Dear Friends,

Just a few days ago, I was privileged to be in Acre to launch, along with Nochi Dankner, one of the leading businessmen in Israel and Chairman of IDB, a unique initiative in the North for the benefit of the residents and to announce the opening of a local tennis center that will serve the residents of Acre and the entire Galilee region.

This unique initiative includes an investment of more than one million dollars by the Israel Fund of the Jewish Agency lead by Terry Rubinstein, an outstanding leader of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and Netvision, an IDB group company. The project is a remarkable expression of the cooperation between donors from Jewish communities around the world and from Israeli society, both joining together to rehabilitate and facilitate the growth of the North, Sderot, and the communities in the western Negev. It is hoped that this undertaking will not only benefit the residents already living in these regions, but will also serve as a catalyst for additional young, idealistic people to build their lives in these areas as well.

This project is the first of the long list of projects that we are planning together with IDB, led by Nochi Dankner, a committed and involved leader in the Israeli business world who cares about and contributes to Israeli society. Through these projects, we will be able to establish community centers, cultural halls, youth clubs, music and dance centers, sports fields, and centers of excellence for science and technology over the next few years. Similarly, we will be able to offer, amongst other programming, enrichment programs for children and youth at risk.

All the initiatives and programs seek to improve the quality of education, culture, sport, and communal life for residents of the North, Sderot, and the western Negev. Most importantly, the primary goal is to give the members of the future generation living in these areas the same developmental, educational, and social opportunities as their peers living in the center of the country.

I view the collaboration between the Government of Israel, the Jewish Agency, through its partnership with Jewish communities world wide, and the Israeli business community, as a Jewish and Zionist mission and responsibility of first priority.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Nochi Dankner, whose actions and visions are exemplary statements of Zionism. His efforts make significant contributions toward closing the gaps in Israeli society, between the center and the periphery. The joining of our forces will increase our resources, so that we can serve the residents of these regions, and together with the donors of the United Jewish Communities (UJC) and Keren Hayesod, make a difference in the lives of Israel’s citizens in need.

In his remarks at the event in Acre, Nochi Dankner stated that the future of the State of Israel is dependent on the unity of the Jewish people in Israel and throughout the world, and on the willingness of every individual to volunteer and contribute to life in Israel. It is critical, Dankner indicated, that we strengthen and fortify the State of Israel for the next generations. He also related the value he sees in partnering with the Jewish Agency-an agency that maintains a relationship with all world Jewry and showed unmatched competency in providing for those in need during the war.

I am proud of this unique collaborative initiative and thankful for the opportunity to partner with a leader such as Nochi Dankner. I am confident that in the coming years we will be able to invest significant funds in the North and western Negev and meet the responsibilities we have accepted, on behalf of the entire Jewish people, to shape Israeli society and the thriving of the State of Israel.

It is my guarantee that we will continue to cultivate relationships within Israeli society and with donors throughout the world. We will partner with our existing and future partners to expand our activities on behalf of Israel, the center of the Jewish people.