Boaz Meir: JNF's Mission Circa 2013 Includes Desalination and Desert Reclamation

Come October 25, 2013, the eyes of the Jewish world will be focused on Denver, as the Mile High City hosts the annual Jewish National Fund national conference.  JNF, which is also known by the initials KKL (for its Hebrew name - Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael), is one of the largest and most prominent Israeli environmental groups, tracing its origins back to the days of Theodor Herzl and the Zionist Congresses (during which time it was tasked with buying land in Israel). Today, JNF is mostly often associated with reforestation efforts in Israel (planting 250 million trees in the last 100 years).  But JNF is also deeply involved with other missions crucial to Israel and its people. Boaz Meir, the recently-appointed director of JNF's Mountain States region (encompassing Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho), joins us in the studio to discuss what JNF looks like today; the work of its Mountain States regional office; and what we can expect at the national conference this October. One of the most exciting endeavors that Boaz discusses with us is the work that the Mountain States office is doing to lend its support to JNF's campaign to populate the desert regions of Israel.     This week's show is the final episode of our first season. We began broadcasting Radio Chavura on Sunday, July 1, 2012.  Our program airs weekly on 990 KRKS AM.  For more information on JNF, contact Boaz and the Mountain States offices of JNF at  303-573-7095. Radio Chavura is co-hosted Maxwell Rotbart and his father, Dean – both homegrown members of the Denver Jewish community.  The program is broadcast each Sunday at 6:30 pm on 990 KRKS AM in Denver. Do you want to suggest a potential guest for the show or learn how to become a sponsor? Call Dean & Maxwell at 1-855-JEWISH-4 or email them at [email protected]. For more information, visit our website: www.Chavura.com. First Broadast:  June 30, 2013Photo: Boaz Meir, JNF