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Keren Kayemeth Leisrael (Jewish
National Fund) was established on
December 29, 1901 at the 5th Zionist
Congress in Basel, Switzerland. It was set up
as a national fund - by the people for the
people - for the redemption of the Land of
Israel and to enable Jews to resettle in their
homeland. Since its foundation and until today
it has been the spearhead of the Zionist
movement in its activities in the Land of Israel.
The settlements that were established on KKL - JNF land, afforestation projects and development of the land which was purchased and redeemed over the years determined, to a great extent, the borders of the State of Israel that was established on May 14, 1948.
KKL-JNF is the trustee of the Jewish
people for its land in Israel. In its first
100 years: 1000 settlements were set up on the fund's land and with its aid, 2.6 million dunams (dunam = 1000 sq.meters) were purchased on behalf of the Jewish people for the people; 1.5 million dunams were developed and reclaimed; 220 million trees were planted over 950,000 dunams (240,000 acres); 115 water reservoirs were built with a storage capacity of some 100 million cubic meters.
KKL-JNF played a major role in combating the desertification process and supporting research and development in agriculture and afforestation.
KKL-JNF blazed 7000 km of roads and set up rest-areas and parks all over Israel.
KKL-JNF helped strengthen the ties with the Jewish people in the Diaspora and foster Zionist education amongst Jewish youth.
The stamp expresses KKL-JNF current
activities that are represented by three
colors: Brown, Green and Blue:
- BROWN - preserving, reclaiming and developing the land of Israel.
- GREEN - combating desertification, restoration of riverbeds, planting forests and developing parks and recreation sites, which create environmental quality for the inhabitants of Israel.
- BLUE - assisting in ways to increase the water supply in Israel.
KKL-JNF has set out a number of goals for the first decade of the 21st Century:
- continue to plant new forests, develop and cultivate the old forests and make them suitable for recreation and leisure time activities;
- continue to roll back the desert;
- expand activities to increase water supply in Israel by building another 100 reservoirs, in addition to those that already have been established over the years;
- intensify activities, including laying down of infrastructure and dealing with environmental issues, in development towns in the Galilee and the Negev;
- expand educational projects for Jewish youth in Israel and overseas.
All this whilst preserving the national land as a trustee of the Jewish people.
Keren Kayemeth Leisrael, Jewish National Fund
