This summer in Israel, 150,000 children and youth will participate in 50 different summer camps in KKL-JNF forests across the state.
This figure is set to break records, enabling an unprecedented number of young Israelis to experience, firsthand, Israel’s forests. Already, every year, hundreds of thousands of Israelis visit these national forests.
The 50 different summer camps that will convene in Israeli forests are to be run “by 13 youth movements representing the social and political spectrum in the country,” according to the KKL-JNF.
The youth movements represented are the following: Scouts, HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed, Bnei Akiva, Hashomer Hatzair, Ezra, Maccabi Tzair, HaMa’ayanot HaOlim, HaIhud HaHaklai, Bnei Brit, HaNoar HaLeumi Beitar, Ariel, HaKali Ein Gev, the Arab Scouts, and the Druze Youth Movement.
What the summer programs are all about
“KKL-JNF sees strategic importance in cooperation with the youth movements. Summer camps are an excellent opportunity to instill KKL-JNF values in children and youth in Israel – values of Zionism, service, dedication, love for the land, and all through experiential learning,” said KKL-JNF Chairwoman, Ifat Ovadia-Luski during a visit to the Scouts’ summer camp in the Lemon Tree Forest near Tzfat.
“KKL-JNF sees strategic importance in cooperation with the youth movements. Summer camps are an excellent opportunity to instill KKL-JNF values in children and youth in Israel.”
Ifat Ovadia-Luski
“We at KKL-JNF are delighted to host the youth movements in the forests during the summer, and I wish all the campers, counselors, and parents great success and enjoyment.”
Luski’s visit came as a surprise to her 17-year-old daughter, Shirah, who is a counselor at the camp.
In a statement, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Youth Movements in Israel, Roee Teshuva expressed the close bond between Israel’s youth movement and the KKL-JNF.
“The long-standing partnership between the [KKL-JNF] and the youth movements reflects the shared values and joint efforts for the benefit of Israeli society as a whole. We will continue to work together for the sake of the youth and children and the future of Israeli society.”
