Grainy photo at Jerusalem historic site stirs tears: 'This is who we are'

Ammunition Hill: 1 of more than 150 heritage sites around Israel open to visitors.

By Doran Miller

My personal connection to Israel runs deep. My mom and grandmother are Israeli. My grandfather was born in Germany and fled to British Mandate Palestine in the early 1930s to escape the rising Nazi regime. My entire life, I've been steeped in the stories, music, and culture of Israel. I'd been to Israel before, of course, and I consider myself very familiar with Jewish National Fund’s work, so I thought I knew what to expect from this summer's Jewish Leadership Institute Mission: an action-packed week traveling around the country to see JNF affiliates and projects firsthand. The truth is I had no idea how powerful the experience would be.

Joe Adler, an immigrant’s story

By Joe Adler

Some come to America to escape oppression, others because of lack of opportunity and hunger. Most, however, are drawn to our country’s promise of a better tomorrow, not just for themselves, but, more importantly, for their children. For me, it was my mother's idea... 

I arrived in the United States at age 15, unaccompanied, after a two-week voyage on board the trans-Atlantic Israeli Zim Lines cruise ship SS Zion, in June, 1957.

My story, however, began 16 years earlier, in 1941, when my parents, Olga and Aaron Adler, escaped Hungary on board the Darien II, the very last refugee ship out of Europe.

U.S. Navy couple Marchel and Alice Tevelson generous in life, legacy

The Tevelsons, Alice and Marchel

Alice J. Tevelson and Marchel Charles Tevelson of La Mesa, California, shared a great love for each other and the life they created together. 

Married in 1957, Alice gave up her teaching career to become a Navy wife. Charlie, as he was known to his family, was a graduate of Temple University and a decorated commander in the U.S. Navy, serving in World War II and Vietnam. Charlie served in the U.S. maritime and naval forces on active duty and as a civilian for a total of 54 years. In 1972, while on active duty and having completed several decorated combat tours, Charlie became director of the Navy’s worldwide humanitarian mission, Project Handclasp. He held this position as both an active duty commander and civilian director until 2006.

Women's History Month: Fighting to save Israel's past is personal

Hannah Senesh, an Israeli woman hero.

We're celebrating Women's History Month all March long by sharing stories of the amazing women who make up Jewish National Fund. In addition, we're matching all donations up to a total of $1 million during this time. Learn more: jnf.org/women

By Noa Gefen

I am honored to serve as executive vice chairman of the Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites (SPIHS) and couldn't imagine working anywhere else. After graduating with a masters in organizational psychology, I worked in human resources for 15 years. But after my father's passing in 2008, I knew that my future resided elsewhere. 

The Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites was founded in 1984 to preserve, restore, and share historical sites related to Israel’s pathway to independence. Since 1984, SPIHS, with support from Jewish National Fund, has preserved more than 170 heritage sites around the country and opened them to the public as museums and visitor centers. These sites attract millions of guests each year, including schoolchildren, soldiers, families, and tourists, and provide SPIHS with the unique and wonderful opportunity to share the stories of the brave men and women who helped make the dream of Israel into a reality. 

Jewish veterans of honor: Heroic WWII POW remembered by son

As we did for Veterans Day in 2015, we are marking the day this year by sharing stories behind the names on JNF's Wall of Honor at Ammunition Hill. Plaques on the Jerusalem wall pay tribute to Jewish military veterans worldwide who have served their countries. 

Albert I. Rosenblum immigrated to the United States from Russia at age 4. In 1929 he entered the army and was stationed in New York, Honolulu, and Salt Lake City. When he was discharged, Albert opened a grocery and butcher-paper supply business. However, in 1939, as talk in the United States of war grew, Albert decided to go back into the army. 

Jewish veterans of honor: Dad and two grandpas get a moving tribute

Ron Werner and his family with their plaques. From left: Ron's brother Michael of Chicago; JNF liaison Yoel Rosby;
Ron's mother, Florence; his father, Robert; Ron; his sister, Beverly Werner Needham, of Boulder, Colo.

As we did for Veterans Day in 2015, we are marking the day this year by sharing stories behind the names that appear on JNF's Wall of Honor at Ammunition Hill. Plaques on the Jerusalem wall pay tribute to Jewish military veterans worldwide who have served their countries. Here, Ron Werner arranges a surprise visit for his family to reveal three plaques he dedicated in honor of several members. 

by June Glazer

At first glance, Jerusalem may seem an unlikely place to commemorate Veterans Day. But last week, as Americans were gearing up for the U.S. holiday, one family was in Israel doing just that at Ammunition Hill, the country's memorial to the Six-Day War. As most of the family members were about to learn, this battleground and national heritage site is indeed an appropriate place to observe the holiday, as well as to honor Jewish military men and women who served in any country.

Jewish veterans of honor: Martin Fleischer, champion father-in-law

As we did for Veterans Day in 2015, we are marking the day this year by sharing stories behind the names that appear on JNF's Wall of Honor at Ammunition Hill. Plaques on the Jerusalem wall pay tribute to Jewish military veterans worldwide who have served their countries. Here, Myra Chack Fleischer shares her deep connection to her father-in-law, in whose honor she dedicated a plaque. 

By Myra Chack Fleischer

To talk about my father-in-law, I need to start with my father. My dad was a wonderful man who unfortunately was ill my entire life. He had his first heart attack at age 37 when my oldest brother was six weeks old. My parents bravely went on to have three more children despite my father's continuous heart problems, and I was the fourth born when he was age 44. The odds at that time of him surviving were slim, but he miraculously made it until my first semester in college. He was a funny, wonderful man who could fix anything. The void after he left us was enormous and my mother filled it until I lost her as well 13 years ago.

In the Judaean hills, a JNF Campus Fellow revels in nature and history

JNF's Campus Fellows program immerses carefully selected college students across the country in JNF's work. The fellows then help create a JNF presence on their campuses.


By Keren Radbil, JNF Campus Fellow from UMass Amherst

As a student of natural-resource conservation, sustainability, and farming, I was fortunate to spend the past few weeks interning with the JNF's restored historical Sataf park on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The work I've done was unique and an amazing opportunity to not only be immersed in nature but explore a landscape with significant cultural and historical meaning.

Jewish veterans of honor: Dachau visit changes Vietnam's vet's life forever

Paul Jeser at his plaque dedication at JNF's Wall of Honor in Jerusalem with his wife Faye Jeser (left) and L.A. philanthropist Gitta Nagel. 

Here, another story of a Jewish military veteran honored at JNF's Wall of Honor at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem. 

Paul Jeser during his U.S. Army days. 

Dressed in his U.S. Army jacket, wearing a pin-studded army beret, Paul Jeser approaches the Wall of Honor at Ammunition Hill and takes in the rows of plaques. Each plaque displays a name, an army from around the world, and the years that person served in the army. What makes this wall different from similar monuments is that it is not a memorial wall, it is a wall of honor, and today Jeser and his family and friends have traveled from Los Angeles to unveil the plaque that will honor his service during the Vietnam War. 

Born and raised in the Bronx, Jeser was drafted as a graduate student and left his MBA studies behind to heed the call of duty. Although Jeser was not a rabbi, he ran a Jewish chaplaincy program from 1969-1971 in Augsburg, Germany, a complex time and place to be a Jew. On the one hand, he served with many Americans who had never even met a Jew before. On the other, he got to know the large, mostly Eastern European Jewish community of Augsburg. Hearing firsthand testimony from Holocaust survivors at a time when Germany was still hiding from its past left a permanent mark on Jeser and he started to feel a stronger connection not just to his Jewish identity, but to the Jewish world at large.

Jewish veterans of honor: Horrors of WWII spurred decades of Jewish communal service

Next up in our series profiling soldiers named on JNF's Wall of Honor at Ammunition Hill, Judy Levin remembers her dad, who left a lasting mark on the Jewish community of Columbus, Ohio, and beyond. 

My father's name is Ben M. Mandelkorn. He was born in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1914 to Russian immigrant parents. He worked his way through Rutgers University and the University of North Carolina Graduate School of Social Work.

Upon completing his education, my father enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II, attaining the rank of captain. He attended the Army Officer Candidate School and commanded a mobile military hospital, a forerunner of the MASH units of today. He was stationed in North Africa, Marseille, and Germany. After the Battle of the Bulge, he went with the generals to liberate the concentration camps. It was then that he decided to devote his life to his fellow Jews.

Jewish veterans of honor: From WWII army medic to trial attorney, she always had a sense of humor

Dinah M. Selvin worked as an army 
medic during WWII. 

This story in our series profiling soldiers named on JNF's Wall of Honor at Ammunition Hill recalls a woman who dedicated her life to public service. 

Dinah M. Selvin wore many hats during her 90 years, among them first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, physical therapist, public defender, and supporter of Jewish National Fund. 

Her executor, Norman Friedman, who worked with Dinah and was her close personal friend for 40 years, said Dinah should be remembered for a lifetime of public service. 

Born in 1920, Dinah was raised in Springfield, Mass., by parents Ira and Ida, who immigrated from Russia and believed strongly in education. Dinah graduated from Smith College. Dinah’s late sister, Dr. Beatrice L. Selvin, was an anesthesiologist and University of Maryland medical school professor.

During her army service, Dinah went overseas to England and served in a medical clinic there, helping wounded soldiers. After the war, she returned to the U.S., where she worked as a physical therapist. 

Jewish veterans of honor: Bronze Star WWII flyer hatched creative scheme to sell war bonds

Charles Blumenfeld (left) poses with a bomb labeled Harry Bunderoff, 

the name of a cousin who purchased a war bond. 

We continue our series profiling the soldiers named on JNF's Wall of Honor at Ammunition Hill with Charles Blumenfeld. Plaques on the wall pay tribute to Jewish military veterans worldwide who have served their countries.

Before the U.S. entered World War II, Charles "Red" Blumenfeld heard rumors of the horrors Jews were facing in Europe. This spurred the American to enlist in the Canadian Royal Air Force, and he graduated flight school with honors. Once the U.S. entered the war, Blumenfeld flew for the U.S. Air Force, 42 missions, returning home with his entire crew and going on to win military honors including the Bronze Star.  

"Dad was one of many true patriots, and a hero," says his son Alan Blumenfeld, shown in the photo below dedicating a plaque at Ammunition Hill in his father's memory in 2011.

Jewish veterans of honor: West Point, WWII and a desk at the Pentagon

Irving Schoenberg in 1960 at his desk in the Pentagon. He served as executive assistant to undersecretary of the Air Force, after which he was awarded the Legion of Merit.

Next up in our series profiling the soldiers named on JNF's Wall of Honor at Ammunition Hill is a proud military veteran and Jewish National Fund donor who just turned 90. 

Irving Schoenberg grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri, born into a family with a strong love for the Jewish people and Israel. He had an interest in going to the military throughout high school, even participating in a cadet program during his formative years. He graduated Central High School in 1943, in the middle of World War II, so he knew he was going straight to the army ("everyone old enough to walk was going to the military," he says). 

Jewish veterans of honor: 'Regular guy from the Bronx' whose unit liberated a concentration camp

Lester Mintz, in his U.S. Army days.

Next up in our series on soldiers honored at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem, Estelle Mintz remembers her husband Lester. JNF's Wall of Honor pays tribute to the courage and heroism of Jewish soldiers worldwide who have fought in defense of their countries in numbers disproportionately high considering their representation in the general population.

By Estelle Mintz

Lester was a sweet, friendly, funny, and sometimes silly and corny, regular guy from the Bronx. He was drafted into the army when he was only 18 years old and it was the first time he had ever traveled. That army time was the experience of his lifetime. He was eternally fascinated with everything World War II-related.

His unit (the 104th Infantry Division, or Timberwolves) liberated the Nordhausen concentration camp in Germany on April 12, 1945. He almost never spoke of it.

Jewish veterans of honor: Top doctor modeled U.S. medical care for nations devastated by war

Dr. Edward Diamond (left, pictured in Jerusalem 
in 1968), felt a strong connection to Israel. 

This is the third story in our series about the soldiers named on JNF's Wall of Honor, which pays tribute to Jewish military veterans worldwide. Today, on Veterans Day, we remember the late Dr. Edward Diamond, a leading American obstetrician and gynecologist with a strong connection to Israel. 

Dr. Edward Diamond, who served as a captain in the the U.S. Army and was discharged as a major, entered the army after the Korean War, when compulsory military service was on its way out. Some of his major achievements included perfecting microsurgical techniques in reproductive medicine and developing patented surgical tools and techniques still in use today.

Diamond, who served in the army from 1955-1958, chose to enlist both out of a conviction for serving his country and a desire to improve medical services for the army, particularly ob-gyn care for enlisted women or wives of enlisted men. Having recently finished his ob-gyn residency, he viewed serving as both a challenge and an opportunity to enlarge the scope of his medical experience.

Jewish veterans of honor: Rebbe's lawyer owes his life to pork chops

Jerome Shestack and his little sister Louise Dabrow.

This is the second in our series telling the stories behind the names on JNF's Wall of Honor at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem. Plaques on the wall pay tribute to Jewish military veterans worldwide who have served their countries.

Jerome Shestack, born in 1923, was a Philadelphia lawyer and human-rights activist. Shestack served in the United States Navy as a first lieutenant from 1943-1946.

"I could not have found a more appropriate place to honor him," his sister Louise Dabrow said of dedicating a plaque at the Wall of Honor at Ammunition Hill in Shestack’s memory. "He served his country and he would have been so proud to be remembered at Ammunition Hill, a place that pays tribute to all who fought for their countries."

Before he left to serve in the navy, Shestack, a grandson of rabbis, asked his own rabbi how he could keep kosher while at sea. The rabbi told him he had to eat whatever he was given to keep up his strength as he was serving his country. One day, while on the American aircraft carrier Ticonderoga, the mess hall served pork chops. Shestack couldn't bring himself to eat them, so he skipped the meal and stayed on the upper deck. The ship was bombed that day, and 75 officers who were in the mess hall died.

Jewish veterans of honor: Balloon sniper on the frozen tundra

Russell Robinson, CEO of Jewish National Fund, stands beside the plaque honoring his father Richard
at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem. 

At Ammunition Hill, site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Six Day War and today a historical preservation and memorial site, visitors will see a wall of plaques. It's Jewish National Fund's Wall of Honor, which pays tribute to the courage and heroism of Jewish soldiers worldwide who have fought in defense of their countries in numbers disproportionately high considering their representation in the general population. Throughout November, in honor of Veterans Day, we'll share stories of the soldiers honored on these plaques in Jerusalem. We start with Richard Robinson, father of JNF CEO Russell Robinson.


By Russell Robinson

My father, Richard Robinson, had a heart as big as the state of Texas, yet he was tough, worked hard all of his life, provided for his family, and gave generously of himself whenever he was needed or asked.

Richard Robinson with his wife, Ruth. 

My family traces its heritage back to one of the first Jewish settlers of Virginia, with military roots -- my great-grandfather fought in the Civil War and my grandfather, in World War I. When my father was young, the family moved to Canada to start a line of haberdashery stores, but my grandfather had always retained his American citizenship and once a year would bring his family back to the United States just so no one would ever question that they were American citizens.

When World War II broke, my father was attending McGill University in Montreal. He also happened to be playing professional football for the Montreal Aquenots! But witnessing the horrors of World War II, and hearing the stories of our Jewish people, he felt impassioned to defend democracy and join the army in some way. The United States was not entering the war at the time, but Canada was. So he enlisted and became a member of the Canadian Royal Air Force.

Israel's 9/11 memorial honors U.S. victims of terror, name by name

Photo: Alicia Yaffe 

By Gary Hill

Ever hear the expression "You can’t get there from here?" Due to construction of a new high-speed rail line from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, that's almost true as you try to find Jerusalem's Living Memorial dedicated to the victims of 9/11. Yes, a memorial in Israel for victims of terrorism who died in New York City, Washington, D.C., and a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. But once you find the memorial you understand why it is in Israel and how important it is to visit.

Israel has lost nearly 3,000 civilians to acts of terrorism -- each of their names is inscribed at the Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. The United States lost nearly 3,000 victims to acts of terror on September 11, 2001, and each of their names is inscribed at the 9/11 Living Memorial in Jerusalem's Azazim Valley, in the Ramot neighborhood. Only one place outside of the United States lists the names of all the victims of 9/11 -- the 9/11 Living Memorial in Israel. The the 9/11 victims were of all religions and ethnic groups and came from more than 50 nations, including five from Israel.

A window into a top-secret bullet factory – and the Israeli spirit of determination

Photo: Anne Taillandier

The Ayalon Institute Museum reconstructs the incredible story of the clandestine munitions factory near Rehovot where young workers manufactured more than 2 million bullets between 1945 and 1948. 

By Leslie Katz 

Usually you learn about history from books or see it unfold on the big screen. Occasionally, if you're very, very lucky, you meet history in person.

That's what happened last Thursday, when my travel companions in Israel and I met Shlomo Hillel, a 92-year-old Iraqi-born Israeli who played a remarkable and dramatic role in the establishment of Israel.

Hillel was among the young Hebrew scouts who worked at a clandestine underground Haganah munitions factory from 1945-1948. To do so, they climbed through a narrow hole in the ground, down a steep spiral staircase, to spend 10-hour days in a hot, air-choked machine shop shaping metal into bullets to be used in the fight for Jewish independence. The 45 factory workers produced more than 2 million 9-millimeter machine gun bullets overall, ammunition considered key to the early fight for statehood. 

A promenade to memorialize three teenage boys murdered by Hamas

To memorialize Gil-Ad Shaer, Naftali Fraenkel, and Eyal Yifrah -- three Israeli teenage boys who were kidnapped in the West Bank and murdered by Hamas terrorists last year -- and to enhance the quality of life in the area by making the Gush Etzion cluster of Jewish settlements safer and more secure, JNF is collaborating with the Gush Etzion Regional Council and the Gush Etzion Foundation to build a local promenade in memory of the boys who lost their lives. 

The three were awaiting a ride home from their yeshivas at a Gush Etzion bus stop when they were abducted in June of 2014, sparking the global campaign #BringBackOurBoys. People from many backgrounds and nations came together to call for the boys' release. Tragically, their bodies were discovered two weeks later.