Jewish National Fund of Australia Inc (JNF)

The JNF, founded in 1901, is one of the world’s first environmental organisations and is entrusted with the development and management of land, the conservation of scarce natural resources and the improving of the quality of life in Israel.

 

Based on a Covenant with the Government of Israel, JNF has as its primary goals the development and conservation of land it holds on behalf of the Jewish People and to promote an improvement of the quality of life in Israel.

 

These goals are carried out through

• Greening the State of Israel through the creation, improvement and maintenance of forests and the preservation of natural landscapes and open spaces
• Land development, conservation and reclamation.
• Conservation of water resources

In Australia, the JNF undertakes extensive promotional campaigns to raise funds for the projects it undertakes and to increase community awareness of its work.

Important parts of this promotion are the special Zionist, ecological and other educational programs designed to ensure JNF continuity into the future and to promote environmental awareness in the Australian community.

 

The JNF commenced activities in Australia in the early 1900’s, soon after its establishment in Basle in 1901 , making its first appearance in the public arena after World War I when it gained widespread popular support for its campaign to establish a forest in honour of the Australian Expeditionary Forces which fought in Europe and the Middle East.

 

Since then, JNF Australia has become a major force in changing the face of Israel through a myriad of life-sustaining projects in the northern, central and southern regions of Israel with benefits often felt far beyond Israel’s borders. Additionally, JNF now supports a range of benevolent relief projects which offer relief, in Israel, to those suffering poverty, sickness, distress and/or disability.