News and Stories

Released hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen is as “strong and sharp” as he always was after being released from captivity after nearly 500 days in Gaza and wishes to convey gratitude to all those who advocated and prayed for his release, a colleague and friend of his for over 10 years has said. The 36-year-old, who was released on Saturday after 498

JNF UK Trustees and staff are overjoyed that their cherished colleague, Sagui Dekel-Chen, has been released after 497 days in captivity and is finally back where he belongs, with his family, friends, and community. Sagui, part of JNF UK’s team in Israel, was at his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz when the horrors of October 7 unfolded. In a pure

JNF UK’s DIY volunteering scheme has recently been assisting the Negev town of Ofakim through various initiatives, including renovating communal bomb shelters across the city. The town is gradually recovering from the brutal attacks on October 7, where over 50 residents were murdered. Watch this Israeli news segment featuring Naama Fuss, JNF UK Project Manager, discussing the shelter that JNF

JNF UK was proud to sponsor the Fun Zone at the Maccabi GB fun run and join over 90 other organisations in the Charity Zone. Special thanks to all our dedicated runners who helped raise vital funds for mental health projects supporting the victims of October 7.

On JNF UK’s solidarity mission, the group had a highly emotional tour of Kibbutz Nir Oz, home of JNF UK employee Sagui Dekel-Chen who is still being held hostage.

JNF UK is renovating ten kindergartens in locations near the Gaza Strip, affected by the October 7 attacks. Our goal is to enhance the facilities and create a beautiful space for children who have started to return to their communities. These children have experienced a lot of uncertainty and trauma since October 7 and this project will offer them comfort

JNF UK organised a day trip to Sderot, allowing those visiting Israel over Pesach to show their solidarity with the Sderot community. The group first visited Beit Ha’Chessed soup kitchen, a crucial organisation that JNF UK supports, which provides food to those in need. They toured the city, hearing firsthand accounts of the devastating attacks on Sderot on October 7.

Last week JNF UK launched a DIY project to build garden furniture for dozens of families who were evacuated from Kibbutz Nirim to apartments in Be’er Sheva. The construction was carried out in cooperation with the community members and is one of a series of projects that we are leading to restore the lives of the Gaza envelope communities. Elan

Shlomit’s youth, some of whom tragically lost parents in the October 7 attacks, have returned to their beloved village after 4 months and are helping to restore it. JNF UK was approached to lead the restoration work in the village of Shlomit which is situated 4 miles from the Gaza Strip border. We upgraded the public areas and built new

On 13th March JNF UK had the pleasure of having Raz Frohlich, a true hero of October 7, as the guest speaker for our third Voices from Israel event. He spoke about the “deadliest day in the last 85 years”, how he saved many civilians under attack in Kibbutz Be’eri and is lucky and thankful to be alive after being

JNF UK had the pleasure of hosting the Mayor of Sderot, Alon Davidi, at the home of JNF UK Chairman Samuel Hayek. The event brought together special guests for an insightful and personal discussion about the attack on Sderot, the challenges faced by the residents, and the plans to strengthen the city, in the aftermath of the events on October

JNF UK’s second Fellowship Programme has just wrapped up its two-day conference for year 12 students, designed to nurture future community leaders and strengthen young advocates for Israel. Taking place this week, participants completed seminars where they gained leadership skills and received training on fighting antisemitism online. The fellowship cohort also visited the Houses of Parliament for an exclusive tour

Evacuees from Kibbutz Kerem Shalom have relocated from hotels to the community of Ashalim. JNF UK, having a long-standing relationship with Kerem Shalom, reached out to the community to identify their needs and offer our support. We have been working to make their new location more homely and comfortable to live in and organised a two-day DIY project with leadership

Our JNF UK Team in Israel organised a celebratory event to showcase everything we have achieved so far through Project Ir Miklat, the renovation of unusable bomb shelters in Israel to ensure civilians could be protected from rocket fire. Through Project Ir Miklat, over 4,250 shelters have been renovated with the help of over 6,500 volunteers. As a result, we

  Derech Eretz is an Israeli leadership programme established in 2011 for underprivileged youth supported by JNF UK. Since October 7th, 200 Israeli youth in 5 cohorts of the programme in the Negev have markedly increased their volunteering work in response to the crisis to help the country. They have assisted farmers with picking and planting crops, provided support in

In a solemn response to the tragic events of October 7, JNF UK is proud to unveil the Green Sunday campaign, historically launched around Tu B’Shvat. This initiative seeks to create a profound and enduring tribute by establishing a memorial forest to commemorate those who were tragically murdered on that fateful day. Jewish Weekly Article 29th January 2024 Read the

Nimrod recounted how he travelled from Jerusalem to the south of Israel. In an act of defiance he protected civilians, saving many lives outside Kibbutz Alumim. Jewish Weekly Article 4th January 2024 Read the full article here

Jewish Chronicle Article 4th January 2024 Read the full article here

Jewish News Article 3rd January 2024 Read the full article here

We were privileged to witness the impact of our partnership with Latet B’Eilat who are running a soup kitchen in Eilat for those in need. Together we are providing food for 200 evacuees daily and for residents from Eilat who have been affected by the crisis in Israel and cannot afford hot meals. Zili, the manager of the soup kitchen

JNF UK employee Caroline took part in a flotilla on the Yarkon River in Tel Aviv, hosted by the Daniel Rowing Centre. Each boat and kayak had posters of the remaining hostages, and Caroline had one of Sagui Dekel-Chen, a cherished member of JNF UK. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sagui and his family, and we continue to pray

Guests listened to David Bouskila, the former Mayor of Sderot in conversation with David Goodman, KKL Director of Community Relations. He recounted the tragic events of October 7th and the devastation that took place in Sderot and surrounding areas in the South. He spoke about “the plans to rebuild the shattered communities and to bring the residents back home”. He

JNF UK distributed its third children’s pack for Chanukah to over 3,400 schoolchildren across 20 UK Jewish schools. This included a postcard for them to write a personal message of support to Israeli children who have sadly been affected by the crisis. We received pictures from Alma Primary School of children enjoying their JNF UK Chanukah packs. Year 4 pupils

Jewish Telegraph article 1st December 2023. JNF UK has launched its second fellowship programme for sixth-formers. Read the full article here

Dan Shapira, Project Manager for JNF UK in Israel, visited some Holocaust survivors to show his support and distribute emergency packs, which include a torch, radio and first-aid kit. During the visit Dan learnt how challenging the current situation has been as the Survivors explained that they have been reliving the traumas they experienced in the Holocaust. Also, many live

Jewish Telegraph Article 1st December 2023. Click here to read the full article

Former Israeli Minister Ze’ev Elkin visited Haifa to see Operation Ir Miklat (City of Refuge) in action – the renovation of bomb shelters. JNF UK’s mission is to restore 4,000 communal shelters so that families have a safe place to hide. Find out more about Ir Miklat and donate here.

Blue Boxes were found among the ruins of a house destroyed by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Be’eri. Hamas militants carried out a massacre at Be’eri, an Israeli kibbutz near the Gaza Strip, with at least 130 people killed in the attack. The money we’ve been collecting in Blue Boxes has gone towards developing the land of Israel for over 120

Jerusalem Post Article 23rd October 2023 An urgent project to map and renovate thousands of bomb shelters in disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Israel’s north has renovated about 1,000 shelters in its first week and a half, following the outbreak of the war with Hamas on October 7. The project, called Ir Miklat (the Biblical term for a ‘city of refuge’) was

Jewish Chronicle Article 20th October 2023 A staff member of the JNF UK Israel team is believed to be among the Israelis who were taken hostage by Hamas, it was revealed this week. Sagui Dekel-Chen, who is in his 30s, disappeared when Hamas terrorists attacked Kibbutz Nir Oz, close to the border. He is assumed “kidnapped into Gaza”, charity heads

Jewish Weekly Article 12th October 2023 Click on the article to enlarge it

Jewish Telegraph Article 13th October 2023 Click on the article to enlarge it

Amongst the heartbreak and devastation in Israel, amazing stories of bravery and courage have come to light like the incredible story of Inbal Lieberman…

Tragically, so many children have been affected, thousands of children have been evacuated from their homes and now face long hours in safe rooms and bomb shelters.

Message from Samuel Hayek Chairman JNF UK Israel continues to defend its people in an unprecedented and unprovoked war initiated by Hamas resulting in hundreds of Israelis murdered and many more wounded. Thousands of rockets fired at Israeli towns and scores of Israelis are taken hostage in Gaza. The whole of the Jewish UK community and JNF UK stand firmly