Guests at KKL’s annual Rosh Hashanah event, were captivated by Colonel Richard Kemp CBE’s account of his steadfast defence of Israel and the IDF in the presence of the UN Human Rights Council. He recounted the many years he has devoted to strengthening the standing of Israel and its military operations throughout the world. Colonel Kemp is a Fellow of the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs and a founding member of the Friends of Israel Initiative.
KKL, JNF UK’s Legacy Department, hosted 110 members of the community at a Rosh Hashanah Tea to celebrate Israel’s achievements and to profile the vital work of JNF UK in supporting peripheral towns in the Negev desert region.
Carolyn Addleman, Director of Legacies, welcomed the large gathering on a beautiful late summer’s day, highlighting some of Israel’s great success stories, particularly poignant, as this year marks the 75th anniversary of Israel’s independence and 75 years since KKL Legacy Department was established. She mentioned that in 2022 Israel’s economy was ranked as 4th in the developed world by The Economist, in no small part due to its high-tech capability, medical and agricultural research.
Colonel Kemp has spent time in Gaza, travelled Israel extensively and has been involved in conflicts in Bosnia, Afghanistan and more recently in Ukraine. He said “I have personally visited the JNF projects and came away inspired that JNF UK is at the forefront of fulfilling David Ben Gurion‘s dream in helping to populate the Negev. I commend each and every one of you who is partnering in JNF UK‘s work”.
Through their close ties with JNF UK, those in attendance were able to mark the occasion, by helping celebrate their own part in strengthening Israel’s future in developing some of Israel’s most neglected neighbourhoods. Elan Gorji CEO of JNF UK gave a short address saying “the wide-ranging projects that JNF UK is supporting in the Negev region is making an immeasurable difference to families living in underdeveloped and underfunded communities in desert towns. From kindergartens, secondary education, healthcare, and employment opportunities, our concentrated approach truly changes lives”. The afternoon ended with a short film about JNF UK’s ongoing projects in Israel, the services offered to the community by the KKL Legacy Department and an appropriate and hearty rendition of the Hatikvah.
