AA,

ALAN HITSKY
Associate Editor

3

/--

111 ewish National•Fund is
going through evolu-
tionary times in Detroit
nationally and in Israel.
The agency that controls the
land that bubbie and zayde
bought in Israel via JNF blue
boxes since the turn of the cen-
tury is now looking at a change
in mission.
"During our first 50 years, we
bought the land," said Russell
Robinson, JNF executive vice
president, during a visit to
Detroit
last week.
"During
our next
50 years,
we developed
the land.
"During
our third 50
years, we
have to pro-
tect the
Russell Robinson, JNF land."
executive vice president
JNF and
its Israeli par-
ent, Keren
Kayemet l'Israel, are now focusing
on water resources and pollution
control. Although Israel has
absorbed a million immigrants in
the last 10 years — a population
increase of 20 percent — its water
usage has increased only 2-3 per-
cent.
For that, Robinson credits JNF's
reservoir projects, which have added
6 percent to Israel's water resources.
In the Arava desert in Israel's south,
2,500 settlers have captured 1.5
inches - of the region's annual rainfall
of 2-2.5 inches. The water is recy-
cled through fish farms, to tomato
growers and then to olive groves.
"Gray" (recycled) water is used by
Israel's flower and cotton industries.
In addition to increasing Israel's
reservoir capacity, JNF is turning to
environmental problems there.
"Every river and stream in the coun-

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try is polluted," Robinson said. He
added that of the four Australian
athletes who were killed when a
bridge collapsed at the World
Maccabiah in Israel in 1997, three
died from being in the polluted
Yarkon River water.
JNF is changing its fund-raising
focus locally and nationally, turning
away from major dinners honoring
individuals. While fund-raising for
JNF has increased nationally 30 per-
cent in the last year, in Detroit it -
dropped from $600,000 to
$500,000.
But Robinson is confident that
new JNF events connecting people
to the environment will change
those statistics. JNF is planning
more parlor meetings, a golf tourna-
ment and a travel certificate pro-
gram to reconnect Detroiters to the
land of Israel.
The "Plant Your Way to Israel"
program, starting in October, will
allow teens to sell tree certificates
for $36. Half the amount will be
used by JNF and the other half
reserved for the teen to fund a
future trip to Israel.
JNF is also planning a park recla-
mation program with the Greening
of Detroit organization. It wants to
see the program twinned with a park
reclamation project in Israel. El

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8 /6
1999

Detroit Jewish News

33

