The Keren Kayemet Le’Israel-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) hosted 40 Parliament members from the government of Brazil in a formal planting ceremony in Tzora Forest near Jerusalem.
By planting these trees, they have joined numerous leaders around the world who have come to Israel to plant a tree as a symbol of friendship, peace, and continuity.
Beatriz Kicis is a former public attorney from Brasilia with 118,000 followers on Facebook, who always wanted to visit Israel: “We are here to show our support for Israel, which is the only democracy in the Middle East. I am Catholic, but my grandparents were Jewish. Being here in Israel and planting a tree in its soil is about being connected to the past, present and future. It’s my first time here, but I intend to come back many times.”
Otavio Fakhoury, a businessman from Sao Paulo who was with his wife Vivian, said that as Christians, “we were taught to love Israel, and we have come here to express our love. We are very embarrassed by our government’s treatment of Israel, which does not reflect the feelings of the Brazilian people. We identify with Israel, and being here and planting a tree in its soil is very emotional for us.”
KKL-JNF Forester Eran Zabadi, who greeted the group and explained about KKL-JNF’s tree planting project, said that usually, trees are planted in January, when there is rain. “In honor of special groups like yours that visit Israel during the summer months, KKL-JNF created this tree planting site, where the trees are watered by means of drip irrigation until the winter. The terebinth trees you are planting are a resilient and indigenous species that knows how to survive in dry climates like ours.”
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