NEWSLETTER
IN THIS AUTUMN 2016 ISSUE...
Page 2:
JNF UK update
Yerucham: Building the
Negev Town by Town
Page 3:
JNF’s Blue Box:
112 years young
Page 4:
Smart Giving
Page 5:
Elie Wiesel
Page 6:
Looking back
at 2016
Page 7:
Upcoming
events 2016
Page 8:
“I thought
everyone was
a Zionist”
A warm welcome
to this KKL Autumn
Newsletter
By Carolyn Addleman
We have had an exciting few months here in the KKL Legacy Department with a fascinating
tour of Blenheim Palace and an entertaining celebration of Israel’s independence with
Shimi Goodman. We now look forward to a happy and sweet New Year.
We look back at our client events held in the first few
months of 2016 and give you notice of upcoming events
that we have planned for you.
We are delighted to report that Natalie gave birth to a
healthy baby boy and we look forward to welcoming her
back from maternity leave at the end of the year.
This issue contains Andrew Bowman’s fitting tribute
to the late Elie Wiesel who died earlier this year. We
take a look at the history and heritage of the iconic Blue
Box, a powerful symbol of JNF UK and the link with the
organisation’s past, present and future. Read about one
woman’s story – a snapshot of an interesting and varied
life and one of KKL’s valued clients. David Goodman
continues his reporting of the wonderful projects
that JNF UK are currently
supporting as he focuses on the
town of Yerucham in the Negev
and its charismatic Mayor Michael
Biton. We hope you enjoy
reading this issue.
As we approach Rosh Hashanah and all the
Chagim, on behalf of the KKL Team I wish you
a happy New Year. As always, if I or any
member of the KKL team can be of any
assistance, please do not hesitate to be in
touch on 020 8732 6126 or via email at
[email protected].
1
JNF UK PROJECT UPDATE Yerucham - 2025
By David
Goodman
“In life you often join up the dots
backwards”. Steve Jobs-former
CEO of Apple
This was a favourite saying of one of the most successful
chief executives of modern times. His thinking was that often
things happen which only make sense when looking back.
It is over 60 years since the establishment of the town of
Yerucham (population 11,000) in the North of the Negev.
The first influx of immigrants came from Romania many of them Holocaust survivors, followed by olim from
North Africa, Persia and India. More recently, Yerucham
has absorbed hundreds of immigrants from the former
USSR. However, looking back one can see periods of
neglect, lack of opportunity and loss of hope. Today
Michael Biton, who was voted in as Mayor of Yerucham
in 2012 and again in 2016, has no time to look back.
He is too busy looking forward, having set himself the
challenging target of doubling the population of his
town by 2025 and he is on his way to achieving this. His
determination and energy serve to inspire not just his
immediate colleagues but whole communities. It was his
willpower which helped to ensure that the new ‘IDF army
instructional city’ being built in the Negev, fell under
the responsibility of the municipality of Yerucham. It
required many months of lobbying and presentations, but
eventually he was successful. The contract has secured
hundreds of jobs for residents of Yerucham in areas of
hygiene, domesticity and gardening.
Yerucham is a town which is making incredible
progress in becoming an alternative place to live for
young families who are unable to afford the cost of
housing in the centre of Israel. With transport links to
Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and further north already in place,
Yerucham can only go one way - forward.
JNF UK formed a partnership with the Mayor and
municipality of Yerucham in 2012 and is committed to its
growth.
An example of the projects we are supporting are:
• The creation of neighbourhood parks improving the
quality of life of citizens of all ages. The Parks will
include play areas for the young and seating areas for
the old.
• The refurbishing and equipping the communal areas of
social housing units that have fallen into disrepair.
• A state of the art children’s Early Childhood Centre
providing medical support and guidance to parents and
their infants at a stage when it is needed most.
JNF UK wants to encourage families with young children
to move to Yerucham and these facilities will play a
critical part in making this happen.
Shlomi was born prematurely and remained in hospital
for many weeks after his birth. Shlomi’s mother Sigal
noticed that he was developing slowly and doctors
recommended that she take him to a child clinic, but the
nearest facility of this kind was in Be’er Sheva, over an
hour’s drive away. Shlomi now attends the Yerucham
Early Years Centre where local doctors have provided
diagnosis and the care he required.
2
There is little similarity in the way Ben-Gurion and Michael
Biton look. Ben-Gurion was born in Eastern Europe and
Biton was born in Morocco. However, if you read their
articles or hear them speak you would be forgiven for
thinking this was one and the same person. Ben-Gurion
was the visionary and Michael Biton is the builder.
Building needs funding and we are so grateful to people
such as yourselves who have left legacies for the future
generations of the State of Israel. The legacies of yesteryear
are supporting the building of today. The legacies of today
will be supporting the building of tomorrow.
We thank you deeply for your tremendous support.
The Blue Box
112 years young
By Carolyn
Addleman
Since its creation in 1904 the JNF
Blue Box has signified above all
the Jewish People’s link to the land
of Israel. One of these new Boxes was placed by Theodor
Herzl in his study and can still be seen in “Herzl’s Room” in
Jerusalem. The small blue and white metal box accorded
each Jew a sense of belonging and a feeling of pride by way
of participation as a shareholder in the revival of the Jewish
Homeland.
Blue Boxes were present wherever there were Jews: in
Iceland, in the jungles of Zimbabwe, near the tomb of Queen
Esther in Iran, in the British military detention camps and
even in the rubble of the Warsaw Ghetto in the midst of
such appalling devastation. The Blue Box was also found
at the Auschwitz concentration camp amongst the material
remains of victims who had taken only their most treasured
possessions with them when they were deported. During
its first 50 years, the Blue Box was found to be in two million
Jewish homes, placed in a prominent position in the house.
The late Menachem Ussishkin, one of JNF’s prominent
leaders, described the Blue Box’s educational value
succinctly:
A factory for
“Blue Boxes”
in Jerusalem.
Probably the
Alfred Zaltzman
factory which
made most of
the Blue Boxes in
Eretz Israel during
the years 1914
until the mid 30s.
1926, Joseph
Schwieg
“The coin the child contributes or collects for the redemption
of the land is not important in itself but as an element of
education. It is not the child that gives to JNF, but rather the
Fund that gives to the child – a foothold and lofty ideals for all
the days of his life”.
For many people the Blue Box is bound up with childhood
memories from home and the traditional contributions
made at kindergarten and school. To this day the Blue Box
has remained the most consensual Zionist emblem and
has become an irreplaceable icon. Indeed, in the Jewish
communities in the Diaspora, the Blue Box prevails in its
traditional role. In Israel, after a hiatus of decades the Blue
Box has been successful in recently being reintroduced as
part of the national curriculum.
Of the Blue Box it can truly be
said it is “The Box That Created
a State”. Through the years the
Blue Box has been designed
by sculptors, artists, children
and pioneers, and small as it is
it stands for one of the greatest
partnerships the World has
ever known – that of the Jewish
People everywhere with the Land
of Israel.
Before of the First
World War the KKLJNF produced, in
a very limited number
of copies, a special
box of excellence
made of bronze, that
was distributed to the
KKL-JNF Seniors.
The box was produced
by the German-Jewish
sculptor Leopold Fleischhacker
3
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ELIE WIESEL (1928-2016) - Witness and Memory
By Andrew Bowman
“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s
indifference.”
“We must always take sides. Neutrality
helps the oppressor, never the victim.
Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
When writing this article my mind recalled my childhood and
adolescence in the late 1950s and the 1960s. Thankfully my
immediate family were spared the horrors of the Shoah but
at school I came into contact with children of survivors and,
in our community in serene Stanmore, with a few survivors.
People found it difficult to speak about their experiences and
I learnt from those children that their parents did not discuss
what had befallen them in that long darkness. It was only
later, living in Israel in the early 1970s, that I encountered
survivors with concentration camp numbers tattooed on
their arms who told their stories. These people were, among
others, the puncture repairer in our local garage, the bank
clerk and the municipal official dealing with local taxes.
Wiesel declined a suggested
nomination for the Israeli
presidency in 2007, paving the
way for the election of fellow
Nobel Peace Prize winner
Shimon Peres. Peres presented
Wiesel With the President’s
Medal of Distinction in 2013.
Elie Wiesel was a
key witness who was
liberated from the hell
that was Auschwitz
and Buchenwald yet
was never completely
free of it for the rest of
his life. His story has
been well documented
in the many obituaries
following his death
in July and is not
repeated here.
His seminal work,
published in 1960 in
English as Night, did
not initially attract
wide attention. As
he later recalled,
Elie Wiesel and his wife, Marion, established The Elie
Wiesel Foundation for Humanity soon after he was
awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize for Peace.
“The Holocaust was not something people wanted to know
about in those days. The diary of Anne Frank was about as
far as anyone wanted to venture into the dark.” Night would
eventually be translated into over 30 languages and enabled
people to engage openly with the Shoah.
Elie Wiesel’s motive was not revenge but an overwhelming
duty to those who perished as well as to future generations
of humanity not to stand silent in the face of evil, not to be
apathetic but to confront and defeat evil and to help the
oppressed. A journalist by profession, he would try to witness
first hand whenever possible the sufferings of others and try
to counter its causes and effects.
“Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have
the duty to reject despair.”
In these words, Wiesel encapsulated both the scope and
the resolution of the dilemma that haunted and sometimes
wearied him and yet empowered him to continue this
quest. As Elie Wiesel’s generation passes from our midst,
his memories and those of other witnesses become the
collective memory of our people and humanity at large.
Even though most of us are fortunate enough not to have
experienced what he did, Elie Wiesel’s life and work recall
how the Pesach Hagadah enjoins us all to participate in
the recollection of the exodus from Egypt as if we had been
there; similarly, in his view, with the Shoah. This is a difficult
but essential challenge and a clarion call to all who come
after him to meet this challenge head-on and to harness the
humanity in us all as a force for good.
5
LOOKING BACK – SPRING AND SUMMER EVENTS
By Tamar Diskin
Tamar Diskin reports back on our client events and
invites you to look out for our forthcoming activities.
MAY - CELEBRATING YOM HA’ATZMAUT WITH KKL
On 16th May 2016, KKL hosted a lunch at Edgware United Synagogue to celebrate
Israel’s 68th Birthday. Approximately 60 KKL clients and JNF supporters attended
the event, and enjoyed a three course lunch on a lovely sunny afternoon.
Carolyn welcomed attendees, mentioning lesser known facts about Israel and its
recent technological, social and medical achievements. The afternoon was enjoyed
with singing from acclaimed performer Shimi Goodman* followed by an open
Question and Answer Panel on Israel led by David Goodman.
*Shimi who was born in Tel Aviv, moved to London at the age of 21. After
graduating from acting school , Shimi landed a role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s West
End production of Bombay Dreams thereafter acting in Chicago, Dirty Dancing, Into
the Woods, Singin’ in the Rain and A Midsummer Night’s Dream among others.
JUNE - DAY TRIP TO BLENHEIM PALACE
On Tuesday 21st June 2016, 30 KKL clients and
guests accompanied by KKL staff set out from
North West London to visit Blenheim Palace in
Woodstock. The group had a fascinating guided
tour of the 18th Century Baroque style palace, its
paintings and artefacts and learnt of Sir Winston
Churchill’s connection with the Palace as his
birthplace and childhood home.
The kindly weather allowed a delicious picnic
brought with us from London on the
beautiful grounds of the Park
overlooking the River Glyme.
After lunch, the participants had time
to explore the grounds, Secret Garden,
Butterfly House and Visitor Centre.
After an exciting, informative and
successful visit, we made our way back
to Golders Green.
6
LOOKING FORWARD – AUTUMN AND WINTER EVENTS
SEPTEMBER - KKL ROSH HASHANAH TEA
Please join us for a delightful tea to celebrate the Jewish New Year, with our special guest
speaker Stephen Pollard, editor of the Jewish Chronicle.
Date: Tuesday 27 September 2016
Time: 3pm – 5pm
Venue: Sol Cohen Hall, Hendon United Synagogue, 18 Raleigh Close, London NW4 2TA
OCTOBER - JNF UK LEGACY MISSION TO ISRAEL IS GOING AHEAD!
Our sought after Legacy Mission is taking place this year from 31 October – 9 November. We
will tour the length and breadth of Israel in style and comfort, visit the remarkable JNF UK
supported projects, and feel the change JNF UK is generating in the Negev.
For further information on the Legacy Mission, please contact Tamar on 020 8732 6121 or
at [email protected]
DECEMBER - KKL TRADITIONAL MUCH LOVED CHANUKAH PARTY
Please join us for an entertaining and meaningful afternoon of candle lighting, latkes and
singing to celebrate the festival of lights at our annual KKL Chanukah Party.
Date: Monday, 19th December 2016
Time: 2.30pm
Venue: To be confirmed
How to Book?
To reserve your place for any of our upcoming events, please contact us on
020 8732 6121/6126 or at [email protected]
We are currently working on our special 2017 events plan. Further information about next year’s
occasions will be sent to you in due course
7
“ I thought everyone
was a Zionist”
thanks to you, JNF UK continues to
support vital projects in the Negev
David Goodman interviews Ellen* – one of
KKL’s clients.
Ellen* was born in the East End, worked for
the United Nations in New York and now
lives in Hendon.
What are your earliest childhood memories?
My earliest memories of childhood are those of playing
hide and seek in a bombed out building. With six years of
war, living amongst ruins became the norm. I attended
Redman’s Road Talmud Torah where stories were told
about Palestine. For one penny we could buy a stamp
which we stuck onto a picture of a tree. As each week
passed, another stamp was stuck on until we would
complete the picture and excitedly hear about how a tree
would be planted by JNF in Palestine. The year was 1941
and I was seven years old.
Can you tell us a little bit about where you were during
the Six Day War War?
I was in Britain … During the Six Day War War, together
with many other people, I volunteered at Rex House
making up first-aid boxes which were sent to Israel.
The support was incredible and people came in off the
street to give us the jewellery that they were wearing…
there was a tremendous feeling of unity amongst Jewish
people in Britain. I thought everyone was a Zionist.
Could you tell us about your time at the United Nations
in New York and events that made an impact on you?
It was in 1968 that I started what was probably the most
interesting period of my life. I was fluent in both English
and French and successfully applied for a position in
the United Nations in New York. My job included reading
through French and English newspapers, picking up on
any information to do with strategic disarmament. I was
given accommodation in a United Nations apartment
across the road to the UN.
One afternoon I noticed a demonstration which was being
dispersed by police on horseback. I went downstairs to
have a closer look and was introduced to the work of
the Jewish Defence League who were demonstrating
on behalf of Soviet Jewry. They were quite militant and
would get into physical fights. Coming from England it
was something that I admired. I felt that British Jews
were very passive.
I worked closely with Rabbi Meir Kahana-he was a very
charismatic and handsome man, and took notes and
typed up minutes of his meetings held in the Manhattan
Jewish Defence League branch. How exciting it was to
think that
I was doing
something
on behalf of
Soviet Jewry
and Jews
all over
the world.
I became friendly with Avital Sharansky, who
demonstrated for a number of years on behalf of her
husband Natan Sharansky outside the building where
I lived. It is amazing to think that after his release from
prison in Russia, and making aliya to Israel, he held
different positions in the Israeli government including
that of Deputy Prime Minister.
Would you like to share further thoughts?
Today, when I read, I am no longer looking for information
on disarmament. I do though keep an eye open for
information on Israel. I am grateful to the KKL Legacy
Department for the magazine they produce which keeps
me up-to-date with the work of the pioneers in the Negev.
Israel is the Jewish homeland and the most important
thing, whilst staying safe, is building for the future.
*Name changed for the purpose of anonymity
House,
Spring
VillaPark,
Park,Spring
Spring Villa
JNFJNF
House,
Spring
Villa
VillaRoad
Road
Edgware,
Middlesex
HA8
7ED
Edgware, Middlesex HA8 7ED
Tel: 020 8732 6101 • Fax: 020 8732 6111
Tel: 020 8732 6101
Email: [email protected] • Website: www.kkl.org.uk
Email: [email protected] • Website: www.kkl.org.uk
KKL Executor and Trustee Company Ltd (a Company registered in England No. 453042) is a subsidiary of JNF Charitable Trust (Charity No. 225910) and a registered Trust Corporation (authorised capital £250,000).
KKL Executor and Trustee Company Ltd (a Company registered in England No. 453042) is a subsidiary of JNF Charitable Trust (Charity No. 225910) and a registered Trust Corporation (authorised capital £250,000).