Jewish National Fund

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Pronunciations

Jewish National Fund (JOO-ish NAH-shuh-nl FUHND) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A Jewish non-profit organization that buys and cultivates land in Israel and is widely known for planting trees.

Example Sentences

  • "Israeli Jews and diaspora Jews all share in the story of Israel. The purpose of the JNF was for Jews worldwide to come together to fund the creation of the Jewish national homeland, literally one nickel at a time." (JPS)

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Languages of Origin

  • English

Who Uses This

  • Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
  • Israel: Diaspora Jews who feel connected to Israel and have spent time there

Regions

  • North America

Dictionaries

  • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

Alternative Spellings

JNF

Notes

  • "Founded in 1901 as Keren Kayemeth L’Yisrael, the Jewish National Fund purchases, re-claims, irrigates, and cultivates land in Israel. Since its inception, the JNF has been best known for its 'blue boxes.' These small, blue-and- white metal tzedakah boxes featuring a map of Israel are distributed to Jews worldwide to encourage donations that go toward fulfilling JNF’s Zionist ideals. JNF’s major project is planting trees; if you donate money, you can visit your tree in a JNF forest in Israel. JNF is the largest single landowner in Israel, second only to the government." (JPS)

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