A JNF Parsons Water Fund Update: Water Conflicts or Regional Collaboration? By: Col. (res.) Sharon Davidovich, National Director, JNF Parsons Water Fund Leonard Miller, Chair, Environment, Water Policy & External Relations Committee
Take a long look at the good-looking man in the picture, circa 1947. There is a poster of him
in my office at JNF House that I’ve been looking at for years, but never tire of. This man represents the post-WWII pioneering spirit and every time I look at it, I am in awe. The most horrific time in modern Jewish history had just passed and this man could have looked defeated. He could have looked weak and incapable. Instead he exudes a power, an energy, a determination and a spirit that says, “We will not cower, we will not fail. We are here to build the land of Israel. Now and forever.” He makes me smile. He makes me proud. He makes me remember how far we’ve come in such a short time and what we need to do going forward. He energizes me, and so I share him with you. More than six decades later, Israel’s landscape has changed. For one thing, you have made it green by planting over 240 million trees with JNF. We have seen flourish those communities built when the State was established. The country has grown up and now contributes more to the world than any other in so many areas – high-tech, medicine, science, sustainable agriculture, R & D, security, you name it. Israel recycles nearly 77% of its waste water, far more than even the next in line (Spain at 17%), and at long last we are making strides in improving the quality of life for those living in the Negev Desert. The landscape may have changed, but our indomitable spirit remains intact. Today’s pioneer may dress differently from my 1947 muse, but his passion is the same. Meet any one of the trailblazers at any of the new communities we are building in the Negev, and you can’t help but be excited about the future. Whether they are a young couple just starting out, an older kibbutznik or farmer looking to continue the tradition, or a family evacuated from Gush Katif starting a new life amongst the sand dunes, they exude a purity of spirit and a sense of purpose that is enviable. I am a more committed Zionist and a better president of JNF for knowing them. JNF has been around for nearly 109 years. We have worked tirelessly and endlessly to create a Jewish homeland. We have given more than seven million people - working towards 10 million in 2020 - a physical home, and a spiritual home for those of us in the Diaspora. We have connected millions to their biblical roots, to their heritage and to their future. We have touched their lives and each other’s lives and we are not stopping now. We are JNF. For Israel, forever.
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• Exploring the possibility of importingwater from Turkey to be shared among Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. • Upgrading the water treatment plant in the Bedouin town of Arara, which will for the first time enable a Bedouin community to develop modern farming and collaborate with the farmers of the nearby town of Nevatim. • Developing the largest constructed wetlands in the Middle East at Israel’s Ramon Air Force Base, which will serve as a model for waste water treatment and reuse in all arid countries. • Looking for ways to address the problem of sewage flowing from Hebron in the West Bank to the Be’er Sheva River channel, based on the cleanup of the Alexander River conducted by Israel and the Palestinian Authority. • Participating in periodic meetings with the World Bank, Jordan and the Palestinians to examine the construction of the Red SeaDead Sea channel, which has the potential to revolutionize the development of the Israeli and Jordanian Arava, an area with a shortage of high quality water. • Reaching an understanding with Jordan for collaboration on water drills for agriculture in the Arava, which can save the region’s agriculture industry and ensure its future. • Working to expand educational programs in Jewish, Arab, secular and religious schools in Israel to raise awareness for water conservation and promote dialogue. • Planning a unique mission for 2011 that will meet with senior water officials and then visit the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, and Israel to see up-close the challenges of developing the region’s water economy and the opportunities for collaboration. In the upcoming campaign year, the JNF Parsons Water Fund board will close its ranks by recruiting the remaining 18 board members. If you are interested in joining this exclusive group of dedicated JNF donors, sharing your expertise, and becoming part of our success, we invite you to contact Sharon Davidovich, the Fund’s national director, at sdavidovich@jnf.org or 212-8799305 ext. 241, or visit www.jnf.org for more information.
Stanley M. Chesley
Jewish National Fund
The western U.S. has had a long history of conflicts over the use and allocation of water. There is a continuing water dispute between southern California and northern California and disputes between several states, including Arizona and California, over water from the Colorado River. But the battles over water are not just in arid regions of the U.S. or in developing countries. Georgia, Alabama and Florida are mired in litigation about the control and usage of water from Lake Lanier, and after 20 years a solution has yet to be reached that would satisfy the interests of all three states. There are 263 water sources throughout the world—aquifers, rivers, streams, lakes— that cross borders. As population numbers and demand for fresh water continue to climb—according to a recent UN report on water, “Water in a Changing World,” global water consumption has doubled in the last fifty years—the potential for “water wars” also increases. And in volatile regions like the Middle East, which is home to about five percent of the world’s population but contains only one percent of its fresh water, the battleground is far more serious than a courtroom. Egypt has warned its neighbors repeatedly about using water from the Upper Nile River. Turkey is embroiled in an 80-year conflict with Syria and Iraq over water rights to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and has built dams to prevent the flow of water into those countries. And numerous clashes have erupted between Israel and its neighbors—Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians—over the sharing of natural water sources. While the severe water shortage currently plaguing the Middle East and the continuing issue of water allocation could lead to conflict, it also poses a unique opportunity for regional collaboration. The JNF Parsons Water Fund, established almost two years ago, is working to promote the possibility of regional cooperation, while focusing on improving Israel’s water balance. The Fund’s 22 active board members have been working on some exciting and innovative approaches, including:
A Message from our President