Interview: Russell Robinson | CEO, Jewish National Fund
Famous American author Mark Twain visited the land in 1867. When he returned he wrote,
[a] desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds—a silent mournful expanse….A desolation is here that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action….We never saw a human being on the whole route….There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive tree and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.
This week on the program we welcome CEO Russell Robinson from the Jewish National Fund (JNF). Many of us in the Christian community are not familiar with JNF, but in the Jewish community they are a household name. Russell will share with us how the JNF began and how they have literally changed the country of Israel from the soil all the way up! What was once a “desolate country” as Mark Twain said, is now flourishing with farms and forests and reusing 90% of the water!
One of the most popular things the JNF does is plant forests throughout Israel. They have taken swamp land and turned it into beautiful forests, planting over 200 million trees. As believers in Jesus and lovers of Israel, we know that God has a special place in His heart for Israel and the Jewish people. Learn how God is blessing the land and making the deserts bloom through organizations like JNF.
The Case for Zionism
Maybe you know that the Jewish people have a special place in God’s heart. But are you able to defend or explain what Zionism is? If you would like to learn more about why Christians should support Israel, we recommend the book, The Case for Zionism by Dr. Thomas Ice. This book answers many of the contemporary arguments being used by both secular and religious communities to undermine what we believe is the hand of God at work in our day. We live in such a unique time with the Jewish people back in their ancient homeland and this book enlightens us to the facts surrounding Israel’s rebirth and why it matters.
In Canada? Order Here
Tree Planting in Israel
If you want to help the land of Israel in a tangible way, you can plant a tree in Israel. For only $15 per tree, you can have trees planted in The Friends of Israel Forest about 6 miles west of Jerusalem.
To order:
USA – 800.345.8461
Mail – PO Box 908, Bellmawr, NJ 08099
CANADA – 888.664.2584
Mail – PO Box 428 STN A, Brampton, ON L6V 2L4
If you would like to plant a tree yourself, then head to Israel with our next Up to Jerusalem tour in October!
To learn more about the Jewish National Fund you can visit their website: https://www.jnf.org/
Apples of Gold: We Can Forget All that Because of the Lord
Zvi was regularly sharing with his coworkers about the Lord and what He had done in his life. But when a new employee started, Zvi was met with completel hatred and persecution. It escalated to Zvi losing his job. Sometime later Zvi heard the man was sick and in need of blood. Zvi went to donate but told the person to let the man know that it was given by the Hebrew believer. What happened next was something only the Lord could orchestrate.
Zvi’s story is available in Elwood McQuaid’s book, “Zvi: The Miraculous Story of Triumph over the Holocaust,” available at our online store.
More stories from Zvi are also available in his book, “The Best of Zvi,” available at our online store.
Music
The Friends of Israel Today and Apples of Gold theme music was composed and performed by Jeremy Strong.