The World Jewish Congress’ Theodor Herzl Award recognizes outstanding individuals who work to promote Herzl’s ideals for a safer, more tolerant world for the Jewish people through international support for Israel and enhanced understanding of Jewish history, culture, and peoplehood. Tune in on Monday as we present this year's award to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
In a moving ceremony at his residence, Israeli President Shimon Peres presented the 2012 Beautiful Israel Award to the Keren Keyemet L' Israel or the Jewish National Fund. The award, given out since 1977, goes to those who've made significant and unique contributions to the quality of life and the environment in Israel... KKL-JNF more than qualifies...the non-profit which is celebrating its 110 anniversary this year has a long history of buying, developing and beautifying the land of Israel... We met Efi Stenzler - the world chairman of KKL-JNF- at the organization's historic headquarters in Tel Aviv...today most of the building is a museum that showcases how the land-buying fund helped new immigrants transform much of the arid and uninhabitable terrain of Israel into fertile land that could support thriving communities. This KKL-JNF office also housed Israel's provisional government under David Ben-Gurion six months before the State was declared...in this very room Ben-Gurion signed Israel's declaration of Independence... By that time KKL-JNF had already been around more than 45 years...it was established in 1901 at the 5th Zionist Congress in Basel. Viennese Professor Zvi Shapira, with the support of Theodore Herzl, decided to raise money from Jews the world over in order to buy land in Israel from Arabs and others... The tin blue donation box soon became the iconic symbol of KKL-JNF...the collection boxes were put on counters in every corner of the world...they represented the dream of rebuilding the Jewish homeland... By the time Israel declared its Independence in 1948, KKL-JNF had bought nearly 1 million dunams of land stretching from the north to the south... From its earliest days, KKL-JNF made the aforestation of Israel a top priority. I'm standing here among the pine trees in the Jerusalem Forest, but this is just one example. Over the last 110, the organization has planted over 240 million trees from the Carmel region in the north to Eilat in the South. The trees have given the country's once barren hills and valleys a plush, green beauty and preserved vital ecosystems... Today the pioneering spirit of KKL-JNF can be felt in every part of the country...they've built more than a thousand communities, more than a thousand parks, playgrounds and recreation centers...free places where Israelis can enjoy picnics, hiking and bike paths... KKL-JNF has also played a key role in helping Israel make the most of its limited fresh water resources. Environmentalists at KKL-JNF have become world experts in water recycling, drip irrigation and forestry...they've shared their pioneering techniques with countless countries around the world from Africa to South America...and even with countries who publicly shun Israel and have no diplomatic ties... Is he talking about Saudi Arabia? Maybe... Showing the world Israel's creativity and innovation was one of the reasons Shimon Peres said KKL-JNF deserved to win the Beautiful Israel Award. With an annual budget of about 250 million dollars, what's next for the organization as it passes the milestone of 110 years? The answer: developing the Negev...the vast desert area makes up 60% of Israel's land, but only 8% of Israelis live there... Preparing the Negev has led KKL-JNF to develop 6 communities in the desert area...number 7 -- called Carmit - is almost finished and reportedly has 2,500 people on the waiting list. A lofty goal. Jordana Miller, JN1, Jerusalem.