The Certificate
Recently, I have been engaged in the bittersweet process of cleaning out the home I grew up in in St. Louis. The house is filled with decades, lifetimes, worth of photographs, art, correspondence and mementos. It is emotional, yet beautiful and ties directly to the work I am proud to perform with JNF-USA, and more specifically, with the work of JNF’s Israel Independence Experience Task Force.
We all have people that inspire us, heroes, who shape the trajectory of our lives. Personally, it has always been the heroic stories of my parents and grandparents. About two months ago, one item that Suzanne and I came across during this process was a JNF Golden Book certificate, purchased by my Schonfeld and Steinberg grandparents in May, 1961, celebrating the marriage of my parents, 65 years ago. The certificate is lovely. It is replete with references to Eretz Yisrael and illustrates the bonding of two parts of our Jewish heritage–as I am the son and grandson of Holocaust survivors on my father’s side and the descendant of an Israeli mother, born in Ra’anana (pre-state). Their stories and memories, conveyed to me over many years continue to inspire me and, from a young age, imbued me with the Midah, Jewish value, of Ahavat Yisrael, Love of Israel.
According to the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, history and memory are distinguishable. History is something that happened to someone else and–while it may be important–it is often cool and analytical. Memories beyond one’s own, national memories, may be obtained through repeated experiences and by ritual–and it can, in many cases, carry an emotional component–in the way in which the Exodus is re-lived annually at the Passover Seder. For me, it all started with my first trip to Israel, in the spring of 1968. My sense of Ahavat Yisrael has only deepened over the course of many visits over the ensuing 58 years (and through many years of involvement in Jewish communal life).
Tzionut (Zionism) was a part of the atmosphere as we grew up. It was simply a part of the background of our everyday lives. One lighthearted example: We thought about Israel almost every day because our home phone number in St. Louis—randomly assigned in 1972—was xxx-1948. And, Tzionut is an integral part of the life Suzanne and I built in with our sons in Potomac, Maryland.
Over time, I also came to understand and appreciate that, as a people, we are the bearers of an ancient, rich and beautiful Hebrew language, renewed over the last century, with an uplifting vocabulary related to Eretz Yisrael. We refer to ourselves as part of Am Yisrael, the people of Israel, to the land of Israel as Eretz Yisrael and the State of Israel as Medinat Yisrael.
You might ask, why is he telling us all of this? Quite simply, the answer is that, to me, this topic, the heritage and legacy of Am Yisrael is deeply important and personal. JNF’s work–now in its 125th year–is remarkably personal too, and it is vital and it is inspiring.
Like many of you reading this post, I too grew up seeing JNF tree certificates, JNF maps of Israel and JNF blue boxes, all related to JNF’s work to reforest Eretz Yisrael. That said, JNF’s work now goes far beyond planting trees and it now enhances daily life for Israel and Israelis–on many levels–as part of its Circle of Impact Strategy.
And nowhere are the rich Hebrew words, referenced above, more appropriate and worthwhile than in describing JNF’s broad portfolio, imbued with a deep sense of Ahavat Yisrael.
One important facet of JNF’s work relates to telling and retelling the stories of our people. Through the efforts of the Israel Independence Experience Task Force and its affiliate, The Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites (SPIHS), JNF maintains venues where Israeli/Jewish memories are preserved and new ones are created, thereby conveying those memories to succeeding generations. There are many historic sites—too many for this piece—that provide tangible experiences regarding the modern history of our homeland and connect to our evocative vocabulary:
Eretz Yisrael:
Places like Naharayim at Gesher, Dubrovin Farm and the Minkoff Citrus Orchard Museum are just a few of the many sites throughout Israel that document the lives of the Chalutzim, the early pioneers, and the industries–agricultural and otherwise–that they established over the last 150 years. Visitors experience their successes and their challenges and grasp the importance of the Chalutzim’s efforts in rebuilding Eretz Yisrael. These sites have special significance for me because my grandparents made Aliyah somewhere in 1929-30 to fulfill their dream and work the land.
Medinat Yisrael:
Atlit Detention Center, Ayalon Institute and Ammunition Hill
These three sites-all supported by JNF-provide exceptional experiential educational opportunities regarding the fight to open the gates of Israel to Jews fleeing persecution during and after the Shoah, the impact of the despicable British White Paper and the determination to fight for our people’s survival and freedom—sometimes at great sacrifice. Experiencing, in some way, the daunting and inspiring battles necessary for the establishment and survival of Medinat Yisrael—is thought provoking and uplifting.
Am Yisrael:
We often say, Kol Yisrael Aravim Zeh B’zeh, all of Israel is responsible for one another. Many of these sites (and those of many of JNF’s other affiliates) have opened their doors to support or deliver programs to support families and children impacted by the last two and a half years of conflict. Recently, staff from SPIHS have been visiting communities throughout the north of Israel, providing essential programing that provides a reprieve for children and families that continue to be trapped inside bomb shelters due to ongoing missile and drone attacks from Hezbollah terrorists. In this moment, this work, assisting our people, is holy in the truest sense of the word—and is also a fundamental part of Am Yisrael’s legacy of community support.
In addition, thousands of people visit these sites every year and participate in their programs—and as a result-–they create opportunities for tourism and economic development in areas around these sites. This is another part of JNF’s Circle of Impact strategy, providing support to projects that have a positive, rippling effect. A recent press release noted that 40,000 people visited these places across Israel just recently, on Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day).
It is worth noting that the spirit of JNF’s work is also captured in a word unique to Israel and coined by Ben Gurion decades ago–Mamlachtiut. I remember learning it at Camp Massad, the summer camp I attended decades ago. It is not easily translatable but, in essence, Mamlachtiut refers to conduct in support of the unity of Am Yisrael, a sense of patriotism, combined with an understanding that one is a part of something larger than oneself. These are also precepts of Judaism and peoplehood—that we are part of the long, golden chain of Am Yisrael.
What JNF has been doing for 125 years is the essence of Tzionut, and Ahavat Yisrael mixed in with Mamlachtiut. That commitment has been unwavering. The legacy we support through donations to JNF preserves these places and contributes to the wellbeing of Israel on many levels. Conveying that spirit to succeeding generations is essential. Creating memories and using a vocabulary to inspire those future generations is critical for Israeli Jews and those who live outside of Israel; it will instill pride and passion in our heritage. By experiencing these places, it is our expectation that visitors will do more than understand Israeli history, Jewish/Israeli heritage and Tzionut and the fight and to build, establish and defend Medinat Yisrael. It is our hope that these concepts and experiences will become a part of their memories too.
To conclude, we shared the JNF Golden Book Certificate we found with Russell Robinsion, JNF’s CEO, and he indicated that these books still exist and are kept in Jerusalem—as JNF honors its commitment to keep these records of Am Yisrael in perpetuity. He and his team at JNF kindly located and shared the inscription related to my parents’ wedding. And yes, Hashem (or the universe) works in mysterious ways—as Russell’s email forwarding a photograph of that inscription arrived, while I was back in St. Louis, sitting at my mother’s and father’s desks, cleaning out paperwork related to their lives (and amongst those papers were quite a few JNF Tree certificates sent to mark various family milestones). It was an emotional moment.
The legacy of JNF’s endeavors is extraordinary and powerful—as is our family’s connection to it. It is our hope that this legacy will continue to be passed forward by our family and our people, dor l’dor, from generation to generation, adding new links to the golden chain (or chapters to the golden book), of Am Yisrael–all the while strengthening Eretz Yisrael and Medinat Yisrael.
