Nofey Prat

After touring Israel on the President's Society Mission this past November my wife and I visited the community of Nofey Prat.  Nofey Prat is located just east of Jerusalem.  Several years ago we worked with JNF to build a playground for the children of that town in memory of my grandparents, Hedwig and Benno Gutmann, who were killed in the Shoah at Auschwitz in 1943. Since then we have added an adult fitness area and recently the town put in some awnings to shade the playground.  All in all, the park at Nofey Prat looks great.  During our visit we met many members of the community who not only thanked us but ensured us that the park has changed life in the town of Nofey Prat by affording children a place to play and parents to meet while their children are playing.  Because the day of our visit was cold, we were invited to the kindergarten where we met both 4 and 5 year old pupils.  They presented us with many drawings and sang us songs to let us know how appreciative they were of the work done by JNF to improve their lives.  It's been a pleasure for my wife and myself to witness the change we made in Nofey Prat and an honor to work with JNF to transform Israel into a better and better nation.  It's especially heartwarming to see on people's faces in Israel how appreciative they are of the assistance given to them by JNF USA.

Benjamin Gutmann