JNF looks to raise £200,000 to support Israel’s ‘neglected periphery’
Britain's oldest Israel charity is running its annual #GreenSunday initiative to support eight Jewish communities in the Jewish state
The UK’s oldest Israel charity has said it plans to raise money for sports facilities in Israel as part of its annual Green Sunday telethon appeal to mark the Jewish festival of Tu BiShvat this week.
JNF UK is aiming to raise £200,000 to support eight Jewish communities in Israel’s “neglected periphery” ranging from cities to kibbutzim, as well as supporting Bedouin and Druze communities.
“Green Sunday represents the unbreakable connection between British Jews and the State of Israel, and this year is no different,” said the charity’s chief executive Yonatan Galon. “The generosity of our donors will help us ensure that those growing up in Israel get the happy, healthy childhoods they deserve.”
In recent years JNF has focused on areas such as the Negev, developing towns, cities and villages “that have the greatest potential to absorb Israel’s booming population,” identified as a key national challenge.
It said many of the locations it works in either have nowhere for children to play and exercise, or else the available options are “rundown and disused”. One playground had to be shuttered because it offered no protection from rocket attacks.
The charity said taking part in sports activities is “associated with a variety of positive effects, such as self-confidence, well developed social skills and physical well-being, alongside providing an opportunity to simply relax and have fun”.
The Jewish festival of Tu BiShvat is also called Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot (New Year of the Trees). Today it is celebrated as an ecological awareness day in Israel, with trees planted in celebration. JNF has planted 240 million trees since it was founded in 1901.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
