The Keren Kayemet L’Israel / Jewish National Fund organization – known for its decades-long dedication to re-establishing the ancestral Jewish homeland in modern Israel by planting more than 250 million trees in the once-barren desert – has sent a letter of support and solidarity to the leaders of the Conservative movement of Judaism following clashes between extremist religious worshipers and non-Orthodox Jews at the Western Wall.
In his letter, KKL-JNF World Chairman Daniel Atar condemned the clashes and said a “zero tolerance policy for violence should be enacted.”
Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog likewise has called on Israel Police to investigate the harassment and threats by extremist elements against less observant Jews at the Western Wall.
“We at KKL-JNF will act with all means at our disposal and will do everything in our power to prevent the recurrence of violent incidents of any kind,” Atar said.
“I have directed the KKL-JNF legal department to bring your concerns forward to law-enforcement bodies in the state of Israel, in order to ensure that matters such as these do not happen again.
“KKL-JNF stands beside and champions the protection of Jews around the world. This is based on the belief that we must unite our forces, come together and stand firm against those who seek to harm us.
“For thousands of years, the Jewish people have known the importance of unity and the heavy price of hatred and division. Therefore, I support the equal treatment of all Jews by Israeli establishments and the State of Israel, and tolerant discourse that accepts all streams of Judaism. No one has a monopoly on Judaism.”
