Pablo Picasso was spot on when he noted that “The older you get the stronger the wind gets –and it’s always in your face.” Nature aside, as chief executive officer of a major non-profit I’m used to a lot of wind sent in my direction. But lately a different sort of gale has blown in. Various news reports in both Israel and the United States have reported on the Israeli government’s plans for greater oversight and greater annual funding for national projects from Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (KKL).
As a result, inaccurate news reports have suggested that KKL is the same as Jewish National Fund (JNF-USA). Such inference is incorrect. JNF-USA and KKL are two completely separate organizations.
While JNF-USA shares a similar mission and long history of working with KKL and other dedicated partners to better the land and people of Israel, we simply use KKL as a vendor for various services. JNF-USA has no part in KKL’s administration, board of directors, or its finances, including revenue received from land leases. Similarly, KKL has no role in ours.
JNF-USA maintains a board of directors completely independent of KKL. Our board sets policy, monitors donor revenue, and carefully manages donor-designated projects. As always, JNF-USA takes great care when selecting our partners and all of our projects are carefully reviewed and audited by JNF-USA board members.
All of the money contributed by JNF-USA’s donors is designated to specific projects and program areas in Israel and managed with strict accountability by professionals and lay leaders who conceive, develop, and monitor them from start to finish. Projects are overseen by JNF-USA’s board of directors, our Israeli Relations Committee, and JNF’s treasurer and assistant treasurer.
Our donors give generously to Israel to ensure its future, and during the last two years we have raised a record-breaking $225 million toward our $1 Billion Dollar Roadmap for the Next Decade campaign. JNF-USA is registered as a 501(c) 3 charity and under U.S. laws is regulated by the IRS and the individual state attorney’s general for tax purposes, transparency, and oversight.
We take great pride in our auditing and internal governance structure and the proper management of our donor contributions – and it shows. We have earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, meet all of the 20 non-profit requirements of the Better Business Bureau, and have achieved a top rating by the American Institute of Philanthropy.
Sadly, however, some have also used this occasion to kick JNF around and question the continued need for KKL. I can’t let that happen. I owe it to our heritage, ancestors, Zionism, the people of Israel, Jews everywhere, and our work today to speak up. I challenge critics to explore any corner of Israel without seeing the footprints of KKL and JNF-USA. They should then ask themselves: What would Israel look like, and what would life be like, without the achievements of KKL and JNF-USA?
And to those who would argue that time has blurred our purpose, I urge them to witness what our long history has created, and our mighty plans for the future: Since our founding, KKL and JNF-USA have greened Israel with millions of trees and built thousands of parks, communities and cities for generations of Israelis to call home. We’ve bolstered Israel’s precious water supply, helped develop innovative arid-agriculture techniques, and educated both young and old about the founding and importance of Israel on the world stage.
And this is only the beginning. Over the next decade, we hope to move 500,000 people to the Negev and 300,000 to the north and, in the process, generate new homes, businesses, medical centers, good jobs, and tourism.