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Contact: Sarit Schonbrun
JNF Communications Manager
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Thousands Support JNF-KKL's Battle to Preserve Open Spaces in Jerusalem

October 26, 2006 -- New York, NY -- This Sukkot, thousands of Israelis turned out for festivities organized by Jewish National Fund-Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (JNF-KKL) in Mount Heret Forest, the very area whose fate hangs in the balance under the Safdie Plan for the western expansion of Jerusalem.

JNF-KKL has been at the forefront of the opposition to the hotly contested development plan, which has drawn criticism from green organizations, social activists, scientists, and politicians. Mount Heret Forest was chosen as the site for the traditional Sukkot olive harvest to educate the public about the building plans and show them just what is at stake in one of the largest and most controversial development initiatives Israel has ever seen.

If passed, the Safdie Plan, which has been on the drawing board for nearly the last decade, will transform 26,000 dunams (approximately 6,500 acres) of woodlands, forests, and nature reserves in the mountains west of Jerusalem into 20,000 housing units and almost 500,000 square meters of industrial and commercial space, permanently altering the city's historic vistas.

"On the ideological side, the battle to stop the Safdie Plan is a battle over the future heart of the Jewish state, and from the practical perspective of urban planning, it really is a no-brainer," said Professor Alon Tal of Ben Gurion University's Department of Desert Ecology, who sits on JNF-KKL's international board. "Basically what's at stake here is future generations' right to enjoy inspiration from the landscape of the Judean hills that fired the imagination of prophets and pilgrims for millennia. As Israel's center becomes more densely populated, it is critical to draw lines and designate which lands constitute ‘ecological hotspots'; priority landscapes deserve preservation. The Safdie Plan cuts through such areas relying on an unforgivably presumptuous and insensitive planning paradigm which Zionism has long since rejected.

"What adds to this is the embarrassingly decrepit condition of downtown Jerusalem, which is rapidly becoming a slum as the city sprawls outward," he said. "Surely we should be encouraging an investment in the city center rather than expanding the municipal borders yet again."

After the olive harvest, JNF-KKL dedicated six new hiking trails in Mount Heret Forest. Ilan Be'eri, head of JNF-KKL's Central Region, spoke about the importance of preserving open spaces at the ceremony.

"One of JNF-KKL's goals is to give people a sense that the open spaces around their towns, cities, and villages are part of their homes," he said. "We want to create a direct contact between people and greenery."

Knesset Member Matan Vilnai, a well-known nature lover whose father, Ze'ev Vilnai, was a pioneer in the study of Israel's environment, also addressed the crowd. "This is the scenery I remember from my youth when I would hike here with my father," he said. "Anyone who wants to build on this mountain range is simply destroying Jerusalem. Only people with means can move to new houses here, so the city itself will be left with an economically challenged population but no open spaces. This is biblical landscape, and we must preserve it—not for old codgers like myself, but for our young people."

Arye Shemam, deputy head of the Mevasseret Local Council, thanked JNF-KKL for its commitment to keeping the Judean mountains green. "Cooperation between JNF-KKL and the local council made those trails possible," he said. "The trails symbolize our connection to the mountains and to nature. I hope that the authorities will eventually understand that there is a vital symbiosis between people in towns and their natural surroundings."

A final decision on the Safdie Plan was recently postponed for two months at a meeting of the National Planning and Building Committee of the Interior Ministry. The meeting drew hundreds of demonstrators, who chanted "Save Jerusalem!" and held signs that read, "Stop the destruction!"

Captions: Top Right- Father and son enjoy the olive harvest.
Middle Left- A young boy strolls through Mount Heret Forest.
Bottom Right- Environmental groups and concerned citizens protest outside the office of the Interior Ministry.
All photos available as high-resolution jpegs upon request.

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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 restoring northern Israel, making it home again to its residents, and is putting its century of experience to work with Blueprint Negev, 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 800-542-TREE (8733) or visit www.jnf.org/trees. To contact your local office, please call 888-JNF-0099 or visit http://www.jnf.org.