Allon, the speaker, explained,  “From May to October, it’s 110-115 degrees. There’s less than one inch of rainfall in a year, so you can imagine how hot and how dry it is and how challenging it is to live there. It’s very far away from urban centers like Eilat and Be’er Sheva, but because of a lot of research and development, we’ve been able to create this blossoming garden, and we’ve been doing all these amazing things because we had no other option. Living in the middle of nowhere in this great stretch of land, we had to do something to protect the borders, and agriculture is the way...and because of that, the Arava became this lab for research in advanced agriculture, efficient water use, and renewable energy. There’s so much to share with the world.”

Dana Gerbie Klein and Linda Mandel.

Additional remarks were offered by the event co-chairwomen, and Rabbi Rena Kieval, and Maayan Amsterdamer, a local high school student who spoke about her experiences attending Alexander Muss High School in Israel, J.N.F.-USA’s college-prep, study abroad in Israel experience for American teens.

“At Muss, I realized that every Jew is a link in a long, unbroken chain—one that continues to grow with each generation,” said Amsterdamer. “I discovered a new part of myself and learned that each of us can make a difference. We are all part of something greater than we can ever truly grasp.”

Maayan Amsterdamer, Hope Amsterdamer.

J.N.F.-USA Capital Region Women for Israel member Jody Ference also shared a tribute to last year’s keynote speaker, Olga Meshoe Washington, who died in January.

Information about J.N.F. or upcoming programs in this region, may be obtained by contacting Emily Pfeffer at epfeffer@jnf.org or 617-423-0999, ext. 812.