JNF flagship school in the Negev

JNF UK SPONSORS FIRST PERMANENT PUBLIC BUILDING FOR GUSH KATIF EVACUEES AT SHOMRIYA

Elementary School Will Educate Over 400 Children From Shomriya and Surrounding Communities, Placing Emphasis on Positive Values and Importance of Knowledge for Youth.
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SHOMRIYA, ISRAEL – October 5, 2007 — JNF UK, the UK’s foremost charity for Israel, took part in the groundbreaking and cornerstone-laying ceremony for a religious elementary school “Talmud Torah” – the very first permanent public structure of any kind for any of the evacuated communities since the Disengagement in August 2005 – for the former Gush Katif community of Atzmona, now situated in Shomriya, at the foot of the Lahav Forest in the Bnei Shimon, North-Eastern Negev Region. JNF UK, together with its partner in the Negev – OR National Missions – are involved with the project, together with major UK donors Cyril Stein and Leo Noe.
“This is a truly ‘groundbreaking’ event with which JNF UK is proud to be associated,” said Mrs. Gail Seal, President of JNF UK. “Our current mission as the leading Israel-focused charity in the UK, is to assist the Negev communities to improve their quality of life and strengthen the country and its citizens with strategic investments in worthwhile charitable projects in this critical area of Israel. The community of Atzmona in Shomriya is an example of the dedication to Zionism and Israel in the face of difficult challenges, and our involvement in the first permanent public structure for the evacuees – an educational one – is a great honour and privilege.”
The school building and furnishings will cost an estimated NIS 13 million (USD 4.25 million), with Government Ministries providing around two-thirds of the budget and the rest coming from private donations, most notably from JNF UK. The building is expected to be completed by September 2008.
“JNF UK is playing an important role in investing in the Negev for future generations,” added Cyril Stein, UK Jewish philanthropist and a leading figurehead in the JNF UK Negev Campaign. “In order to safeguard the Land of Israel, tremendous efforts must be directed at enhancing the under-populated and under-utilised Negev region, to encourage education, employment and housing for hundreds of thousands and attract further investment into the area. I am excited to be part of the changing face of Modern Zionism in Israel and hope that others will join JNF UK in leading the call to help the Negev flourish.”
“This is an important event that complements the work of the Government, which is sadly not doing enough for the Gush Katif Evacuees,” commented Roni Flamer, CEO of OR National Missions. “Our task is to strengthen existing Negev and Galilee communities, as well as planning new ones, and we know that there are thousands waiting to move to the Negev. The Government needs to take care details and communities like Shomriya demonstrate that cooperation and determination can create amazing results and continue to revitalise the Negev as a growing and important agricultural, industrial and residential paradise for the State of Israel.”
The event was attended by over 500 people including Former Chief Rabbi of Israel Yisrael Meir Lau, Former Speaker of the Knesset Ruby Rivlin, Outgoing Director General of the Education Ministry – Mr. Shmuel Abouav, Head of the SELA Administration – Mrs. Tzvia Shimon, donors Mr. Cyril Stein and Mr. Leo Noe, Head of the Bnei Shimon District Council Mr. Moshe Pa’ul, and Representative of JNF UK, Daniel Epstein.
Atzmona was established in 1978, and reached a total of 70 families with over 500 residents by the Evacuation in 2005. The community moved en masse to the tent-city called the “City of Faith”, just outside Netivot following the Disengagement in August 2005. They remained there until negotiations with the Government concluded with an agreement to move into Kibbutz Shomriya in the North Eastern Negev Region of Bnei Shimon. The community now numbers over 700 residents, with all the original Atzmona families and 20 additional families from the former community of Kfar Darom.