FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nina Woldin
JNF Educational Content Manager
212-879-9305 ext. 268
nwoldin@jnf.org
"COLOR ISRAEL GREEN!"
Jewish National Fund Announces Tu B'Shevat Certificate Design Contest
November 1, 2006 -- New York, NY -- Attention young artists: want to make your mark on a Jewish National Fund (JNF) tree certificate? JNF is searching for the designer of its next Tu B'Shevat tree certificate, and it just might be you!
The winner of JNF's "Color Israel Green!" contest -- open to students in grades three through eight -- will join the ranks of acclaimed artists whose work has been featured on JNF tree certificates through the years. The first place design will be reproduced on JNF's Tu B'Shevat in the Schools tree certificates, received by thousands of students across the country who plant trees in Israel in honor of the Jewish new year for the trees. The top five entrees will be showcased online at www.jnf.org/education.
The theme of the contest is Operation Northern Renewal, JNF's campaign to restore northern Israel after this summer's war with Hezbollah. Students are invited to submit designs that illustrate what renewing northern Israel means to them.
"Tu B'Shevat in the Schools has always been about connecting students to the land of Israel and teaching them about the importance of respecting and preserving nature," said Nina Woldin, JNF Educational Content Manager. "Now, more than ever, that connection is important, and this contest is a wonderful way to engage students in the effort to restore what was lost this summer."
Throughout the month-long war with Hezbollah, over 400 forest fires erupted as Katyusha rockets rained down on northern Israel, burning 20,000 acres of planted forests and nature reserves, destroying nearly two million trees, and severely degrading soil quality. Many farmers lost all of their crops to fires or from a month of neglect, and tourism in the Galilee ground to a halt.
Operation Northern Renewal, a 10-year, $400 million worldwide campaign of partnership, will focus on the following areas: replanting forests; upgrading parks and recreation sites; developing tourism; preparing land for farming and providing agricultural research and development; purchasing emergency equipment, including fire trucks, fire retardant chemicals, and a firefighting airplane; installing hydrants in forests and building equipment storage facilities; developing a housing loan program to encourage families to move to the north; building top-of-the-line year-round camps for children; and funding Hugey Sayarut, Israel's youth movement.
Contest entrees should fill an 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper and include the artist's name, age, address, telephone number and email address. The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2006, and winners will be notified on December 15, 2006. Entrees should be sent to:
"Color Israel Green!"
Jewish National Fund
42 East 69th Street
New York, NY 10021
For more information, visit http://www.jnf.org/ or contact Nina Woldin at nwoldin@jnf.org or 212-879-9305 ext. 268.
Caption: The 2006 Tu B'Shevat in the Schools tree certificate (available as a high-resolution jpeg 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/.
