U.S. Rabbis Deepen Roots With Israel

As synagogues and temples remain closed due to health prevention measures, Jewish congregations are finding new ways to deepen their connection to the land and people of Israel.

Over the past month, Jewish National Fund-USA (JNF-USA) has partnered with hundreds of Rabbis to support their tree planting efforts in Israel. Rabbis from the Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist movements have participated in the tree planting initiative as a way to honor their congregants during this difficult time.

National Chair of JNF-USA’s Rabbis for Israel and Rabbi of Temple Isaiah in Fulton, MD, Rabbi Craig Axler, believes this initiative prepares us for better days to come: “The special gift that has been afforded to myself and my colleagues through the generosity of JNF-USA allows rabbis to bring just a little ray of sunshine and hope into a tremendously challenging and anxious time. As we learn in the midrash (Avot d'Rabbi Natan 31b), ‘If you are holding a sapling in your hand and they come to tell you that the messiah has arrived, finish planting first and then go and greet the messiah.’ The act of planting is reflective of the immediate clinging to hope and springing to action, and may it lead us to better days ahead!”

“This is a very nice gesture from Jewish National Fund that will strengthen bonds between the community and Israel,” said Rabbi Binyomin Friedman of Congregation Ariel in Dunwoody, GA. Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal of Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Atlanta, echoed the sentiments and added: “I so appreciate the offer and I would love to have the ability to gift these trees to people in my community.”

Jewish National Fund-USA is the leading philanthropic organization for Israel that supports critical environmental and nation-building activities in Israel’s north and south. Through its One Billion Dollar Roadmap for the Next Decade, Jewish National Fund-USA is developing new communities in the Galilee and Negev, connecting the next generation to Israel, and creating infrastructure for ecology, special needs, and heritage preservation.

For more information on how to plant trees in Israel with JNF-USA, visit jnf.org/trees. Congregational rabbis seeking to partner with JNF-USA should contact Executive Director, Israel Advocacy and Education, Joshua Levin at jlevin@jnf.org or 212.879.9305 x230.