Jewish National Fund: William Shatner and JNF to Hold Press Conference in Jerusalem

Note to Press: For security reasons, you must RSVP to the press conference.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact in NY: Jodi Bodner

JNF Director of Communications

212-879-9305 ext. 221

jbodner@jnf.org

Local Contact: Susan Horwitz

JNF Israel Representative

972-54-783-6391

haari@netvision.net.il

William Shatner and JNF to Hold Press Conference in Jerusalem

on New Partnership

Beneficiaries of Therapeutic Riding to Speak

May 23, 2006 -- At a press conference on Monday, May 29 at 8 a.m., at The King David Hotel in Jerusalem, Hollywood star William Shatner will officially launch the William Shatner/Jewish National Fund Therapeutic Riding Consortium Endowment for Israel. He will discuss this new project and why he has chosen to take it on.

Also present will be directors of some of Israel’s therapeutic riding centers who will speak about the centers’ importance, and a 26-year-old rider with Cerebral Palsy who will talk about how it’s improved her life.

“JNF and I have mutual ambitions in supporting Israel and her people,” said Shatner. “It’s my homeland.”

Shatner is no newcomer to the benefits of therapeutic riding; for nearly two decades he has supported it in the U.S. Now, he is looking to advance it internationally and “by helping one child, one person at a time,” to foster better relations between different nations in the region.

“Good will is in short supply,” he said, “and we have to build it. And that requires money.”

Long involved with a few of the therapeutic riding centers that are in Israel, JNF of America together with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, wanted to do more than just fund one or two centers. The William Shatner/Jewish National Fund Therapeutic Riding Consortium Endowment for Israel will fund the many therapeutic riding programs that exist throughout the country. The goal is to raise $10 million to support these unique programs and provide scholarships so that no one who would benefit from a therapeutic riding center is denied that opportunity because of the cost.

Through the endowment, funds will be raised for riding centers in Israel and scholarships provided for children of all religious and ethnic backgrounds and from all walks of life. It is an ideal way to facilitate cooperation between Israelis of all backgrounds, Jordanians and Palestinians. The endowment will be overseen by a board of trustees who will evaluate expenditures and provide hands-on guidance for the programs.

“An ambassador for good causes can bring about good results," said Russell F. Robinson, JNF of America's Chief Executive Officer. "William Shatner is just the person to achieve those results for this consortium. We are proud and honored to launch this relationship with him on behalf of the people and the land of Israel.”

The press conference will be held during Elizabeth and William Shatner’s weeklong tour of the country taken to assess the needs of the therapeutic riding centers as he takes on the role of celebrity spokesperson.

Shatner is the third celebrity to take on a Jewish National Fund cause. Actor Hal Linden is the national spokesperson for JNF, and world-renowned violinist and conductor Itzhak Perlman speaks on behalf of JNF's Inclusive Parks Project, a JNF-KKL campaign to make all the parks in Israel accessible to people with and without disabilities.

Photo credit: WilliamShatner.com The photo is available as a high-res jpeg.

To learn more about Therapeutic Riding Consortium Endowment for Israel, click here.

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Jewish National Fund is a non-profit organization founded in 1901 to serve as caretaker of the land of Israel, on behalf of its owners—Jewish people everywhere. Over the past century, JNF has planted over 240 million trees, built over 180 reservoirs and dams, developed over 250,000 acres of land, created more than 1,000 parks, provided the infrastructure for 1,000 communities and educated students around the world about Israel and the environment. Today, JNF is putting its century of experience to work with the Blueprint Negev initiative, supporting Israel’s newest generation of pioneers in developing the Negev Desert, Israel’s last frontier. For more information on JNF or to plant trees in Israel, call 1-800-542-TREE (8733) or visit www.jnf.org. To contact your local office, please call 888-JNF-0099 or visit www.jnf.org.