Plant a Tree in Israel
Planting a tree is a unique and touching experience tourists and families can enjoy visiting Israel. In the Ottoman period, it was deforested systematically, making much of the land barren. From its inception, one of the main goals of the Zionist movement was to make the Land of Israel green again. Operated by the JNF, there are several locations across the state of Israel where one can personally participate in this tremendous ongoing Zionist ideal.
Since 1901, over 250 million trees have been planted across Israel, and Israel is the only one of two countries where the number of trees has increased. In the 1950s, Israel planted a forest in the Judean Hills to commemorate the Holocaust. There are several remarkable Holocaust memorials, such as the Scroll of Fire Memorial and the Anne Frank Monument. The JNF developed over 250,000 acres of land and established more than 2,000 parks. The most extensive forest in the southern Judean hills is the Yattir forest around Khirbet Yattir. It covers an area of 7400 acres.
How to Participate
The JNF has two centers for planting trees. One is near the Shephelah, and the other in the lower Galilee. The activity takes 1-2 hours, and the participants receive a certificate to support this beautiful ongoing project.
A tree can be planted with a guided day tour in the Judean Foothills (the Shephelah).