By Shira Nussdorf
Heavy winds and driving rain
couldn't dampen spirits at the Tel Aviv Tu BiShvat wine and cheese tasting seder this past Sunday night. Hundreds of young Jews gathered at the JNFuture Israel event to learn traditional Tu BiShvat
customs using the latest technology.
"I came all the way from Jerusalem to
check out this scene,” said Ahuva Moses, a sociologist from New York City. "I've never seen anything like it."
Guests included students and new olim (immigrants),
JNFuture members, and a rabbi to lead the event. Rabbi Shlomo Chayen, with a
glass in one hand and an iPhone in the other, challenged the crowd to
participate in a Jewish-themed trivia game. Winners received a bottle of wine
from a Golan winery as participants learned blessings.
By Mayann Jaffe
Young leaders tend to be agents of change. Members of JNFuture are no different. They are a mix of high-impact Jewish young people living in the diaspora who are willing to commit their time, leadership, talents, and resources to strengthen Israel through the lens of Jewish National Fund.
But what happens when these same young leaders live in the Holy Land? You get the newest chapter of JNFuture -- a chapter on a mission not only to see how JNF transforms Israeli society and the land, but also living JNF.
"We are the kibbutz galuyot (gathering of Israel) that JNF talks about," says Natalie Solomon, director of the Am Yisrael Foundation. Her organization is JNF's newest Israeli partner. The foundation partnered with JNF in October 2015 and also serves as the umbrella for the Tel Aviv JNFuture chapter.
