International Air Cadets Plant Trees at Israeli Air Force Museum

 

"KKL-JNF and the Israeli Air Force Museum are like twin brothers," said Yaakov Terner, founder and head of the museum and former mayor of Beersheva. Terner was speaking to a group of air force cadets from France, Holland, England, the USA, Hong Kong, South Korea, Germany and Canada, who are currently visiting Israel and were planting trees at the museum grounds in Hatzerim, just outside of Beersheva. The ceremony, which took place on Monday, July 23, was emceed by Andy Michelson, KKL-JNF Chief of Protocol, who greeted the guests and told them a bit about KKL-JNF's history and present-day activities.

 

Yaakov Terner address the cadets at the ceremony. Photo: KKL-JNF Photo archives

Group of airforce cadets with a freshly planted tree. Photo: KKL-JNF Photo Archive

 

Terner described the group: "The air cadets are here as part of an exchange program that is a project of the Israeli Air Force and other air forces the world over. They come here to learn about Israel and are hosted by members of the Israeli Air Force, who accompany them on their visit. Planting trees is the highlight of their visit to the museum, which will conclude with a guided tour during which they will be learning about the history of the Israeli Air Force."

 

Addressing the group of air cadets, Terner spoke about the ties between KKL-JNF and the air force museum: "From the first minute that we began to build the museum, KKL-JNF supported us by planting trees, landscaping and the maintenance of four hundred dunams of parks on the museum grounds. Many of the benches, tables and the other installations you see here came from KKL-JNF carpentry shops. I would like to take this opportunity to thank KKL-JNF's Southern Region, particularly its director, Ami Uliel, and Elisha Mizrahi, director of KKL-JNF's Northern Negev region, who cooperate with us with extraordinary love and devotion."

 

Pierre Leqwen, Elias Hemme-Auge, Boy Oude Veldhus & Roger Van Rems. Photo: Tania Susskind

Yaakov Terner. Photo: Tania Susskind

 

After the tree planting ceremony, we spoke with some of the visiting cadets. Pierre Leqwen and Elias Hemme-Auge from France, and Boy Oude Veldhus and Roger Van Rems from Holland, are all visiting Israel for the first time: "We hear a lot about Israel in the media," Pierre said, "and one gets the impression that you're in a constant state of war. Being here gives us a totally different perspective."

 

"Planting trees is a very meaningful experience," Roger added. "For me, the act of planting symbolizes life, so planting a tree is like planting new life. I once planted a tree in the yard of my elementary school, but planting a tree here in Israel is a very different and moving experience."

 

Rebecca from England is studying to be an engineer in the RAF: "I'm finding Israel to be a very interesting place. It's fascinating to hear about the country's history and how the Israeli Air Force became one of the world's best in such a short time."

 

T. S. Rex and his colleague, air cadets from Hong Kong, were also in Israel for the first time: "This is a great way to get to know the country, by touring it together with people who have the same interests we do. Israel is very beautiful. It's very hot here, but it's obvious that you know how to make things grow in the desert. We would love to come back here some day and see how the little seedlings we planted became shade-giving trees. We are basically connected to the air, but it's really very special to be planting a tree in the earth."