More than 350 philanthropists united in solidarity with the people of Israel on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at Jewish National Fund-USA’s “A Night of Unity: From Generation to Generation” event at Congregation B’nai Tikvah in North Brunswick.
Chaired by Anne & Adrian Kroll and Brenda & Roy Tanzman, featured speakers included: Alon Ben-Gurion, the grandson of Israel’s first prime minister David Ben-Gurion; Dahlia Wolkoff, a student at Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School and an alumna of Jewish National Fund-USA’s Alexander Muss High School in Israel (Muss); and Rabbi Robert Wolkoff of Congregation B’nai Tikvah.
“I applied to Muss knowing that it would be a life-altering experience and [one that would] deepen my connection with the land and people of Israel,” said Wolkoff. “However, after the October 7 massacre, the concept of a ‘life-altering experience’ earned a completely new meaning. Many of us [students attending Muss] recognized that as the new generation of young Jewish leaders, it was now our responsibility to aid in rectifying the damage that had been done.”
Additional speakers discussed Jewish National Fund-USA’s Israel Resilience Campaign (jnf.org/supportisrael) and the organization’s on-the-ground efforts providing immediate aid and support to tens of thousands of displaced Israeli families, including evacuations, housing, food, clothing, education, trauma therapy, donating firefighting and protective equipment for civil defense, facilitating volunteer services, and more.
The campaign also includes the Livnot B’Yachad – Build Together plan, featuring a bold, strategic initiative to restore the Israel Envelope by rebuilding communities and accommodating long-term security needs, economic and housing development, physical and mental health resources, and resilience efforts.
“The communities that were attacked on October 7 are communities Jewish National Fund-USA has been involved in for decades,” said the organization’s Central NJ Director, Anna Millstein. “We built their schools, playgrounds, medical centers, parks, and more. We know them, and they know us. When they were forced to leave their homes, we were with them. We didn’t wait for them to tell us what they needed. We called them and asked, ‘What do you need?’”
“Being together, especially now at this painfully challenging and historic time in our lives, is crucial,” added Anne Kroll. “We are unified in our love for our heritage, our culture, our religion, and our Homeland. Israel needs us and we need Israel more than ever. Now is the time to recommit ourselves, our generation, our children’s generation, and our children’s children’s generation to stand with Israel now and forever.”
Attendees also learned about Jewish National Fund-USA’s Global Conference for Israel (jnf.org/global), an event filled with inspiration, solidarity, and practical solutions to combat Jew-hatred, taking place Thursday, November 14-Sunday, November 17, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
For more information or to learn about future events, contact Anna Millstein, Director, Central NJ, at amillstein@jnf.org or 973.593.0095 x826.
