My life-changing journey to JNF's women's leadership circle

Author Civia Caroline has been involved 
with JNF since 2014.

By Civia Caroline

My Jewish National Fund story began with a sheet of paper and a pen. It was 2014, and my first time participating on the JNFuture Leadership Institute Mission, an educational retreat in Israel to learn about JNF's work. JNF CEO Russell Robinson asked us to draw "our story." I had been involved with Jewish National Fund on a local level in Los Angeles, but it was the first time I had to ask myself, "Why am I here? Why is this important to me?"

The answer came to me quickly. I grew up with the strong values of tikkun olam and Zionism instilled in me by my parents, and Israel was always part of my DNA. I was raised in an observant household, Israel is where we pray toward, it’s the Promised Land, and it’s also where my extended family lives. It was never something I had to think hard about or work hard for.

As I started to forge my own path and a career in the music industry, I found myself surrounded by people from very different backgrounds. Most in my social and work circles were either not Jewish or completely disconnected. I felt something was missing, so I began to really search for it.

Meeting real-life heroes on the Queen of Sheba mission to Israel

Myra (left) and JNF First Lady Lauren Lizerbram on the mission.

By Myra Chack Fleischer

It was a beautiful sunny morning in Jerusalem as 36 participants of the Queen of Sheba Mission of the Women for Israel Campaign departed our hotel on Veterans Day headed for the 9/11 Memorial. It's the only memorial for the worst terrorist attack on US soil outside of the United States. We knew it would be an emotional morning, but we were not prepared for how much so.

When we arrived, another group was there. It was Heroes to Heroes, an organization that provides healing and support for American veterans who have PTSD or are on a path to self-destruction due to their service in countries such as Iraq and/or Afghanistan. With funding help from Jewish National Fund, the Heroes to Heroes program embraces them, brings them to Israel and helps them on a road to healing the moral injury suffered.

Mother's Day thoughts from Jewish National Fund leader Nina Paul

Nina's mother, Shirley

By Nina Paul, president, Jewish National Fund Women for Israel  

As Mother's Day approaches, I thought I would share some thoughts about my mother Shirley (z"l) and my daughter Lainey, both of whom are my role models. 

My mother, at the age of 28, (an old maid at that time) ventured out on her own to Los Angeles from New Haven, Conn., by train. Scary as it must have been to travel on her own, she carried on with her dream vacation as her girlfriend decided to stay behind for a man she had recently met. As fate would have it, she met my father, and three months later they were married and she moved to Los Angeles.

Leaving a family far behind and starting her own family was not common in those days. My parents had a wonderful 46-year marriage. Unfortunately, my father Ted (z"l), predeceased my mother by 20 years. During their love affair, they raised a family, and worked side by side in creating a very successful business. They endured many hardships along the way, including raising a child who was brain damaged at birth. My brother Louis is the middle child and I am the "baby." Despite her many challenges, she volunteered at her synagogue and with many Jewish organizations throughout her lifetime.

Women's History Month: Working to have it all in Israel's Negev desert

Menucha Saitowitz, partnerships coordinator at Eretz-Ir.

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 $1 million during this time. Learn more: jnf.org/women

For cities in Israel's Negev to prosper and grow, young adults and families must see cities there as viable, desirable places to live, with ample opportunities for employment, high quality of life, and upward mobility. Jewish National Fund works with local residents to propel education and economic change from the bottom up, motivating new populations to settle in cities that now offer opportunities that match the crowded Tel Aviv-Haifa-Jerusalem corridor. Eretz-Ir is a local organization that helps us achieve these goals.  

By Menucha Saitowitz

As Eretz-Ir’s English-language grant writer, I regularly sit down with our entrepreneurs and social-change leaders to hear about what's going on in the field. A few months ago, I was catching up with Ilana Kwartin, director of entrepreneurship for Eretz-Ir, who had just celebrated the opening of "SifriHub," a shared work-space for residents of her small community called Eliav. The launch featured a panel of local business owners about entrepreneurship in the region. 

Women's History Month: My task force to transform Israel's north

Gina, second from right, on last summer's Kiryat Shmona & Upper Eastern Galilee Task Force Mission.

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 $1 million during this time. Learn more: jnf.org/women

By Gina Raphael

My story with Jewish National Fund's Kiryat Shmona & Upper Eastern Galilee Task Force displays JNF at its finest. During the summer of 2016, I was at the Knesset with my good friend Nadav Douani, who is chief of staff for Science Minister Ofir Akunis. Nadav asked if I would like to visit the Knesset members' dining room and meet politician and former Israel ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren. It was truly special to meet him, and when Nadav told him I was very involved with JNF, Michael Oren said, "Please remind Russell Robinson (JNF CEO) of all the work we need to do in Metulla." 

So, I called Russell from Jerusalem and he said we have much to do for our Go North initiative and we are going to put you on our Upper Eastern Galilee Task Force with Dr. Melinda Wolf.

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. 

Women's History Month: JNF Staff Spotlight on activist Molly Goldberg

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

By Molly Goldberg, JNF campaign executive, Ohio Valley

Growing up in Detroit, I was surrounded by a large Jewish community. Three days a week my dad would load my brother and I in his truck, put Meatloaf or Rod Stewart on the stereo, and drive us to Hebrew school. It was in Hebrew school where I began to learn the importance of community and gained my social justice lens on the world. 

I felt a strong sense of injustice growing up as I learned more and more about the history of the Jewish people. Temple taught me the values of taking care of others, being kind, and doing good deeds, which manifested itself in different ways throughout my life: from going door to door as a 10-year-old with a petition demanding the ice cream truck be allowed to come to my neighborhood, to college, when I learned about the unfairness of the death penalty and began my work as a human rights activist.

Women's History Month: Israel trip teaches student to think for herself

The Caravan for Democracy Student Leadership Mission is a 10-day, fully subsidized trip to Israel for non-Jewish student leaders who've never been. The unique educational program, which took place this year from Dec. 27 - Jan. 7, lets participants explore Israel by meeting with political, cultural, and community leaders from diverse backgrounds and faiths. Here, a reflection on this year's CFD trip by a University of Pennsylvania student.

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

By Michelle Lyu

I'm a third-year undergraduate student studying statistics. I've never taken an international relations course, barely know what qualifies as political science, and have interacted with Islam, Christianity, and Judaism only superficially.

None of this precludes a profound understanding of the Israel-Palestine conflict, but I'd had little contact with the issue beyond the superficial before coming to Israel. Without the foundation of these guiding frameworks, I struggled to even begin formulating a cogent opinion on the conflict before going on Caravan for Democracy. Because of my limited comprehension that began with news headlines and ended at conversations at the dinner table with my housemates, I felt pressured to espouse the views my closest friends held with conviction.

JNF Women: 'JNF more than the tzedakah box,' says Lila Chertman

The author, center, on the JNFuture Volunteer Vacation trip. 

By Lila Chertman

I have a deep sense of gratitude to my parents for inculcating my brothers and I with a love for Judaism and Israel. They worked very hard to afford sending us to Jewish day school, camps, trips, you name it, to make sure we not only knew about the history of our people but felt it tug at our heartstrings in all aspects of our lives. By college I was getting involved with political advocacy on behalf of the US-Israel relationship, and throughout medical school and residency I carved out time to stay involved, whether by working as a cantorial soloist leading religious services, learning from inspirational Jewish leaders by reading their books, attending conferences, or bringing my favorites to teach my friends and colleagues at lunch-and-learns I organized. But traveling to Israel on different programs was always the highlight because it made everything tangible, and left me with a taste of wanting more.

JNF Women: For Maia Aron, a 'beshert' connection to JNF

By Maia Aron

JNF, like many things in my life, was beshert. Before I tell you about why JNF is so important to me, let me tell you a bit about myself. I was born in Paraguay. Half my family is in Israel, and the other half in Paraguay. Both sides escaped Europe in the late 1800s and early 1900s and found refuge in South America. I am a commercial litigator at a firm called Kozyak Tropin in Miami, Florida. I am married to Alex, the love of my life.

Two years ago, JNF Miami board president Ron Kriss invited me to a JNF event. I went and loved what I saw, but didn’t see young professionals there. So I decided to get involved and do my part to help JNF and Israel. I wanted to add my voice, with JNF’s help and Ron’s leadership. I told Ron I would get JNFuture Miami restarted. So exactly two years ago, I got a small board together and became president of my JNFuture chapter, and we haven’t stopped since. Our JNFuture chapter is strong and we are continuing to grow. We are a pioneer chapter!