Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Everyday Heroes: John and Dora Boruchin, lifelong Zionists


John Boruchin with his wife and cousin in Israel's Netanya.
When John Boruchin was 12, he attended a speech by Zionist leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky. Inspired, he said then, "If I ever make any money, it will go to Israel." 

Eighty years later, when he passed away at the age of 92, he bequeathed $72 million to Jewish National Fund and made good on his pronouncement as a lifelong Zionist. This estate gift helped JNF achieve a record-setting annual campaign year of $121 million, the largest campaign in our history.

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Enthusiastic professors on Faculty Fellowship want an Israel repeat


The faculty fellows atop Masada.

Jewish National Fund, along with Media Watch International, sends a group of professors on the Faculty Fellowship program in Israel for 10 days of touring, learning, and sharing ideas with Israeli counterparts. Applications are being accepted for next year's program now

Enjoy this piece written by Charles S. (Chuck) Fax, the trip's chairperson, upon the recent culmination of the latest trip.

Professors plant trees in Israel.
The 2017 JNF Faculty Fellowship Summer Institute in Israel ended with our traditional farewell dinner in Tel Aviv. The 12-day trip went by in a flash, but we were so busy, and saw so much, that in retrospect, we all felt as if we were in Israel for a month. 

I was so exhausted, I could have taken a month to recover. But such sweet exhaustion it was, as this Institute was definitely the most successful ever. Twenty-seven U.S. college and university professors, none of whom had been to Israel before, got to see it from the inside. Our guide, Elchanan Brown, was brilliant; the staffers in charge – Rene Reinhard and Eileen Wedeen -- were professional and unflappable throughout; and the speakers (I lost count of the number), all expert in their fields, were uniformly outstanding, thorough and informative.  

Friday, August 18, 2017

What was your first time like? Reflections of an Israel newbie


By Lori Feldman

If someone would have asked me BEFORE my landing in Israel, "What is one word you would use to describe your first visit to Israel?" I most likely would have said "amazing," "inspirational," or maybe even "unexpected." Now that my trip is complete, the word I would use is "family."  

Everywhere we turned, people treated our group like family. We were welcomed to experience life from a perspective of being home. We were made to feel we have always been family and would continue to be no matter where we call home at the end of the trip.

In the JNF Kitchen: Strawberry spinach salad from Israel's Galilee



The Kalderons
For those who want to satisfy their sweet tooth while still eating healthy, we present the perfect combo in this salad from Kalderon MD founders Danny and Michal Kalderon. They are leading innovators of a uniquely artistic glassware collection whose workshop and factory is located in Israel's Western Galilee.

With over 20 years of experience, Kalderon MD has become well-known for its fresh design concepts and high-quality finishes. Today, hand-made glassware collections by Kalderon MD are acquired by top hotel companies and private customers around the world.  

The couple, who run Kalderon MD side by side (Danny is the artist and Michal runs the business side), shared a family recipe for a great, fresh salad, a it's great hit every time they serve it! They suggest you make it for Rosh Hashana, as it includes apples and honey.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Negev 'pitch night’ for new start-ups also solves local problems

The entrepreneurs on pitch night. 
By Megan E. Turner

On a balmy summer's eve in Be'er Sheva, the excitement in the air was palpable at Jewish National Fund's Lauder Employment Center as 19 entrepreneurs shared their concepts for social change with a crowd of more than 250. Each took the stage in what was billed as a local "pitch night." With only 30 seconds to sell their idea, these budding business leaders summarized the past six months of hard work on their unique ideas into just a few, fleeting moments. Even more exciting, the best pitches of the evening were awarded seed money to help get their business off the ground.

Thursday, August 10, 2017

'I won the lottery' on Faculty Fellowship 2017, professor says

Professor Markel planting a tree during Faculty Fellowship 2017. 
Jewish National Fund, along with Media Watch International, sends a group of professors on the Faculty Fellowship Program in Israel for 10 days of touring, learning, and sharing ideas with Israeli counterparts. Look out for reflections from this year's recently returned trip. Applications are being accepted for next year's program now

By Professor Karen Markel, Human Resource Management, Oakland University

I can’t believe it took me nearly 50 years, but I finally made it to Israel thanks to the 2017 Faculty Fellowship Program. Israel had always been part of the conversation throughout my early Jewish education, and I grew up planting trees in Israel to honor someone’s memory or a special event. And here I was, finally getting a chance to visit the Jewish state and not only learn about its religious history but to make connections to my profession as professor of human resource management. I have been studying how business organizations can become more inclusive to people with disabilities in the United States. I was now going to learn specifically how Israel has been making employment more accessible for all its people.

Everyday Heroes: The soldiers of Israel's War of Independence


Machal Memorial. Photo credit: Jewish Action
In concert with our most recent issue of B'Yachad celebrating Israel's heroes, we are bringing you stories that showcase inspirational men and women. If you want to become a hero too, support a hero

Tucked away halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in Sha'ar Hagai, near the old Burma Road, stands a memorial that is a testament to the immense bravery and selflessness that went into the creation of the modern State of Israel.

It's title, Machal, is named for the volunteers during the 1948 War of Independence. A Hebrew acronym for "volunteers from abroad," this group was comprised of 5,000 adults; 1,250 of which were Americans and Canadians; men and women, Jews and Non-Jews alike. 

Thursday, August 3, 2017

JNF Staff Spotlight: Lou Rosenberg, making it a family affair



In 1983-84, I decided to take a year off from college, what is commonly know these days as a gap year.  After some long discussions with my grandmother, I was encouraged to go to Israel and live on a Kibbutz. When I arrived in Israel on a bright and sunny October day, I looked around and proceeded to ask myself, 'what have I just stepped into?'