor Herzi who chose to create a national fund to purchase land for a Jewish State in Ottoman-controlled Palestine. The fund experienced exponential growth, reaching more than 10 million Jewish people across 65+ countries by the 1920s. In 2001 the JNF celebrated 100 years of operation and to this day it is fiercely committed to improving Israel’s future. The Blueprint Negev is the JNF’s ambitious $600 million plan that seeks to revitalize, develop, and maintain the Negev Desert which encompasses more than 45 percent of Israel’s land mass.
This foundation featured on The Jills Giving is one of the many unique foundations supported by The Jills team which includes Jill Eber, Jill Hertzberg, Hillary Hertzberg, Danny Hertzberg, and Felise Eber. The Jills team strongly believes in giving back and we encourage you to visit The Jills Giving website to learn more about the various foundations we support as well as a little bit about the team.