Federation Star - January 2018

18A Federation Star January 2018
Our generation has a job to do
Rick Krosnick gives an inspiring presentation at JNF breakfast event in Naples.
By Goldie Wetcher
Rick Krosnick was the featured
speaker at a breakfast sponsored
by Jewish National Fund held at
Temple Shalom on November 30. Mr.
Krosnick, JNF’s Chief Development
Officer, gave an inspiring presentation
about the job we, the Jewish people,
have before us to support Israel and our
future generations.
Rick, age 51, said that he did not
live through the Holocaust, the years
that followed with the founding of the
Jewish state, and the early struggles
Goldie Wetcher, JNF Sarasota Board of Directors member
to build that state. He recognized that
earlier generations felt that they were
insuring the survival of Jewish life by
helping to contribute money to the Jewish
nation. That was my era and I have
vivid memories of those early years. My
family sat by our radio, tears streaming
as we heard the broadcast from the UN
recognizing Israel. We felt the exhilaration
of creation, of being a pioneer, and
also of fearing a catastrophe for the
fledging state through its multiple wars.
As a child, I collected money in the
memorable Jewish National Fund Blue
Box, but my sister fell in love with the
romance of being a halutznik and went
off to live on a kibbutz near Be’er Sheva.
Rick described that presently, when
his teenage sons visit Israel, they enjoy
the Tel Aviv beaches and nightlife
of a prospering country.
Many of us have read or know
the story of Start-up Nation, and
marvel at the advances in technology,
science and even “Wonder
Woman” developed in Israel.
We feel pride in the young men
and women of the IDF and are
reassured by Israel’s advanced
weaponry. These achievements
in many cases are shared across
borders to benefit all of humanity.
So with all of this progress,
what is there left to do and why does the
Jewish community across the world still
need to support Israel?
JNF still has this important program
of collecting money to buy trees, although
the color of the box has changed
to a more colorful version. Today, JNF
also has a “One Billion Dollar Roadmap
for the Next Decade” with the singular
mission to spread the population in
Israel, now numbering about half of the
15 million Jews in the world. Currently,
that population is clustered in urban areas
which are crowded and expensive.
A large percentage of the population
cannot afford housing in these areas.
JNF facilitates building communities
in less populated areas.
Traveling in Israel
last year I saw a new
Be’er Sheva, the gateway
city to the Negev
where JNF initiative and
financial support had
created David Ben-Gurion’s
dream of a flowering
of the Negev. The
garbage-filled wadi that
once bisected the city
it is being transformed
into the second largest
lake in Israel using recycled water. I saw
biking and hiking trails, community facilities
and high-rise housing all around
the lake. Hadassah had also created a
forest preserve nearby. By moving away
from the major urban areas, families and
individuals can afford a better life style.
I am astounded that the coins in that
little Jewish National Fund Blue Box
planted the seeds for a whole crop of
JNF projects. For instance, there is the
Forestry and Green Innovations project
which supports innovation in ecological
development and is a pioneer in forest
creation. JNF has planted more than
260 million trees in Israel, providing
luscious belts of green covering more
than 250,000 acres. It has been at the
forefront of water management and
Rabbi Sack of Temple Judea of Fort Myers and
Rabbi Chorny of Beth Tikvah of Naples at the breakfast
conservation in Israel for two decades,
increasing the water supply by 12% and
helping Israel become a world leader
in water recycling. JNF’s research and
development projects have made it a
Joel & Susan Pittelman, JNF Chief Development Officer Rick Krosnick,
JNF board members Estelle & Stuart Price
world leader in both technological and
environmental innovation for over a
hundred years. It is the single largest
provider of Zionist engagement programs
in the U.S. and offers a myriad
of ways to connect young American
Jews to Israel.
One part of this initiative is the
Alexander Muss High School in Israel
(AMHSI-JNF). As a proud Grandmother
with two grandchildren who attended
AMHSI-JNF, and four more grandchildren
awaiting their turn, I am dedicated
as a national board member to support
this program which means so much to
our family. When my grandchildren
attended school in Israel, they not only
learned about Israel’s history, but thanks
to JNF’s preservation of historical sites
associated with Israel’s rebirth, they
visited them and actually experienced
history. Do you think they will ever
forget the meaning of Israel in the lives
of the Jewish people? Do you think that
your children and grandchildren would
benefit from a similar experience?
There is so much to JNF’s work
for Israel as a shining example of Jewish
values. For instance, there are the
Disabilities and Special Needs projects
which ensure that no member of Israeli
society is left behind through providing
cutting-edge rehabilitation services,
special education and medical care for
people with special needs. I had tears
in my eyes when I saw their equestrian
program for special-needs kids and
heard the lovely young girl with cerebral
palsy speak so glowingly about her confidence.
I thought about my aunt who
had cerebral palsy and suffered so much
humiliation and diminished opportunity.
She and our family would have been
enriched by a program such as this. It
would have lifted all of our spirits.
There will be other JNF breakfasts
and hopefully even more involvement
by the Naples community. Several
people added to the success of this
program. Naples Co-Board President
David Braverman offered a welcome
and introductions. Rabbi Marc Sack
led the Hatikvah and National Anthem,
and Rabbi Ammos Chorny led the Motzi
and explained the Jewish tradition for
giving thanks after the meal. Skylar
Haas, Associate Regional Director of
BBYO’s North Florida Region (which
includes the Naples BBYO chapter),
talked about her memorable experience
as a student at AMHSI-JNF and what
attending school in Israel was like for
her (see sidebar).
I think that we all left satiated by
a delicious breakfast and uplifted by
feelings of confidence that we continue
to have a duty helping JNF’s work to
benefit Israel. But it does not stop there
because these projects benefit all of
humanity. Our duty is to continue to
build community, because regardless
of our religious or political choices, we
all sit at the table on behalf of Israel, the
beacon of Judaism.
Temple Shalom
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Skylar Haas’ remarks
at the JNF Breakfast
St
By N
Good morning everyone. I am Edit
Skylar Haas and I work in Na-foples as the BBYO professional. ish p
t
I want to share my impactful experi-witence
with Jewish National Fund at the also
Alexander Muss High School in Israel
leadership program this past summer.
What I had the opportunity to witness
this past summer was like nothing
I have ever seen. It brings a whole new
meaning to experiential learning. One
day we are in the classroom discussing
the destruction of the Temple, and the
next we are standing in its ruins.
I have the pleasure of working
with teens on a daily basis in my line
of work, and boy do I love to see that
light bulb go off – the light bulb we all
hope as Jewish educators goes off one
day for the teens. It’s the light bulb of
connection. The connection to our faith,
to our culture and its people. But most
importantly, the connection to our history.
When teens go to HSI, their light
bulbs are constantly lighting up because
what they are doing is literally connecting
to the land of Israel, in a way that
they cannot do in a classroom. Yes,
there is classroom learning, but the bulk
of where the teens are building their
memories and finding their connections
is out on the land.
You are staring at a by-product of
Birthright Israel success. I am sure you
all know about the Birthright Israel
program. When I went as a 19-yearold
freshman in college, my light bulb
went off more times than I could count.
I grew up in a mixed-religion home
and did not fully have the opportunity
to embrace my Judaism. On Birthright,
I was thrown into the Jewish state. It
was incredible. It made me want to
know everything, and more about what
it meant to be Jewish.
If I would have been exposed to
the opportunity earlier in my life and
traveled to Israel during high school –
and not only learn about Israel but live
in Israel – I would have started every
fundraiser I could, and filled out every
scholarship application because what
HSI is doing is cool and it’s important.
I had such an amazing time traveling
to Israel through the program this
past summer, meeting the staff and seeing
the campus. The best part was being
immersed with the teens and hearing
about their experiences. I made connections
that I will now have forever. And
I am proud to be here today to talk on
their behalf.
BROWNSTEIN JUDAICA
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