Jewish National Fund opens office in Ukraine

The opening ceremony of the Ukrainian office of the world's oldest Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) took place in Kyiv on Wednesday, October 6, Vice Chairman of the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) Hernan Felman has said in a statement obtained by Ukrinform.

The event was attended by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, the KKL-JNF vice chairman and the leaders of the Jewish communities around the world.

"After about 100 years, KKL-JNF's Ukraine office is back to work with great pride. It is very important for us to take these first steps in Ukraine," Felman said.

According to him, KKL-JNF has recently responded to a request from the Ukrainian government for cooperation, knowledge transfer, and technology for the establishment of forests and the planting of billions of trees throughout Ukraine, as part of a government program to address the climate crisis. Felman called this a historic moment, symbolizing the success of the dream and the friendship that exists between the countries.

He added that the opening of the KKL-JNF office in Ukraine will strengthen relations between the two countries.

Isaac, in turn, thanked all those involved in the establishment of the Ukrainian branch of the Jewish National Fund.

"The well-being of the Jewish community, every Jewish community, is closely linked to the well-being of the State of Israel. Thank you to those who do for the community, who deal with public needs and may God bless you with success," the Israeli president said at the fund's opening ceremony.

Moreover, at another ceremony held today at the Babyn Yar Memorial Site, KKL-JNF commemorated a memorial boulevard and, in cooperation with the Ukrainian government, planted 80 trees to mark the 80th anniversary of the horrific massacre.

KKL-JNF, as the largest green organization in Israel, has over the years accumulated considerable experience in long-term forest planning to create long-lasting forests.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in June this year announced the launch of the Green Country environmental project aimed at increasing forest areas in Ukraine by one million hectares in ten years and plant one billion trees in the country in the next three years.

The Government of Israel and KKL-JNF have reaffirmed their readiness to help implement this initiative. In addition, KKL-JNF will actively develop its activities in Ukraine in order to strengthen friendly ties between the two countries.

Isaac is on a state visit to Ukraine on October 5-6, 2021 at Zelensky's invitation.

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