President's Column by Eli Scherr
INI
KEREN KAYEMETH LEISRAEL
ike many gifts of nature, trees are often taken for granted. However, there is a special relationship between G-d,
.man and the earth. Man must work the earth to partake of its fruit being ever mindful that it is G-d's earth on
:which we work. This obligates us to act morally toward both nature and our fellow man.
To commemorate the importance of this relationship, a day was designated as Rosh Hashanah Lailanot," the "New Year
of the trees." This day is the 15th of the month of Shevat or Tu B'Shevat as the only reminder of the days when our an-
cestors dwelled in their homeland. Today we have more thanjust the fruit of Ere& Yisrael we have the living restora-
tion of our ancestral home; but we cannot forget that even though the State of Israel has been restored, much of its land still remains
barren.
The land which is now Israel was not always desert. We learn from several Biblical references that ancient Israel was a verdant agrarian
society. Natural forests grew everywhere. However, when enemies forced Jews out of their homeland, the landscape suffered from ne-
glect. Trees were uprooted and crops were destroyed. As a result erosion turned the once fertile soil into sand or swamp.
Through the work of the Jewish National Fund, especially in afforestation, much land has been reclaimed. It is the JNF which has revi-
talized Tu. B'Shevat and given the opportunity to young and old in Israel to commemorate the day by going into the barren hills and
sandy desert and planting saplings with their own hands. As these saplings grow into trees, we can always celebrate their birthdays on
Rosh Hashanah Lailanot.,
As I have pointed out before, the Jewish National Fund is more than planting trees; it is more than turning sand into land. The work of
the JNF can be compared to a great and beautiful love affair — that of the Jewish people for its homeland. It will never end because it is
a living relationship between both of them.
The challenges facing us in what we all hope will be a period of peace make the role of the JNF even greater than heretofore. To estab-
lish peace means to continue redeeming and rebuilding the land of Israel. The Negev represents 60% of the area of Israel. It is impor-
tant to settle and cultivate it. The need to build dams and other projects to assure the life-giving water resources for a growing
population is most crucial. As we have in the course of decades learned to respond to crises, so must we be ready to respond to the de-
mands of peace.
I hope that each and every one of you will fulfill the mitzvah of Tu B'Shevat by supporting the Jewish National Fund and its historic mis-
sion. You can show you support by calling the Jewish National Fund office with your donation to plant trees in Israel.
May we all live to see peace embrace the Land of Israel, and the Jewish people, and the whole world.
—
FROM
Sandy Schore, Freda Berkowitz and Eli A. Scherr
Freda BerkoWitz Retires
17100 West
10 Mile Road
Southfield, M
_ I
48075
Phone 557-6644
FAX: (810) 557-2412
The number 40 is a prestigious number in the history of the Jew-
ish people. Moses was on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights, pri-
or to receiving the Ten Commandments, and for an additional 40
days and 40 nights when he came down with the Torah; our peo-
ple wandered in the desert for 40 years before entering into the Land
of Canaan; and, as ofJanuary 6, 1995, Freda Berkowitz retired from
the Jewish National Fund after serving 40 years.
"Freda Berkowitz typifies what a committed, dedicated and giving
employee is all about," remarked Ed Rosenthal, Regional Director
of JNF. "Her dedication to the cause of JNF has served as an exam-
ple not only for her professional colleagues but for everyone who
knew her," stated Sandy Schore, President of the Women ofJNF. Fre-
da has been involved in all aspects of the office, most recently serv-
ing as a staff person servicing the Women's Division of JNF. In
addition, she was responsible for Blue Box collection, mailings, etc.
Eli Scherr, President of the JNF of Michigan, stated that "Freda was
a legend in her own time and she will never be replaced."
Ms. Berkowitz was honored at the December 12, 1994 Meeting
of the Board of Directors where she received a special plaque, and a
Grove of 1,000 Trees has been planted in her honor by the Detroit
JNF Family.
The community salutes Freda and wishes her good health and hap-
piness in her retirement.
Mrs. Gail Eisner
Establishes
Projects With JINF
Golden Book
Subscribers As Of
January 3, 1995:
Three projects have recently
been established by Mrs. Gail Eis-
ner of Birmingham, Michigan.
Mrs. Eisner upgraded a Grove of
1,000 Trees to a Woodland of
2,000 Trees, memorializing her
late husband, Marvin; established
a second Woodland; and in hon-
or of her son Alan's recent en-
gagement, established a Grove
of 1,000 Trees. The three pro-
jects, representing 5,000 Trees,
will all be located in the Ameri-
can Independence Park near
Jerusalem, as a perpetual symbol
of the Eisners' commitment to
the development of the State of
Israel. The members of the
Board of Directors ofJNF extend
to Gail Eisner and her son, Alan,
their best wishes for continued
good health and happiness.
Golden Book subscribers help
the JNF continue land reclamation
in Israel. We salute the following
contributors of Golden Books as of
January 3:
DOREEN & DAVID B. HER-
MELIN, FLORENCE & IRVING
I-IERMELIN, HENRIETTA WEIN-
BERG & FAMILIES; EMMA &
ISAAC SCHAVER •:e
Garden Donor
Enrolled As Of
January 3,199.
We acknowledge with sincere
appreciation the following gar-
den donors who enrolled in the
Michigan Garden Club as ofJan-
uary 3:
ELLIOT MILSTEIN; RONA
FREEDLAND, KAREN, JIM &
HALLIE BERGER, AMY FREED-
LAND, MARCIE FREEDLAND
& STUART FREEDLAND.
"Get Well"
JNF extends a Speedy Recov-
ery to:
SELMA FRIEDMAN, TILLIE
GARDNER and MIKE MUST. <E,'
"Of Blessed
Memory"
We mourn the loss of: DEANNA
AVERBUCH, DANI BRENNER,
DIANA EISENBERG, RAYMOND
GILBERT, LAWRENCE KAPLAN,
HARRY KOMER, ROSE MIL-
STEIN, DONALD RISSMAN,
EDITH ROSBERG, ALFRED
ROSEN, JEANEITE SERLING,
DR ARTHUR WITTENBERG. -
Guralnick
Woodland
Established
A Woodland of 2,000 Trees has
been established in Sanhedrya,
Israel in memory of Nison and
Sarah Guralnick by their daugh-
ter Norma Grosinger and her
children. -
Lifelong Zionists, Mr. and Mrs.
Guralnick originally immigrated
from Russia to Haifa, Israel, be-
fore settling in Detroit to be close
to their family. The Woodland
will be located adjacent to the
Alexander Grosinger Memorial
Woodland, established in 1981
by his loving family.
7