Over the course of eight days, more than 200 participants took part in Jewish National Fund-USA’s once-in-a-lifetime ‘Israel@75’ Mega Mission. The group toured cultural sites and affiliate organizations from Jerusalem to the Arava, exploring Israel’s history, marveling at the land’s natural beauty, gaining a deeper understanding of JNF-USA’s role in the country’s exceptional growth and advancement, and celebrating the state’s 75th birthday.
On April 30, led by JNF-USA CEO Russell Robinson and his wife, Marci, and President Sol Lizerbram and his wife, Lauren, the ‘Israel@75’ mission closed out their epic Israel adventure with a super-sized visit to the ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran Rehabilitation Village. After greeting our beloved partners with warm hugs and dual-branded swag, the ADI staff members split the mission participants into smaller groups that rotated through four stations to learn about some of the village’s different areas of focus and newest projects.
The stations included a tour of the Neurological Ward at the Harvey and Gloria Kaylie Rehabilitation Medical Center at ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran – the first-ever rehabilitation hospital in the Negev – with Dr. Shilo Kramer, Head of Inpatient Rehabilitation; a hands-on wheelchair basketball tutorial in the hospital’s rehabilitative sports complex with Gili Paamoni, Head of Hydrotherapy and Sports Medicine; an overview of the village’s unique usage of horse therapy and music therapy with Dov Hirth, Coordinator of Marketing, Development and Special Projects; and a discussion with North American Director of Development Elie Klein about the gardening program, which provides fulfillment and gainful employment for 32 special needs gardeners, and JNF-USA’s next big project with ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran: construction of the “Merhavei Daniel” community adjacent to the village, which is slated to become the first-ever fully inclusive and accessible town in Israel.
The visit concluded with a delicious festive lunch at the village’s accessible amphitheater and a rousing speech by Major General (Res.) Doron Almog, Founder & Chairman of ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran and Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Since the very beginning, JNF-USA has stood side by side with ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran, helping us shape and realize our vision of creating an expansive and progressive rehabilitation village in Israel’s south – an oasis of humanity in the desert that is reimagining rehabilitation, advancing ability for all and making the Negev bloom in every possible way. It was thrilling to be able to mark Israel’s 75th with our JNF-USA family, and we look forward to many more milestone celebrations together in the years ahead!
